Actor George Coe remembered

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — George Coe, a veteran actor of stage, film and TV, has died.

Coe died in Santa Monica, Calif., on Saturday after a long, undisclosed illness. He was 86.

The New York native’s career in show business spanned more than five decades, beginning on stage.

He was a regular on Broadway, starring in the original cast of shows such as the musical Mame, opposite Angela Lansbury, Stephen Sondheim’s Company and Harold Prince’s On The Twentieth Century.

Coe continued working in NewYork as an original member of the Not Ready For Prime Time Players, the predecessor to Saturday Night Live, although he was only credited as a cast member for the première episode in 1975.

His other TV credits include a regular role as media mogul Ben Cheviot opposite Matt Frewer on Max Headroom and guest stints on The West Wing, Grey’s Anatomy, Columbo, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Gilmore Girls, The Golden Girls and Murder, She Wrote.

In film, he was perhaps best known for his role in the film Kramer vs. Kramer.