http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2nUUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bgIEAAAAIBAJ&dq=gregory%20sierra&pg=6668%2C1751797

I never knew this until now. How horrible!! In light of what happened to Andrew Koenig, it just reminds us all of how serious an issue suicide is.

I'd never heard about this before either. How sad.

Makes me wonder - maybe low ratings wasn't the only reason the show lasted only 5 episodes. If you check out his filmography between 1978-81, he doesn't have that much listed. It wasn't until he joined the cast of Soap that I think his career set fire again.

Makes me wonder - maybe low ratings wasn't the only reason the show lasted only 5 episodes. If you check out his filmography between 1978-81, he doesn't have that much listed. It wasn't until he joined the cast of Soap that I think his career set fire again.
I would imagine it would have been very difficult for him to continue to work under those circumstances. So wether it was by choice or not I'm sure the time off at that point in his life was good for him. To give him a chance to heal.

I don't think I would be able to work under those circumstances - so it's an even greater testimony to his acting ability that he kept going for the rest of A.E.S.' short duration. I've seen the show (some guy taped it off Beta when it was originally on and put it on a DVD for me) - and you'd never be able to tell that there was a dark cloud hanging over him.

It seems he made it "through the rain", as Mariah Carey's song goes. He's still healthy and as we know, recently acted in a play this past fall. My respect for him as an actor and a human being just grew even more!!

Then again, according to this article from the Milwaukee Sentinal Journal, the show was probably doomed from the start. Check it out:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hQQqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HykEAAAAIBAJ&dq=gregory%20sierra&pg=6469%2C4305591

Now that I think about it, 2 of the 5 episodes dealt with the issue of suicide - including the last one. I haven't see the show in some time because I loaned my DVD to a friend who still hasn't given it back yet (:mad:) but it just struck me. Here's the only episode guide to the the show I could find:

http://www.tv.com/a.e.s.-hudson-street/show/13627/episode.html?tag=prev_episode;more

Now that I think about it, 2 of the 5 episodes dealt with the issue of suicide - including the last one. I haven't see the show in some time because I loaned my DVD to a friend who still hasn't given it back yet (:mad:) but it just struck me. Here's the only episode guide to the the show I could find:

http://www.tv.com/a.e.s.-hudson-street/show/13627/episode.html?tag=prev_episode;more
Wow, that is amazing that they would do not just one but two eps. that dealt with suicide considering what Gregory was dealing with in his personal life. (And you would think the writing staff would be aware of that too!)

Wow, that is amazing that they would do not just one but two eps. that dealt with suicide considering what Gregory was dealing with in his personal life. (And you would think the writing staff would be aware of that too!)
You'd think so! How Gregory managed to do those episodes, I have no idea. But on the other hand, maybe he was able to channel some of his grief into his acting in those particular episodes.

Speaking as someone who has had to deal with suicide indirectly, it is not fun. My sister's ex boyfriend murdered her and then killed himself. Some days it is so hard. She was my best friend. I cannot imagine the guilt this poor man has suffered. I am glad he gets up and gets on with his life everyday. Sometimes it is very hard. It has been 17 years since my sister was murdered and it hurts like it happened yesterday. God bless Gregory. What a wonderful man. I cannot believe the writers of that show would do such a story line in light of his situation. Some people are so insensitive.

Speaking as someone who has had to deal with suicide indirectly, it is not fun. My sister's ex boyfriend murdered her and then killed himself. Some days it is so hard. She was my best friend. I cannot imagine the guilt this poor man has suffered. I am glad he gets up and gets on with his life everyday. Sometimes it is very hard. It has been 17 years since my sister was murdered and it hurts like it happened yesterday. God bless Gregory. What a wonderful man. I cannot believe the writers of that show would do such a story line in light of his situation. Some people are so insensitive.
:bighug: You are such a sweetie - and so brave. My cousin's wife's sister took her own life at a young age as well and she (my cousin's wife) is doing a lot to raise awareness of depression and suicide. In your case, it's been 17 years and in Gregory's it's over 30 (it happened either in late 1977 or early 1978) but that has to scar someone for a lifetime. I think what happened with Andrew Koenig (Growing Pains) just drives the point home further.

