Urbane star was just a kid at heart
VERSATILE actor George Segal won over younger viewers with his roles in The Goldbergs and Just Shoot Me!, but was best known for his Oscarnominated performance in Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
He starred alongside power couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, who won the Best Actress Oscar, in the celebrated 1966 film version of Edward Albee’s dark comedy-drama.
“Elizabeth and Richard were the king and queen of the world at that moment and there was a lot of buzz about it,” Segal recalled in 2016. “There was a great satisfaction of being involved with it.”
Segal’s powerful performance led to a string of lead roles in iconic Seventies films, including The Owl And The Pussycat, California Split and Fun With Dick And Jane.
The star won two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Actor, for his performance opposite Glenda Jackson in classic 1973 romcom A Touch Of Class.
However, by the end of the decade, such light comedies fell out of favour as audiences got a taste
for blockbuster action films. But from 1997 to 2003 Segal gained a new fan base when he starred as magazine publisher Jack Gallo on the long-running NBC series Just Shoot Me!, and was a huge hit as Albert “Pops” Solomon on The Goldbergs from 2013.
Goldbergs creator Adam F Goldberg said: “It was a true honour being a small part of George Segal’s amazing legacy. I cast the perfect person to play Pops. Just like my grandfather, George was a kid at heart with a magical spark.”
George Segal Jr was born in New York City, to Fannie Blanche Segal and George Segal Sr.
He first became interested in acting at the age of nine, when he saw Alan Ladd in This Gun For Hire.
He also started playing the banjo
at a young age and was part of a dixieland jazz band before his acting career took off.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Segal often appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as a guest and as a guest host. His appearances were punctuated by bursts of banjo-playing.
In 2017 Segal was honoured
with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. He was married three times and had two daughters.
He passed away in California following complications after coronary bypass surgery.
His manager Abe Hoch said: “I will miss his warmth, humour, camaraderie and friendship. He was a wonderful human.”