Ronald Hunter: 1943 - 2013
I
took that photograph of my friend, Ronald Hunter, a few years ago; I
called it Ronnie
Christ
and when he came to our apartment to celebrate his birthday one year,
with a few friends, after dinner I presented him with the framed
photo. I don't know if he ever put it on his wall but it brought a
tear to his eye.
He
died yesterday, in Los Angeles, after being ill for some time; he
fell asleep, as I was told, the way he wanted go. The main thing is
he wasn't in pain and didn't suffer.
I
met Ronnie
Boy,
as I called him, in 1997 when we were both in a play at Santa Monica
Playhouse, California, and we both won an award – so we were 'award
winning actors' – we kind of clicked and swapped stories in a
sports bar on Wilshire Boulevard after each show.
Since
then he has always been a true friend and if we didn't see him for a
few days he would call each day just to see how we were. He would take me out to dinner on my birthday; I had stopped
celebrating it years ago and he would take my wife out on hers too;
since we moved back to London we would always speak on those days.
Ron
was a really good actor; he came to Los Angeles to do a series with
Louis Gosset Jr called The Lazarus Syndrome, he liked the weather so
he stayed. He also worked with Al Pacino on a few occasions on
Broadway, notably in Richard III.
A
few years ago he was very ill, and we thought we had lost him then,
but he recovered and gave a brilliant nuanced performance in a play
called The
Unexpected Man
in Los Angeles barely six months after being at death's door.
But
it was as a human being he will be most missed. He was a friend who
wouldn't let you down and I will miss him – may he rest in peace.
Ronald could not have a better epitaph than your last sentence, indeed no-one could.
ReplyDeleteRon was an awesome guy. Nice too. I still remember the cottage pie meal at your place and the first time he and I met there.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear this. He truly was a fine actor and you have done him proud, Chris!
ReplyDeleteThanks for those comments and thanks Jack for sending this to me:
ReplyDeleteLA Theater Review
The Unexpected Man
By Neal Weaver | Posted March 10, 2010, 4:38 p.m.
French playwright Yasmina Reza often relies on gimmicks to unleash revelations. She takes mundane, prosaic situations and probes beneath the surface to reveal lurking passionate, life-and-death feelings, as in "Art" and "God of Carnage." In "The Unexpected Man," two strangers share a compartment on a train, traveling between Paris and Frankfurt. But this time, Reza fails to break through the confines of the ordinary situation to reveal the visceral underpinnings.
Most of the play consists of a pair of twin monologues, and only in the last third of the play do the two characters begin to interact. The Man (Ronald Hunter) is a famous novelist, successful but disenchanted: the words "bitter" and "bitterness" recur frequently in his musings. The Woman (Judy Jean Berns) recognizes the Man as the author of books she cherishes; she's carrying his latest novel in her bag, reluctant to bring it out and read lest it lead to an embarrassing contretemps. The Man is aware of her and speculates about who she is; he suspects she is German. The Woman knows who he is, from long and perceptive reading of his books. Perhaps she understands him better than he understands himself. At last, she decides to let him see that she's reading his novel. An ambiguous conversation results, in which he never quite reveals who he is.
It's a strange, sometimes fascinating play—quiet, low-key, with little external incident—which relies on meticulous performances to hold our interest. Both characters are complex and idiosyncratic, and under David Robinson's deft direction, the actors skillfully explore the nuances of their unspoken relationship. Hunter plays a craggy, articulate sophisticate whose ego is tickled by his encounter with an ardent fan, but he self-protectively keeps his distance. Berns is an elegant romantic, whose passions are restrained—but who recognizes that, in different circumstances, the Man might have played a major role in her life. The ending offers an elegiac suggestion of what might have been. The performances are almost interesting enough to make us forget the bloodlessness of the play.
Presented by Bright Eyes Productions at the Lounge Theatre 2, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Feb. 19–March 28. Fri.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. (323) 960-7785.
