Gerry Becker (April 11, 1951 – April 13, 2019)
''lovehardbikeride.org''. Retrieved 20 September 2021. was an American theatre, film, and television actor.

Early life

Born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, whic ...

to a family of priests, Becker studied for the priesthood with

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

for three years before dropping out. He earned a bachelor's degree in English from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded ...

and a master's degree in theatre from

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

Career

He was associated with Remains Theatre and

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise in the Unitarian church on Half Day Road in Deerfield, Illinois and is now located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood o ...

in the

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

area. He had the lead role in

Bernard Slade Bernard Slade Newbound (May 2, 1930 – October 30, 2019) was a Canadian playwright and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, he created the sitcoms '' The Flying Nun'' and '' The Partridge Family''. As a playwright, he wrote '' Same Time, Next Year' ...

's ''Romantic Comedy'' at Pheasant Run in St. Charles, Illinois in 1981. Mary Yaney of ''The Herald'' of

Crystal Lake, Illinois Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is 45 miles northwest of Chicago. The population is 40,269 as of the 2020 Census, a 1.2% decrease from 201 ...

noted that he did an "excellent job" as the "self-centered, but loveable writer". He appeared in a National Jewish Theatre production of ''Grown Ups'' by

Jules Feiffer Jules Ralph Feiffer (born January 26, 1929)''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107 is an American cartoonist and author, who was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 as North ...

in 1987. A review noted, "Becker slices on the cutting edge in everything he does. All the empathy is blanched from the character leaving it less admirable. That is the character, for Becker's piercing performance is just fine". In 1991, he appeared in Northlight Theatre's production of

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''An Enemy of the People'' reads, "To his great credit, Gerry Becker, as homasStockman, delivers famous outcry with genuine passion and oratorical skill despite being costumed in a bright green tail coat so that he looks like a refugee from '' A Christmas Carol''". In 1992, he appeared as Mr. Wagner in Raymond J. Barry's ''Once in Doubt'' with Remains Theatre Company in Chicago. ''Variety'''s review noted that "Becker is a bit too meek as the curious interloper". A review in ''The Times'' of

Munster, Indiana Munster is a suburban town in North Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is in the Chicago metropolitan area, approximately southeast of the Chicago Loop, and shares municipal boundaries with Hammond to the north, Highland to t ...

criticized the production, but praised the acting, noting that Becker and his costar William Petersen "give as good a they get in this bizarre triangle" and that "the trio keep the script taut and still extract a good deal of humor from the dialogue. So even when everything they say seems arbitrary and stilted they grab us with the sheer force of their acting". May found his acting "beautiful". He performed on Broadway in the Steppenwolf Theatre production of ''

The Song of Jacob Zulu ''The Song of Jacob Zulu'' is an American play that debuted on Broadway in 1993. Written by Tug Yourgrau, with lyrics by Tug Yourgrau and Ladysmith Black Mambazo and music by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and produced by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ...

'' in 1993. In 1995, he starred in the off-Broadway production of three one-act dark comedy plays, ''Death Defying Acts'', by

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and '' Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained cri ...

(''An Interview''),

Elaine May Elaine Iva May (née Berlin; born April 21, 1932) is an American comedian, filmmaker, playwright, and actress. She has received numerous awards including an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Grammy, and a Tony. She made her initial impact in the 1950s with h ...

(''Hotline''), and

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

(''Central Park West''), at the Variety Arts Theatre in New York, Stamford, and Philadelphia. A review of the production's run at Stamford Center read, "Gerry Becker makes Howard a perfect Allen type, a failed writer who is better in the kitchen than in the boudoir". Theatre critic

Michael Kuchwara Michael Charlies Kuchwara (February 28, 1947 – May 22, 2010) was an American theater critic, columnist and journalist. Kuchwara worked as both a critic and journalist for the ''Associated Press'' for more than from 1984 until 2010, writing pi ...

of the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

criticized Mamet's writing but said that Becker "as

Cheshire cat The Cheshire Cat ( or ) is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll in ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and known for its distinctive mischievous grin. While now most often used in ''Alice''-related contexts, the association of a "Ch ...

like inquisitor, and Paul Guilfoyle ..lob Mamet's lines back and forth like a couple of tennis pros. Neither man drops the ball". In his review of the production, Vince Canby of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote that Becker's and Paul Guilfoyle's performances in Mamet's play were "acted to dry, caustic perfection" and that in Allen's play that Becker and Guilfoyle were "splendid as the would-be guilty parties in liaisons that inevitably fail". Howard Kissel of '' Daily News'' wrote, "Gerry Becker is uproarious as the manic depressive" and "Becker brings a believable intensity to the hotline volunteer in May's play". In addition to his theatre work, he appeared in many films including ''

Donnie Brasco Joseph Dominick Pistone (born September 17, 1939), is an American former FBI agent who worked undercover as Donnie Brasco between September 1976 and July 1981, as part of an infiltration primarily into the Bonanno crime family, and to a lesse ...

