Jack Axelrod, “General Hospital” and “Grey's Anatomy” actor, dies at 93

He starred as mob boss Victor Jerome for three years on the beloved soap opera.

Jack Axelrod, the actor who played mob boss Victor Jerome on General Hospital and had guest roles on Grey’s Anatomy, My Name Is Earl, and many other shows, has died. He was 93. 

Axelrod died on Nov. 28 of natural causes in Los Angeles, his representative Jennifer Garland confirmed to EW. "I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with him in his last years, as he had no immediate family," she said in a statement. "We spent much time outdoors, where Jack loved to sketch, read news articles, and recite Shakespearean sonnets."

A Korean War veteran, Axelrod began acting while studying architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. His passion for the craft never wavered, even after he began working as a licensed architect in Washington, leading him to study under legendary actress Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studio for six years in New York City.

Axelrod is best known for starring as mob boss Victor Jerome, the rival of Angus McKay (Guy Doleman), for three years on General Hospital. He also had turns on My Name Is Earl as the Electrolarynx Guy and in Grey’s Anatomy as Charlie Yost, an elderly patient in a semi-comatose state whose hospital room became a refuge for the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital staff. He later awoke and checked out of the hospital, only to then die in its elevator.

Axelrod’s additional television credits include guest roles on Kojak, Hill Street Blues, Dallas, Dynasty, Night Court, Murphy Brown, Everybody Loves Raymond, Star Trek: Voyager, Frasier, Scrubs, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Shameless, The Office, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Ray Donovan, and Modern Family. His film credits include 2008’s Hancock, 2010’s Little Fockers, and 2011’s Super 8 and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

In addition to his prolific film and television career, Axelrod landed several roles in Off Broadway and Broadway shows, playing Banquo in a 1969 production of Macbeth and, the next year, following the play Gandhi to Broadway before it closed after its opening night.

He also shared his love of acting through teaching at several universities over the years, including Penn State, Temple University, CalState Northridge & Bakerfield, and CalArts, and serving as a guest teacher at the Speiser/Sturges Acting Studio in Los Angeles.

Related content:

• Stars we've lost in 2023

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.