Vale: Jay Thomas
US actor, best known for Murphy Brown and Cheers, has died.
- Published by David Knox
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US actor Jay Thomas, best known for Murphy Brown and Cheers, has died, aged 69.
He died following a battle with cancer.
On Murphy Brown, Thomas played Jerry Gold, tabloid talk show host and love interest for Candice Bergen’s lead character.
On Cheers, he played Carla’s (Rhea Perlman) husband Eddie LeBec.
Other credits included Mork & Mindy, Love & War, Hung, American Dad, Cold Case, Boston Legal, Joan of Arcadia, Ed, Hercules, Fantasy Island, Ray Donovan and on The Late Show With David Letterman, where he appeared every Christmas season and always told the same story about meeting Clayton Moore, the actor who played the Lone Ranger on US TV.
“I always seem to play the role of a Jewish person,” he once said in an interview. “On Love and War I played Jack Stein, a left-wing Jewish man. On Murphy Brown I was Jerry Gold, a right-wing Jewish man. And I won an Emmy for that part. The trouble is, I’m not Jewish. But everyone I met in L.A. thought I was a Jewish man from Brooklyn.
“I’m from New Orleans,” he added. “My father was a WASP and my mother was Italian.”
Source: Yahoo
5 Responses
Dear DK,
Can you tell us the full story about his meeting with the Lone Ranger please.
First say Jay on Murphy Brown, love his work. He will be missed.
And don’t forget that every year just before Christmas he appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman to tell his Lone Ranger story and throw a football at the meatball on top of the Christmas tree. Ah Christmas traditions!
I didn’t forget, it’s in the story?
Out of all the great TV shows he did, that’s what I best remember him for too. Him and Darlene Love on Letterman at Christmas waz a great little Xmas tradition…
RIP Jay