Earlier this week, we lost George Segal, who died at the age of 87 from complications of bypass surgery.
One of the most memorable roles of the versatile actor, whose credits range from the Oscar-nominated performance in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? tyour final role in ABC The Goldbergs, was on NBC’s hit comedy series Just shoot me !, created by Steve Levitan. Segal played fashion magazine editor Frank Gallo on the show, which aired for seven seasons from 1997-2003. “It’s been a happy seven years,” said Segal of his participation in the program during a meeting in June 2020.
Here’s what Levitan remembers about working with Segal on Just shoot me !, who also starred David Spade, Laura San Giacomo, Wendie Malick and Enrico Colantoni, and what he will miss most about him.
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What I will miss most is your laugh. There was simply nothing better than the laugh that came from the heart of George Segal. At the table he reads to Just shoot me, we had to keep a roll of paper towels close to George because, inevitably, some speech (usually the speech of a fellow actor) would make him laugh so hard that tears would roll down his face. He was tall, cheerful and generous, just like the man himself.
I started to love George watching him with Johnny Carson on Tonight’s show. I found their dynamics hilarious, the way Johnny always seemed slightly uncomfortable with George’s asides or especially his banjo, and the way George never seemed to give a damn. He just kept smiling that devilish smile because George was having more fun than anyone.
We were all very honored and thrilled when he agreed to join the Just shoot me fused. I was also nervous because here was an Oscar nominee and the star of some of my favorite movies. But sweet George came in, all smiles, full of stories (so many), very happy to be there.
George character in Just shoot me, the editor of the magazine Jack Gallo, had flaws. He had not been a great father, he was shallow, impatient and full of himself. But George infused it with tenderness, vulnerability and charm. George was adorable, so Jack was adorable. That, for me, was his greatest gift.
When we cast David Spade to play Jack Gallo’s assistant Dennis Finch, we were concerned that David and George would not get married. George was old school, excited and sentimental, while David, newcomer SNL, was sarcastic, dry and cautious. But the minute David nailed his first big joke to the read table, George laughed, grabbed a paper towel, and a wonderful friendship was born.
In fact, George was extremely close to all of the Just shoot me fused; Laura, Wendie, Enrico and the director of our home, Pam Fryman. (You can catch a glimpse of the love between everyone at a virtual meeting that we all had last June – Google “Just shoot me Meeting”).
I think George had a happy third act. He loved working and was proud to be part of Just shoot me and The Goldbergs. Most of all, late in life, he married his high school girlfriend Sonia, whom he always looked at as if he were still a sixteen-year-old with a passion.
So, although we are all feeling very lucky to have spent time with one of the great ones, our friend George, it is difficult to accept that we will no longer hear that contagious and contagious laugh.
Today we’re all picking up the paper towels.
– Steven Levitan
The creator, Just shoot me
Above (top) and below are the photos of April 14, 2003, when a sign on the Just shoot me! the CBS Radford sound stage was revealed. You can also watch below the Just shoot me! 2020 meeting, a classic scene with Segal from the first episode of the show and a clip of one of his memorable Johnny Carson appearances with the famous banjo.
RELATED: George Segal’s career – a photo gallery