View Full Version : David Groh (Joe Gerard) Dies at 68
Zoneboy 02-14-2008, 05:08 AM Link (http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-groh14feb14,1,170278.story)
David Groh, an actor best known for his role on the 1970s TV sitcom "Rhoda" as the title character's husband, died of kidney cancer Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his family announced. He was 68.
Groh became an instant celebrity in 1974 when he starred as the easygoing Joe Gerard opposite Valerie Harper's neurotic Rhoda Morgenstern on the "Mary Tyler Moore" spinoff. But by the third season the couple divorced and he was off the show.
Groh later had recurring roles on such prime-time series as "Police Story" and on daytime TV as D.L. Brock on "General Hospital."
Born May 21, 1939, in New York, Groh was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University. He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art on a Fulbright scholarship.
After a stint in the Army, he studied at the Actors Studio and appeared in theater productions "so far off Broadway, my parents would take subways and buses and taxis to try to find me," he later said.
After he left "Rhoda" in 1977, Groh appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon's "Chapter Two" and in "Twilight of the Golds" in 1993. He also had film roles in "Two-Minute Warning" (1976) and "A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich" (1978), among others.
Survivors include his wife, actress Kristin Andersen; a son, Spencer, from a previous marriage; his mother, Mildred; and a sister, Marilyn Mamann. Services are pending. His family suggests donations to the Actors Studio, 8341 De Longpre Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90069.
Zoneboy 02-14-2008, 05:14 AM http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e211/zoneboy/rhoda1.png
Ireneparalegal 02-14-2008, 06:20 PM I loved him as Rhoda's husband. I was sad when the characters divorced. I liked the actor, he was just great. :rip:
Janice 02-14-2008, 06:32 PM How sad, and so young. Yes, that's young to die. I liked him so much as Joe. Prayers to him and his loved ones. I never saw this one coming.
Brian Damage 02-14-2008, 10:21 PM RIP
:rip:
Brieannas21 02-14-2008, 10:50 PM So sad, great actor and man
Mr. Television 02-14-2008, 10:51 PM He was great as Joe. I stopped watching Rhoda when he left. R.I.P. David. :(
Janice 02-15-2008, 10:10 PM Joe and Rhoda meet. :gossip
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Sygg1IleBcE (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Sygg1IleBcE)
(http://youtube.com/watch?v=4RrbTCM5Cao)
The Marriage Proposal. :love:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OylBDHgrXg8 (http://youtube.com/watch?v=OylBDHgrXg8)
The End of Their Marriage. :(
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4RrbTCM5Cao (http://youtube.com/watch?v=4RrbTCM5Cao)
Mr. Television 02-15-2008, 10:19 PM http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23173063/
‘Rhoda’ actor David Groh dies at 68
‘He was a lovely, lovely guy,’ said ‘Rhoda’ star Valerie Harper
updated 6:22 p.m. ET, Thurs., Feb. 14, 2008
LOS ANGELES - David Groh, the handsome, hardworking character actor who was best known to television viewers as the easygoing man Rhoda Morgenstern married and divorced during the run of Valerie Harper’s hit 1970s sitcom “Rhoda,” has died. He was 68.
Groh died Tuesday of kidney cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his sister-in-law Catherine Mullally told The Associated Press on Thursday. Groh’s wife, Kristin Andersen, was by his side.
Divorce was not a subject generally addressed on television in the 1970s, and when Groh’s character, Joe Gerard, and Harper’s Rhoda Morgenstern split up during the show’s third season, viewers were stunned. Their marriage had resulted in one of the show’s highest-rated episodes, and when they split people sent them condolence cards.
The show had begun in 1974 as a spinoff from television’s hugely popular “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” which was set in Minneapolis. “Rhoda” had Harper’s character moving back home to New York City, where she met and married Joe.
Groh’s stunning good looks and real-life good nature were key to helping him win the part of her TV husband, Harper said Thursday.
“We looked all over and he finally came on the scene,” Harper told the AP. “I read every cute guy of a certain age in Hollywood and he was the one. ... I enjoyed very much working with him. He was a lovely, lovely guy.”
Groh, who left the series after the divorce episodes, went on to appear in dozens of TV shows and films, as well as on Broadway, over the next 30 years.
He portrayed the nefarious D.L. Brock on the daytime soap opera “General Hospital” from 1983 to 1985 and had recurring roles on “Baywatch,” “Law & Order” and other shows.
His film credits included “Get Shorty,” “Two Minute Warning” and “Broken Vow,” and he appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon’s “Chapter Two” and Jon Tolin’s “Twilight of the Golds.”
Groh was born May 21, 1939, in New York City and attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art on a Fulbright scholarship. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he returned to New York to study at the Actors Studio.
He appeared in the television shows “Dark Shadows” and “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” in the 1960s before landing “Rhoda.”
He was written out of the show, Harper said, when the producers decided “Rhoda” worked better with its star as a single woman.
“We all felt very bad about David not continuing,” she said, adding the two remained lifelong friends.
In recent years, Groh appeared in independent films and had been developing a film called “Lower East Side Story” with his wife.
Aside from Andersen, he is survived by his son, Spencer Groh, his mother, Mildred, and his sister, Marilyn Mamann.
Memorial services are pending.