'', sometimes in a leading role, as in '' Man on the Moon''.

Personal life

Becker began drinking in his adolescence but was sober 10 years in 1995. Becker passed away on April 13, 2019, due to complications from diabetes. He had a wife, Lucy, who he met while performing in a show at the

Court Theatre A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordanc ...

Selected filmography

Films

*''

Men Don't Leave ''Men Don't Leave'' is a 1990 American comedy-drama film starring Jessica Lange as a housewife who, after the death of her husband, moves with her two sons to Baltimore. Chris O'Donnell, Arliss Howard, Joan Cusack, Charlie Korsmo and Kathy ...

'' (1990) - Uncle Hugh *''

Home Alone ''Home Alone'' is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the ''Home Alone'' franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John H ...

'' (1990) - Officer #1 *''

Hard Promises ''Hard Promises'' is the fourth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released on May 5, 1981 on Backstreet Records. History Its original working title was ''Benmont's Revenge'', referring to the band's keyboard player, Benmont Tench ...

'' (1991) - Minister *'' The Public Eye'' (1992) - Inspector Conklin *'' Hoffa'' (1992) - Business Negotiator *'' Rudy'' (1993) - Father Ted *'' Roommates'' (1995) - Dr. Minceberg *''

Die Hard with a Vengeance ''Die Hard with a Vengeance'' is a 1995 American action thriller film directed by John McTiernan (who directed the first installment). It was written by Jonathan Hensleigh, based on the screenplay ''Simon Says'' by Hensleigh and on the characte ...

'' (1995) - Larry Griffith *'' Stonewall'' (1995) - Mattachine Speaker *''

Eraser An eraser (also known as a rubber in some Commonwealth countries, including South Africa from the material first used) is an article of stationery that is used for removing marks from paper or skin (e.g. parchment or vellum). Erasers have a ...

'' (1996) - Morehart *''

Sleepers ''Sleepers'' is a 1996 American legal crime drama film written, produced, and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 book of the same name. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin Ho ...

'' (1996) - Forensics Expert *'' Extreme Measures'' (1996) - Dr. Gene Spitelli *''

'' (1997) - Dean Blandford FBI *''

The Game The Game or The Games may refer to: Sports and games * The Game (dice game) (German: ''Das Spiel''), a dice game designed by Reinhold Wittig * The Game (mind game), a mind game, the objective of which is to avoid thinking about The Game itself * ...

'' (1997) - New Member Ted *''

Happiness Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. ...

'' (1998) - Psychiatrist *'' A Perfect Murder'' (1998) - Roger Brill *''

Celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

'' (1998) - Jay Tepper - Glenwood High Alumnus *''

Mystery Men ''Mystery Men'' is a 1999 American superhero comedy film directed by Kinka Usher (in his feature-length directorial debut) and written by Neil Cuthbert, loosely based on Bob Burden's ''Flaming Carrot Comics'', and starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azari ...

'' (1999) - Banyon *''

Mickey Blue Eyes ''Mickey Blue Eyes'' is a 1999 romantic comedy crime film directed by Kelly Makin. Hugh Grant stars as Michael Felgate, an English auctioneer living in New York City who becomes entangled in his soon-to-be father-in-law's mafia connections. Sev ...

'' (1999) - FBI Agent Bob Connell *''Game Day'' (1999) - Fred Wilson *''

Mystery, Alaska ''Mystery, Alaska'' is a 1999 American sports comedy-drama film, directed by Jay Roach, about an amateur ice hockey team from the fictional small town of Mystery that plays an exhibition game against the National Hockey League (NHL)'s New York Ran ...

'' (1999) - Players' Union Lawyer *''Story of a Bad Boy'' (1999) - Mr. Fontaine *'' Man on the Moon'' (1999) - Stanley Kaufman - Andy's Father *''

The Cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...

'' (2000) - Dr. Barry Cooperman *'' Spider-Man'' (2002) - Maximilian Fargas *'' Blood Work'' (2002) - Mr. Toliver *'' Trapped'' (2002) - Dr. Stein *''

Marci X ''Marci X'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin, written by Paul Rudnick, and starring Lisa Kudrow as Jewish-American Princess Marci Feld, who has to take control of a hip-hop record label, as well as the controv ...

