John Gabriel (born Jack Monkarsh; May 25, 1931 – June 11, 2021) was an American actor, singer-lyricist, and producer who is best known for his role as Seneca Beaulac on ''

Ryan's Hope ''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in ...

'' (1975–1985, 1988–1989), for which he received an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

nomination in 1980. Gabriel, who played the Professor in the original, unaired ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...

'' pilot, was the father of actress Andrea Gabriel. He appeared on Broadway in ''The Happy Time'' in 1968, and produced the eponymous television series ''Charles Grodin'' starring

Charles Grodin Charles Sidney Grodin (April 21, 1935 – May 18, 2021) was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Known for his deadpan delivery and often cast as a put-upon straight man, Grodin became familiar as a supporting acto ...

in 1995.

Family

Gabriel was born in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

, the youngest of three children of Harry and Rae Monkarsh. His parents were of Polish Jewish/Russian Jewish descent. His father was born in then-Mandatory Palestine.

Career

Gabriel, throughout his career as an actor and singer, worked steadily in a wide variety of capacities. He appeared on stage in two Broadway productions, ''The Happy Time'' and the musical ''Applause'', as well as

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in ''Fighting International Fat'' at the

Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit American Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. ...

. Gabriel played numerous character roles in film and television over a period of five decades. He portrayed Pedro in the

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

movie ''

El Dorado El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...

'' and also composed its title song in collaboration with

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many vocalists at Capitol Records, including ...

. He starred in ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

,'' ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'', and ''

''. From 1973 to 1975, he had a recurring role as WJM-TV sportscaster Andy Rivers on ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...

''. As a singer, Gabriel appeared on numerous television shows, including ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

,'' ''

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'', ''

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'', and '' Regis and Kathy Lee'', among others. He produced the ''Charles Grodin Show'' for six years.

''Words and Music''

In 2004, Gabriel wrote and produced, along with his actress wife Sandy Gabriel, best known for her role of Edna Thornton on ''All My Children'', a nightclub act which he regularly toured across the United States. The show, titled ''Words And Music'', was a celebration of classic American song interspersed with stories culled from Gabriel's vast experience in show business. In 2010, the production was videotaped in Los Angeles.

Death

John Gabriel died in New York on June 11, 2021, at age 90. His daughter attributed his death to complications from

Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

Selected filmography

Selected television appearances

References

External links

* *, accessed March 6, 2016 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gabriel, John 1931 births 2021 deaths American male television actors American male film actors American people of Polish-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent Musicians from Niagara Falls, New York Place of death missing Male actors from New York (state) American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from New York (state)