RIP George Segal: Revisit the legendary comedian’s most iconic roles
You might remember George Segal from the hit ABC show The Goldbergs, but he was way more than the energetic “Pops” of Adam, Barry, and Erica Goldberg. Segal had showcased a wide variety of talents over the decades than just his role as “Pops”. In fact, he has been an actor since the early 1960s starring in Broadway shows like Gideon (1961-1962) & Rattle of a Simple Man (1963).
George Segal moved on to playing Nick and received an Oscar nomination in the 1966 adaptation of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Segal also starred in the American drama The Desperate Hours as Glenn Griffin. But how did the great American actor die?
George Segal’s passing
According to CNN, George Segal passed away yesterday at eighty-seven years old. The actor’s wife Sonia Segal expressed to Sony TV: “The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery.”
Segal’s longtime agent Abe Hoch has sent his condolences and told Sony TV: “I will miss his warmth, humor, camaraderie and friendship. He was a wonderful human.”
The real Adam F. Goldberg and creator of The Goldbergs sent his farewell on Twitter: “Today we lost a legend. It was a true honor being a small part of George Segal’s amazing legacy. By pure fat, I ended up casting the perfect person to play Pops. Just like my grandfather, George was a kid at heart with a magical spark. I think these memories say it all . . .”
George Segal wasn’t just a “wonderful human”, but also a five-time Golden Globe nominee and has had the honor of having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Let’s take a look at some of the comedian’s best moments on screen.
Where’s Poppa?
In the 1970 comedy film Where’s Poppa?, we get a chance to feast our eyes on the young George Segal as an attorney named Gorden Hocheister, alongside the great actress Ruth Gorden who plays his highly confused mother Mrs. Hocheister.
But when Gorden brings home the love of his life (#WifeMaterial), he has to come up with some crazy plan to get his delusional mother out of the house. Yikes.
Fun With Dick and Jane
The hilarious 1977 film Fun With Dick and Jane directed by Ted Kotcheff starred our comedic actor George Segal alongside Academy Award & Golden Globe winner Jane Fonda as a pair of vigilantes who’s married life is literally crashing & burning right in front of them.
Though Dick (George Segal) loses his job as an aerospace engineer, he quickly teams up with his wife Jane to become bada** criminals. Well, they couldn’t just sell their house, right?
Murphy’s Law
If you want to see George Segal’s incredible range & talent, Murphy’s Law is the TV series for you! The show ran for an entire year starring Segal, Maggie Han, and Josh Mostel and was also loosely based off of Warren Murphy’s novels the Trace.
Though the show didn’t last long, the 1988 American TV series presented Segal as the hot-shot insurance investigator Daedalus Patrick Murphy who might look like he has it all with his beautiful roommate (a foreign model), but he’s actually a divorcee, former alcoholic, and is terrible in relationships. His life is as complicated as the rest!
Just Shoot Me
The 1997-2003 comedy series Just Shoot Me had George Segal star as a powerful fashion magazine CEO Jack Gallo, and when his daughter Maya (Laura San Giacomo) suddenly loses her job and nowhere else to go, he is more than happy to step up to the challenge of his prankster daughter.
The Goldbergs
“It was 1980-something” and George Segal starred alongside Jeff Garlin & Wendi McLendon-Covey as the perfect Albert “Pops” Solomon. His wit, charm, and patience with his favorite grandson Adam Goldberg (Sean Giambrone) presents the audience with the perfect grandfather & grandson relationship.
Melissa Joan Hart also tweeted: “From being on set of #JustShootMe to directing him on #TheGoldbergs, he was a true gem and great man. He will be missed!”
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R.I.P George Segal. Which one of Segal’s iconic films or TV shows was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