Mr. Television 02-15-2008, 10:21 PM It's nice to know that David and Valerie remained good friends after he left. They were great together.
Ireneparalegal 02-15-2008, 10:22 PM I liked how in the opening credits Rhoda would be seen touching and rubbing Joe's behind. ;)
Janice 02-15-2008, 10:44 PM I liked how in the opening credits Rhoda would be seen touching and rubbing Joe's behind. ;)
See if this works for you Irene. It's not working well for me, but from the viewer comments, it appears to be working fine for others.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vQaRI7RQVDg&feature=related
Ireneparalegal 02-15-2008, 10:51 PM Awwww there it is!!! Thanx Janice. Gotta love that moment. ;)
Janice 02-15-2008, 10:54 PM You're welcome, Irene. I've always loved that moment too. Its skips a bit for me, but must be a glitch on my end. Glad you could see it. Talk about Memory Lane. :)
Ireneparalegal 02-15-2008, 11:04 PM Memories indeed. Something abt that "touch his butt" moment that made Rhoda so real to me. It just made it seem so natural. Like they were a real couple. ;)
ThomasE 02-16-2008, 12:56 AM I will miss this cat. I thought that he was so cool. I loved when he was Mr Parezi, the man who wanted to kill Amanda on Melrose Place. The Irony is that Valerie Harper came to the scene two years later as Michael Mancini's mother. RIP David.
catlover79 03-26-2008, 06:03 PM I read about this in Soap Opera Digest (he played Bobbie Spencer's first husband on General Hospital in the mid-80s). He was a fine actor and I liked Rhoda with Joe. Plus, Mr. Groh did an AWESOME job in a first season Law & Order episode where he played an abusive father. May he :rip:.
Ireneparalegal 03-26-2008, 06:12 PM For some reason, seeing the thread title DAVID GROH DIES...it still shocked me. It was just like when I seen it the first time. :rip:
Scoobiedoo30 03-26-2008, 06:42 PM Rest in Peace
OOliver 02-12-2009, 02:39 PM Today is the one year anniversary of his death. I still can't believe it.
catlover79 08-14-2009, 09:31 PM Found this on People.com -
"General Hospital's Steve Bond (who plays sexy Jimmy Lee Holt) has been ordered by ABC's program practices department to leave his Jockey briefs in the bottom drawer. Nothing but boxer shorts on the show from now on, the taste arbiters ruled. But the censors were more lenient with fellow cast member David Groh (D.L. Brock), who in a fight scene to air Aug. 31 let slip a certain four-letter word beginning with "F." Rather than re-shoot the scene—in which D.L.'s lover, Bobbie Spencer (played by Jackie Zeman), is about to be raped—the producers decided to use a foghorn to cover up his faux pas."
- The scene was shot on the docks, so a foghorn blast made perfect sense.
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20085833,00.html
Schmoopie 08-15-2009, 05:36 AM Today is the one year anniversary of his death. I still can't believe it.
I don't even remember hearing about his death! I thought that this was a new thread when I read it, and was amazed to find that it happened a year ago. Kind of eerie because I just finished reading a book about a woman who had kidney disease .
I remember David when he was on GH, very well in fact! I was an avid GH watcher. My dad used to crack me up talking about David because he ALWAYS referred to him as "Rhoda's husband". I don't know if he ever knew David's real name or not, but every time he was on GH, I heard "Is that Rhoda's husband?"
God, I haven't watched Rhoda in years! It was funny to come on the board tonight and see all these Rhoda threads! I've done that with other TV shows; start posting everything I can think of about them! It's amazing what pulling up an old thread will generate!
Andrea
Schmoopie 08-15-2009, 05:50 AM Found this on People.com -
"General Hospital's Steve Bond (who plays sexy Jimmy Lee Holt) has been ordered by ABC's program practices department to leave his Jockey briefs in the bottom drawer. Nothing but boxer shorts on the show from now on, the taste arbiters ruled. But the censors were more lenient with fellow cast member David Groh (D.L. Brock), who in a fight scene to air Aug. 31 let slip a certain four-letter word beginning with "F." Rather than re-shoot the scene—in which D.L.'s lover, Bobbie Spencer (played by Jackie Zeman), is about to be raped—the producers decided to use a foghorn to cover up his faux pas."
- The scene was shot on the docks, so a foghorn blast made perfect sense.
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20085833,00.html
Wow, never knew that before! That's pretty funny, though! Oh God, I remember Jimmy Lee! I'm gonna post a topic on the soap board about this, before I go way offtopic: !!!
Andrea
catlover79 08-15-2009, 08:58 AM I don't even remember hearing about his death! I thought that this was a new thread when I read it, and was amazed to find that it happened a year ago. Kind of eerie because I just finished reading a book about a woman who had kidney disease .
I remember David when he was on GH, very well in fact! I was an avid GH watcher. My dad used to crack me up talking about David because he ALWAYS referred to him as "Rhoda's husband". I don't know if he ever knew David's real name or not, but every time he was on GH, I heard "Is that Rhoda's husband?"
God, I haven't watched Rhoda in years! It was funny to come on the board tonight and see all these Rhoda threads! I've done that with other TV shows; start posting everything I can think of about them! It's amazing what pulling up an old thread will generate!
Andrea
Great story!! :lol: :D
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