David Groh (Joe Gerard) Dies at 68

[Zoneboy]

Link

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]

[AB]

^ Such sad news!

[Ireneparalegal]

I loved him as Rhoda's husband. I was sad when the characters divorced. I liked the actor, he was just great.

[Janice]

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]

RIP

[Brieannas21]

So sad, great actor and man

[Mr. Television]

He was great as Joe. I stopped watching Rhoda when he left. R.I.P. David.

[Janice]

Joe and Rhoda meet.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Sygg1IleBcE



The Marriage Proposal.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OylBDHgrXg8



The End of Their Marriage.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4RrbTCM5Cao

[Mr. Television]

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]

It's nice to know that David and Valerie remained good friends after he left. They were great together.

[Ireneparalegal]

I liked how in the opening credits Rhoda would be seen touching and rubbing Joe's behind.

[Janice]

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

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]

Awwww there it is!!! Thanx Janice. Gotta love that moment.

[Janice]

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.