Actor David Margulies, the Mayor in ‘Ghostbusters,’ Dies at 78
David Margulies (R) and Lois Smith. Image by Getty Images
By John A. Oswald January 13, 2016
David Margulies (R) and Lois Smith. Image by Getty Images
Brooklyn-born character actor David Margulies, best known for his movie role as the Ed Koch-like mayor in a ghost-besieged New York City, has died at 78.
The ‘Ghostbusters’ star also appeared as Tony Soprano’s ace lawyer Neil Mink in multiple episodes of the seminal HBO series “The Sopranos.”
Image by Screen Shot
He was still working even as his health declined in recent years, most recently getting cast as Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in an upcoming TV flick about Ponzi fraudster Bernie Madoff.
The Jewish thespian’s biggest love seemed to be for the Broadway stage, where his first job was in the 1973 revival of “The Iceman Cometh.”
He appeared in more than a dozen shows on the Great White Way, including “45 Seconds From Broadway,” “Wonderful Town,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” and “Comedians.”
“Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda remembered him for playing lawyer Roy Cohn in Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America.”
“45 Seconds From Broadway” and “Wonderful Town.”
“I got to see him as Roy Cohn in Angels in high school. Unreal,” Miranda posted on Facebook. “A force onstage, a mensch offstage. I will miss him.”
He is survived by his companion, Lois Smith, and one child from a prior marriage.
I got to see him as Roy Cohn in Angels in high school. Unreal.https://t.co/s7QIOa71vlA force onstage, a mensch offstage. I will miss him.
Posted by Lin-Manuel Miranda on Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
