I loved to watch Ron Silver in action. I admired his performances, he always seemed passionate about his role and his characters came alive. I didn’t know much about his political life in the US as I am not an American, but I did see mention of his passing today from a very snarky and petty Hollywood source: Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere:

“Actor Ron Silver, whose immense talent and fine, irony-tinged performances (Reversal of Fortune, The West Wing, the original B’way production of Speed The Plow) were diminished and compromised in the public mind when he became a “9/11 Republican” and gave his earnest support to one of the most destructive and dysfunctional Presidents in U.S. history, died Sunday morning from esophegal cancer.

The 62 year-old actor had been fighting the disease for two years. Too soon, tragic news, sorry to hear it, condolences to his family and friends. I loved Silver’s acting and would like to forgive him for giving a speech in support of Bush-Cheney during the 2004 Republican Nat’l Convention. But that’s not going to happen. Silver shamed himself with his Bush allegiance, and history will not judge him kindly. But I greatly admired Silver before he became a right-wing Frankenstein hardass. Let’s try and remember him in a pre-9/11 light.”

Good grief. He was ‘shamed’ because he had a different opinion than the rest of the Hollywood sheep? He will be judged poorly? Where do these people come from? I’m going to remember him as a fine actor and passionate patriot – I don’t give a damm what his political beliefs were, why the heck should that make him a greater or lesser person?