David Spielberg (March 6, 1939 – June 1, 2016) was an American television and film actor.

Early life

Spielberg was born in

Weslaco, Texas Weslaco ( ) is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 41,103, Studies from 2023 show the population is 43,053 and in 2020 the estimated population was 40,160. It is at the southern tip of Texa ...

, and was a resident of

Mercedes, Texas Mercedes is a U.S. city in Hidalgo County, Texas, Hidalgo County, Texas. The population was 15,570 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission metropolitan area, McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Re ...

. His father was a Romanian-Jewish immigrant, and his mother was a Mexican-American teacher. After serving in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

for two years, he enrolled in the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

. Two summers' acting experience in New York City led him to drop out of the university and move to New York to pursue a career in acting. He was not related to American film director

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

Career

Film

Spielberg's screen debut was in ''

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds ''The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds'' is a play written by Paul Zindel, a playwright and science teacher. Zindel received the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for the work. The play ...

'' (1972). He also appeared in '' Newman's Law'' (1974), '' Law and Disorder'' (1974), '' Hustle'' (1975), ''American Raspberry'' (1977), '' The Choirboys'' (1977), ''

Real Life Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the Character (arts), characters they portray. It has become a ...

'' (1979), '' Winter Kills'' (1979), '' Christine'' (1983), '' The Stranger'' (1987), ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

'' (1990), and '' Red Ribbon Blues'' (1996).

Television

Spielberg's roles in television programs included those shown in the table below.Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . He also appeared in '' Wiseguy'', ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner, aired on NBC from September 13, 1974, to January 10, 1980. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator Jim Rockford, with Noah Beery Jr. in th ...

'', ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

'', ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred its creator and co-director Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth to help peo ...

'', ''

Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the social shift in the United Stat ...

'', ''

Wheels A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axl ...

'', ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

'', '' ER'', ''

A Place for Annie ''A Place for Annie'' is a 1994 American drama television film directed by John Gray, written by Cathleen Young and Lee Guthrie, and starring Sissy Spacek, Mary-Louise Parker and Joan Plowright. It aired on ABC on May 1, 1994, as part of the ...

'', ''

Hart to Hart ''Hart to Hart'' is an American mystery television series that premiered on August 25, 1979, on ABC. The show stars Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, respectively, a wealthy couple who lead a glamorous jetset ...

'', and '' One Day at a Time'', among other television series.

Death

Spielberg died of cancer in Los Angeles, California, on June 1, 2016. He was 77.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Obituary
1939 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American Jews American male film actors American male television actors American people of Romanian-Jewish descent American male actors of Mexican descent Deaths from cancer in California Jewish American male actors Male actors from Texas People from Weslaco, Texas United States Navy sailors {{US-screen-actor-1930s-stub