Oscar nominated actor, George Segal, has sadly passed away, aged 87. He was famous for playing comic roles in The Goldbergs and Just Shoot Me but was best known for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
His wife Sonia shared the devastating news that he had passed away in Santa Rosa, California, aged 87.
“The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery,” she said in a statement.
While many fans love him for his role as Albert “Pops” Solomon on the The Goldbergs, which he played since 2013, it was his part in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? that won him an Oscar nomination.
During his successful acting career, he also starred opposite Barbra Streisand in The Owl and the Pussycat; with Glenda Jackson in A Touch of Class; a gambler opposite Elliot Gould in California Split; and opposite Jane Fonda in Fun with Dick and Jane.
Adam Goldberg, creator of The Goldbergs, who based the show on his childhood said, “today we lost a legend. It was a true honour being a small part of George Segal’s amazing legacy. By pure fate, I ended up casting the perfect person to play Pops. Just like my grandfather, George was a kid at heart with a magical spark.”
Born in New York in 1934, he became interested in acting at a very young age, and also began playing the banjo which he soon became talented at. He graduated from Columbia University in 1955 with a degree in Performing Arts and Drama before serving in the US army. During his time in the army, he played his banjo in a band named Corporal Bruno's Sad Sack Six.
After his time in the army, he began his acting career, with various roles on Broadway. He later landed his debut film role in The Young Doctors where he really made a name for himself.
Many famous faces have shared some of their favourite and most cherished memories of George on Twitter following the very sad announcement.
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