Photo: Ali Goldstein/ABC via Getty
The actor died on New Year’s Day in a Glendale, California hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm on Dec. 31, his life partner Judy Johns toldThe Hollywood Reporter. He was 72.
Gerdes made appearances on countless shows throughout the past four decades, includingMiami Vice(1987),L.A. Law(1992),Seinfeld(1992),The X-Files(1994),Walker, Texas Ranger(1998),7th Heaven(1999),Alias(2004),ER(2007),Lost(2009),True Blood(2009),Criminal Minds(2011),NCIS(2015),Bosch(2017-19) andGrey’s Anatomy(2020), among others.
He also appeared in the filmsHidalgo(2004),Rumor Has It… (2005) andThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo(2011).
Boschstar Titus Welliver paid tribute to hislate costarin atweeton Jan. 1. “George Gerdes has departed. An actors actor and deeply kind man. Rest easy brother, we are fewer…” he wrote alongside a photo of Gerdes, who played Ray Scales in the Amazon Prime series.
Actor Michael McKean also remembered his “dear old friend” in a social media tribute.
Gerdes was born in Queens, New York, on Feb. 23, 1948 and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1969, according toTHR. Just a few years later, he recorded two folk/pop albums —ObituaryandSon of Obituary— in 1971 and 1972 for United Artists Records.
The following decade, he appeared in Sam Shepard’s off-Broadway production,Fool for Love, as well as Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway playA Few Good Men.
“George was a triple threat,” Terre Roche, the founding member of the vocal group The Roches who introduced Gerdes to Johns, toldTHRin a statement. “A great singer-songwriter and an actor as well. Not to disparage the worth of big stars, but in many ways George was too deep and profound to become a big pop sensation. Many of us New York City singer-songwriters of that era owe a great debt to George’s influence.”
source: people.com
