Deadline reports prolific film and TV actor, Gregory Itzin, passed away today. The Emmy and Tony-nominated Itzin’s death was announced by his son, Wilke Itzin, on Instagram. The cause of death was related to issues during emergency surgery. Itzin was 74 years old.
Raised in Washington, D.C., Itzin eventually moved to San Francisco and attended the American Conservatory Theatre, according to Deadline. His career launched in the 1980s with guest roles on many TV shows including Mork & Mindy, Charlie’s Angels, Lou Grant, Fame, Dallas, and Hill Street Blues. He soon found success in film appearing in the satirical disaster film, Airplane!, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and The Fabulous Baker Boys.
Itzin steamrolled throughout the 90s appearing in several sitcoms including Matlock, L.A. Law, Major Dad, and Murder One. Deadline reports his most known role, which coveted him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, arrived in 2005 as he recurred on Fox’s hit action series, 24. As Vice President Charles Logan, Itzin found his small role in the fourth season upgraded to a series regular until the show’s end in 2010.
The executive producer of 24, Jon Cassar (When The Bough Breaks), posted a tribute to Itzin on Twitter stating, “He was one of the most talented actors I had the honor to work with but more than that he was an all around great guy. He’ll be missed by his 24 family who had nothing but love & respect for him. You made your mark, now Rest in Peace friend.” via Deadline.
Aside from the screen, Itzin frequented the theatre as well. According to Deadline, Itzin found success appearing in productions across some of the country’s most known stages including the Kennedy Center, the Mark Taper Forum, and the Antaeus Theatre Company. In 1993, he performed in The Kentucky Cycle earning a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Play. He continued acting on stage well into the latter years of his career, returning to Broadway in 2010’s Enron.
Itzin was performing Shakespeare in Flagstaff in 2015 when he suffered a heart attack, his family divulged according to Deadline. Despite his health, he continued working. Some of his later credits included Big Love, Covert Affairs, NCIS, and The Mentalist.
“My dad was known in the world as a phenomenal actor with a body of work that would trump most famous actors resumes,” Itzin’s son said in a statement via his Instagram profile. “He’s been on everything from Airplane, Friends, Star Trek deep space nine, Mork and Mindy and of course the infamous president on 24 and so much more. But what many people truly knew him for was his incredible performances on the stage. I remember watching him in the one man show Shipwrecked by Donald Margulies and being blown away, in awe that the man on stage was my dad. He was in love with the theater, and even on his dying breath he could recite Shakespeare like he made the words up himself.” Read his son’s full statement below.
According to Deadline, Itzin leaves behind his wife Judie, son Wilke, daughter Julia, and grandson, Wylder Gregory.