Veteran Character Actor, General Hospital Alum Jack Axelrod Dies

Summary

• Hollywood veteran Jack Axelrod dies of natural causes at age 93.
• Axelrod’s acting career includes appearances in popular TV shows like General Hospital, Grey’s Anatomy and My Name is Earl, as well as movies like Woody Allen’s Bananas.
• Despite his small role, Axelrod delivered a hilarious and memorable performance on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, as Father O’Grady, during season 2.

Hollywood veteran, character actor and General Hospital alum Jack Axelrod dies at the age of 93. Axelrod actually passed away of natural causes in Los Angeles nearly three weeks ago on Tuesday, November 28. And Axelrod’s death has now been confirmed by his representative, Jennifer Garland, in a statement released by Entertainment Weekly. Garland said of Mr. Axelrod (per EW):

I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with him in his last years, as he had no immediate family. We spent much time outdoors, where Jack loved to sketch, read news articles, and recite Shakespearean sonnets.

Axelrod’s indelible mark on Tinseltown cannot be understated, especially considering he didn’t even take a chance on showbusiness until the age of 40. And his story is akin to a true overnight success. Prior to moving to New York City, and making his acting debut in the one-performance production of Gandhi, Axelrod was an architect by trade. And as if his big break on Broadway wasn’t enough, the new actor also landed a role in Woody Allen’s Bananas (1971).

Following his feature film debut, six years passed before Axelrod started landing roles on television series, beginning with a guest-starring spot on the Telly Savalas-led crime drama Kojak in 1977. Minor appearances on high-profile TV programs like Hill Street Blues, Dallas, Dynasty and Night Court followed. But it wasn’t until he landed the part of Vic Jerome in the soap opera General Hospital that Axelrod began playing the part he is best known for today.

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Jack Axelrod’s Hollywood Legacy

FX

Jack Axelrod portrayed the role of Vic Jerome on General Hospital in 40 episodes over the course of two years (1987-1989). However, even when his character was killed off of the soap opera, Axelrod never rested on his laurels. From 1990 through 2005, Axelrod became a well-known and widely recognizable fixture on a wide array of television shows which included everything from Murphy Brown to Everybody Loves Raymond to Star Trek: Voyager to Frasier. And then Axelrod crossed paths with “The Gang” in 2007.

Axelrod portrayed Father O’Grady in the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode titled The Gang Exploits a Miracle. While his role is small, Axelrod’s character is integral to the storyline. Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Charlie (Charlie Day), Sweet Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Frank (Danny DeVito) are trying to cash in on a water stain that appears in the shape of the Virgin Mary at Paddy’s Pub.

Frank and Dennis recruit the one-time priest to appear at the bar, but Father O’Grady is off his rocker. And when he has a moment alone, O’Grady desecrates and destroys the miraculous imagery by peeing on it! Again, Axelrod only appears in a couple of scenes, but it’s a hilarious and memorable performance despite its brevity.

Axelrod’s TV career continued, most notably with the three episodes in which he portrayed Charlie Yost on Grey’s Anatomy. However, Axelrod also started appearing in more movies (Hancock, Little Fockers, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, The Lone Ranger) while leaving his own unique mark on the television comedy My Name is Earl from 2005 until 2008.

Axelrod continued working steadily up until 2020, and the actor continued to pop up in hit shows like Dexter, The Office, NCIS, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Modern Family. In addition to being a prolific thespian, Axelrod became a well-respected acting coach in honor of his own teacher, Uta Hagen, who helped him hone his craft during the years between Bananas (1971) and Kojak (1977).

Rest in peace, Mr. Axelrod.

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