Wow, that's horrible! Monika in another thread about Gregory I asked if he was still married and now I wish I hadn't. I can't believe the show would do two episodes about that terrible subject. I hope they were done before this tragedy occured and not after.
As for being able to work afterwards? I was working two jobs at the time that my dad killed himself and out of necessity, I went back to work only three days after. In hindsight, I should have taken at least a week off. I had a ton of leave from my full time job but I went to work anyway. I remember I was working at Blockbuster Video and at an elementary school. I would be working and minding my own business when suddenly I would either have a "memory" of my dad's funeral or it would hit me that he was really dead and it was literally like someone put a knife in my stomach. I'm sorry to be so graphic, but that's exactly what it felt like. I hated that feeling to no end.

No need to apologize! You didn't know. I don't know if he ever remarried, the most recent article I read about him (from November 2009) didn't mention a current wife or any children.

I'm so sorry to hear about your dad, Andrea. I can't even imagine how awful that must feel. :bighug:

I too had asked if Gregory Seirra was married before I read this, and I wish I hadnt. :(

Just sad, sad stories this week about suicide - Andrew Koenig, Marie Osmond's son - I found it creepy that I happened to stumble across this story at the same time. Other celebrity suicides I found especially tragic were those of Donny Hathaway, and Bill Bixby's ex-wife Brenda Benet. In all cases, what a waste. :(

Regarding the writers knowing about Gregory's horrendous loss (and still writing plots about attempted suicide), they are extremely fortunate that nothing happened to HIM!! As we all know, the line between fiction and real life can be very blurry. Just look what happened in the case of Brenda Benet - and supposedly the writers DIDN'T know she'd just lost her young son and was on the brink:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=142404

Thank you for the kind words. I know this will sound kind of dumb but a very special cat came into my life after my sister died. She will be 14 this May. She knows about 10 voice commands and I have taught her some tricks. She likes to jump real high and grab a ball with her paws. So cute. She is a total diva. For some reason this little ball of fur has really became a part of the family. She even wins over people who say they don't like cats. I was kinda sad with all the suicides in the headlines this week. Sometimes I wish people who get so sad would be able to open up and share their feelings and maybe we would still have some of these good people around. I guess they feel like they have no where to turn. And that is just not ever true. If a person would just reach out, they would know that the world is full of kind, understanding wonderful people who really care. The hardest time for me was the morning after I found out my sister died-I knew no matter what I did the sun was going to come up and I would have to face the world without my sister. But I did it. She would have wanted it that way. Again, thank you posters for being so awesome!! Take care.

^ I don't think it's silly at all!! Animals, for some particular reason, have that God-given gift of sensing grief and hurt in humans. I don't think the timing of the kitty coming into your life around the same time your lost your sister is coincidence at all!! :bighug:

Also, from reading between the lines, it doesn't even seem like production of A.E.S. was even halted. When such a personal, heinous tragedy happens to the STAR of your show...I just can't believe it. But then again, the show wrapped production for good, in short order. Gregory then accepted a supporting role in the Peter Sellers comedy The Prisoner of Zenda, which was released theatrically the following year. Most of the filming took place in Vienna, Austria, so maybe leaving the country for awhile provided a nice reprieve. Who knows?

I think one reason I have always loved Gregory Sierra is because of the soulfulness in his performances. Check out his more dramatic yet passionate performances in episodes like The Waltons, Kung Fu, and of course "The Hero" from Season 1 of Barney Miller (THE definitive Chano epsiode). The light-hearted family comedy from 1998, The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (his last major screen role to date) is a wonderful story of friendship and dreams. He never "phoned in" a performance - and I've seen plenty of them!! - you could tell he put his heart and soul into every role he did. God bless this wonderful man - I have heard nothing but wonderful things about from some of his fellow actors and what a selfless, modest human being he is. :D

Wow, that is amazing that they would do not just one but two eps. that dealt with suicide considering what Gregory was dealing with in his personal life. (And you would think the writing staff would be aware of that too!)
I stand corrected - THREE of the five episodes touched on the issue of suicide - episodes 2, 3 and 5. How Mr. Sierra got through it, I have no idea. I doubt I would've had the strength!

I stand corrected - THREE of the five episodes touched on the issue of suicide - episodes 2, 3 and 5. How Mr. Sierra got through it, I have no idea. I doubt I would've had the strength!
Wow! Three out of five episodes touched on the issue of suicide. My respect for Mr. Sierra continues to grow the more I learn about him.

Wow! Three out of five episodes touched on the issue of suicide. My respect for Mr. Sierra continues to grow the more I learn about him.
Same here!! What a strong, strong man - not too many other people would have the strength not only to go through such a horrible tragedy in real life, but have to deal with the issue on-screen as well.