'' (2003) - Dr. Skellar *'' Death of a President'' (2006) - Leon Blumenthal *'' Perfect Stranger'' (2007) - Jon Kirshenbaum

Television films and specials

*Meyer, ''The Killing Floor'', PBS, 1984 *Larry, ''The Imposter'', ABC, 1984 *Ed Boyer, ''Howard Beach: Making a Case for Murder'' (also known as ''In the Line of Duty: Howard *Beach:Making a Case for Murder and Skin''), NBC, 1989Chicago Tribune Dec.4, 1989
/ref> *Judge O'Neill, ''In the Shadow of a Killer'', NBC, 1992 *Samuel Adler, ''Legacy of Lies'', USA Network, 1992 *Captain Pickering, ''

The Hunley ''The Hunley'' is a 1999 American historical drama television film written and directed by John Gray, from a story by Gray and John Fasano. The film stars Armand Assante, Donald Sutherland, Alex Jennings, Michael Dolan, and Christopher Baue ...

'', TNT, 1999 *Ted Tinling, '' When Billie Beat Bobby'' (also known as ''Billie contre Bobby: La bataille des sexes''), ABC, 2001 *Walt Rostow, ''

Path to War ''Path to War'' is a 2002 American biographical television film, produced by HBO and directed by John Frankenheimer. It was the final film directed by Frankenheimer, who died seven weeks after the film debuted on HBO. It was also the last film pro ...

'', HBO, 2002

Television episodes

*John Sherman, "Snatched," ''

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

'', NBC, 1994 *"Our Lady of Cement," ''

The Cosby Mysteries ''The Cosby Mysteries'' is an American mystery drama television series starring Bill Cosby that aired on NBC from September 21, 1994, to April 12, 1995. 19 episodes were made. It was the first television series to star Cosby since ''The Cosby Sh ...

'', NBC, 1994 *Mr. Goldman, "Simone Says," ''NYPD Blue'', ABC, 1994 *Max Petrov, "The Skin Trade," '' The Untouchables'', 1994 *Dr. Neal Latham, "Switch," ''Law & Order'', NBC, 1995 *Davidoff, "Fun City," ''

New York News ''New York News'' is an American newspaper drama television series created by Michelle Ashford, which was broadcast in the United States by CBS from September 28 to November 30, 1995 as part of its 1995 fall lineup. Cast * Gregory Harrison ...

'', CBS, 1995 *Arnold Cassell, "Moby Greg," ''NYPD Blue'', ABC, 1996 *Rupert, '' Cosby'', CBS, 1996 *Thomas Robbins, "Nullification," Law & Order, NBC, 1997 *Attorney Stone, "Fools Night Out," '' Ally McBeal'', Fox, 1998 *Dr. Cosimi, "Three Men and a Little Lady," ''

Spin City ''Spin City'' is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 to April 30, 2002, on ABC. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show is set in a semi-fictionalized version of the New York City mayor' ...

'', ABC, 1998 *Leo Latimer, ''

New York Undercover ''New York Undercover'' is an American police drama that aired on the Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, ...

'', Fox, 1998 *Mr. Bickel, "The Music Man," "The Thin Black Line," ''

The Hughleys ''The Hughleys'' is an American sitcom that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on UPN from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L. Hughley as the main character, Darryl ...

'', ABC, 2000 *"Unnecessary Roughness," ''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves in a ...

'', CBS, 2000 *Dr. Michaels, "Faith," ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the T ...

'', CBS, 2000 *" Blood Money," "

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repe ...

," " Dead End," ''

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inc ...

'' ''(also known as Angel: The Series)'', The WB, 2001 - Nathan Reed *David Leary, "Blown Away," ''

Philly Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

'', ABC, 2001 *Judge Stanton, "Lolita?," "Mothers of the Disappeared," ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', CBS, 2001, 2002 *Chester Glass, "The Greenhouse Effect," ''

The District ''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000, to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department. ...

'', CBS, 2002 *Network News President #1, "The Black Vera Wang," ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the ...

'', NBC, 2002 *Ramus, "Witches in Tights," '' Charmed'', The WB, 2002 *Robert, "Cliff Mantegna," ''

Nip/Tuck ''Nip/Tuck'' is an American medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States from July 22, 2003, to March 3, 2010. The series, which also incorporates elements of crime drama, black comedy, family dra ...

'', FX Channel, 2003 *"

Yankee White Yankee White is an administrative nickname for a background check undertaken in the United States of America for US Department of Defense, Department of Defense personnel and contractor employees working with the President of the United States, ...

," '' Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service'' ''(also known as NCIS and NCIS: *Naval Criminal Investigative Service)'', CBS, 2003 *"Three Boys and a Gun," '' The Jury'', Fox, 2004 *Gerard Wills, "Can I Get a Witness?," "Obsession," ''Law & Order'', NBC, 2004, 2005 *Myron Stone, "Those Lips, That Hand," ''

Ally An ally is a member of an alliance. Ally may also refer to: Place names * Ally, Cantal, a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France * Ally, County Tyrone, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Ally, Haute-Loire, a com ...

'', Fox.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Gerry 1951 births 2019 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Male actors from St. Louis Saint Louis University alumni University of Missouri alumni