George Segal was truly one of the greats. His acting career spanned more than six decades. Sadly, he died on Tuesday in Santa Rosa, Calif from what was described as complications following heart bypass surgery. He was 87.
Segal is survived by his wife of 25 years Sonia Segal and two children. Sonia Segal released a statement saying, “The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery.”
The movie database website IMDB lists 127 different credits for George Segal in both movies and television. His breakout came in 1966 with the movie “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” The role earned Segal his only Oscar nomination.
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Segal then became somewhat of an action star. He headlined the World War II movie “The Bridge at Remagen” in 1969. He was a romantic lead throughout the 1970s. He co-starred with Glenda Jackson in the Oscar winning romantic comedy “A Touch of Class” (1973), “Blume in Love” 1973 and with Goldie Hawn in the western “The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox” (1976). There were also light comedies like the “Fun with Dick and Jane” (1977) with Jane Fonda and “Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?” (1978) with Jacqueline Bisset.
Then came the 1990s. George Segal was in his 60s and reinvented himself as a comedic lead in the sit-com “Just Shoot Me.” In it he played a self-made media mogul and owner of a fashion magazine who has to deal on a daily basis with a group of zany employees.
To recent audiences George Segal is probably best known as the lovable grandfather Albert ‘Pops’ Solomon on the hit TV sitcom “The Goldbergs.” The show is set in the 1980s and Segal played the grandfather of the real life Adam Goldberg who created the show –it’s based on his childhood memories – over the last eight years appearing in 177 episodes.
From dramas to Romantic comedies, from movie to television, George Segal could do it all. He could be the romantic lead, the tough soldier or cop, or the nebbish. George Segal was one of the best.