Before I read this story, I wondered why "AES" was always shoved under the rug in the articles I read. It was always mentioned just in passing, and since that was the only show where he was the lead, you would think it would get more mention. Plus, it wasn't mentioned in the November 2009 interview posted elsewhere on the board at all. Then I stumbled upon the Toledo Blade article and it all made sense. No one should have to go through that. :(

I vaguely remember Mr. Sierra around this same time playing a very different role as a terrorist in an Operation Prime Time miniseries called "Evening in Byzantium", which premiered as a prime time syndicated miniseries in August 1978:

http://www.us.imdb.com/title/tt0077521/

^ I've heard of that movie, but have never seen it. What I've read of it - sounds ahead of its time.

I would imagine it would have been very difficult for him to continue to work under those circumstances. So wether it was by choice or not I'm sure the time off at that point in his life was good for him. To give him a chance to heal.
Sometime actors just dive into their work right after a tragic loss. Bill Cosby was currently on his show Cosby, when his son was murdered in Los Angeles. But since A.E.S. Hudson St. was in its infancy, maybe they just decided to halt production in this case.

Sometime actors just dive into their work right after a tragic loss. Bill Cosby was currently on his show Cosby, when his son was murdered in Los Angeles. But since A.E.S. Hudson St. was in its infancy, maybe they just decided to halt production in this case.
That's the feeling I got. Except in that case, they never resumed production - mainly due to low ratings.

I'd never heard about this before either. How sad.
I did not know either :( In three episodes of "Murder, She Wrote" where he is playing a L.A. detective, he is wearing a wedding ring on his left hand, but was that because his character was married or did he remarry in real life :quest:

I did not know either :( In three episodes of "Murder, She Wrote" where he is playing a L.A. detective, he is wearing a wedding ring on his left hand, but was that because his character was married or did he remarry in real life :quest:

I remember that ep - but it was explained that his detective character had just recently been married.

I remember that ep - but it was explained that his detective character had just recently been married.
It would be nice to know if he himself ever remarry :heart:

I don't know. I read an interview with him from November 2009 and it didn't mention anything about a current wife or kids. He just strikes me as a very private person - and after going through something like that, I can't blame him. :(

I don't know. I read an interview with him from November 2009 and it didn't mention anything about a current wife or kids. He just strikes me as a very private person - and after going through something like that, I can't blame him. :(
Yeah :( It just would be real nice to know if he was able to find love again :heart: and I really hope he was able to :heart: just because he is such a nice man and a great actor :heart:

I agree! Whatever he is doing now, I just hope that he is well and happy. :wave:

I agree! Whatever he is doing now, I just hope that he is well and happy. :wave:
Same here :wave:

That's all you can hope for - for all people, really.

That's all you can hope for - for all people, really.
True :eyes: Still, it would be nice to find out if he ever did remarry :eyes: because I think he would make a wonderful husband and father :eyes: even a step-father :eyes: If he did remarry, he would no doubt do whatever he had to in order to protect his family's privacy :eyes:

What's amazing to me is how this tragedy was basically left alone by the media at large. Of course, this was before the Internet, pre-TMZ, etc. Here, you have an actor well-known for not one but two TV shows (Sanford & Son and Barney Miller), numerous guest spots, TV movies, and film work (like the small but pivotal role as the bartender in The Towering Inferno). Today, ANYONE on a sitcom who would have this happen to them would have it splashed all over the internet and the tabloids. I'm just glad for Mr. Sierra's sake that he was able to process his loss in relative privacy (and I'm sure going to Vienna, Austria to film The Prisoner of Zenda later in 1978 helped).

What's amazing to me is how this tragedy was basically left alone by the media at large. Of course, this was before the Internet, pre-TMZ, etc. Here, you have an actor well-known for not one but two TV shows (Sanford & Son and Barney Miller), numerous guest spots, TV movies, and film work (like the small but pivotal role as the bartender in The Towering Inferno). Today, ANYONE on a sitcom who would have this happen to them would have it splashed all over the internet and the tabloids. I'm just glad for Mr. Sierra's sake that he was able to process his loss in relative privacy (and I'm sure going to Vienna, Austria to film The Prisoner of Zenda later in 1978 helped).
He is a lucky man :) I bet that is why we have not heard if he has remarried (or not) and has any children to keep his family's lives out of the Internet and tabloids :) It also could explain why he also has not been seen in too many American movies :) I bet he did a lot of Spanish language movies, plays, and TV shows :eyes: