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
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