What an excellent review and I hope that Ron knew how valued an actor he was. Sounds like my type of play and I wish I could have seen it.
DeleteI approached Ron in a bar in Silverlake after recognizing him from a rerun of "Cold Case", in which he portrayed a serial murderer. He mentioned in subsequent conversations that he would like to reprise his role in "The Unexpected Man", as he thought he could do a better job than when he'd done the play in the Boston area. This was the impetus for our production mentioned above. Both Ron and Judy were splendid.
DeleteGood to hear from you, Bill; sorry it's at such a sad time.
DeleteWe have lost one of our cherished actors, Ron Hunter.
ReplyDeleteFor those who knew Ron, he was not only a brilliant actor who had worked as a leading man opposite women like Jacqueline Smith and Stephanie Powers, and starred in dozens of television shows and films with actors such as Chris Noth, Gail O'Grady, Calista Flockhart, Betty White, Richard Crenna.....to name only a few; but Ron was also lovely and generous man.
He received a United States of America Presidential recognition for his work with inner youths, using the classic Romeo and Juliet to change the trajectory of the lives of at-risk teens.
Ron regularly volunteered his time, money, effort and energy to serve the senior assisted living community by reading and performing weekly at facilities in, and around, Los Angeles.
He changed the lives the he touched. We will miss his artistic and generous spirit; but we will carry it with us.
Memorial:
Tomorrow, Friday, December 6th, 11:30am.
Mt Sinai Mortuary--Hollywood Hills
5950 Forest Lawn Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90068
I loved this man. He was extraordinary in every way.
Thank you for that, Joy; thank you very much.
DeleteThat's a beautiful tribute, Chris. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. I remember meeting Ron at one of your performances of 'A Touch of the Irish' (may have that title a bit off) and recall him a very sweet and gregarious fellow. I also ran into him once in a supermarket in Silver Lake and I was in a down way, during my drug days no doubt, and he gave me a roast chicken. Somehow he knew that I needed it. Wow, just remembered that out of the blue. Yeah, a true good spirit indeed. RIP Ronald Hunter
ReplyDeleteI remember you telling me about the chicken.
DeleteTom and I have been mourning the loss this week of our friend, Ronald Hunter, who passed away on Monday, December 3 after a long illness.
ReplyDeleteRon was a fine human being and loving friend who L O V E D and appreciated dogs. More than that, he was someone whose like is rarely met, a Titan traveling incognito - and generally unrecognized, seen in his true colors and loved by his many friends.
Ron had an enormous heart and soul. It was so easy for him to give of himself and, seemingly, difficult for him to receive. He listened more deeply than anyone I have ever known, making one feel completely heard. He carried a deep quiet, and an impenetrable sadness. Some of my best memories of Ron were when he and I sat or walked together, simply breathing and sharing this profound silence.
Ron was a charismatic and wonderful actor, in fact that is how he came into our lives, when he and Tom shared a scene on NYPD Blue. He had great artistic taste, and enriched our lives further when he shared some of his wonderful friends with us.
Thank you for your dear friendship. I will miss you Ron!♥
Chris darlin'
ReplyDeleteThank you for making your blog available for Ron. Your words and photo above make me sad because they so beautifully frame Ron Hunter. I feel as though I let Ron down in the last year and 1/2: he slipped beyond my reach.
I am grateful to have known him. He was the best friend my husband Tom ever had. The comfort during this sad time is that he made his transition in the way he wanted and that he had a capable and caring friend in David (and David) to be his on-site angel. I knew that we were saying goodbye to him at his 70th birthday party in June.
I love your photo of Ron. It captures his quiet and sadness and goodness.
Thank you, Shannon; if you would like a copy of the photo help yourself; that goes for anybody just right click on the image, click in 'save as' when the box comes up and save it to your computer.
DeleteI also have several photos of Ron. They are production shots for our production of "The Unexpected Man". I'd be happy to send anyone a copy (if I knew how).
Deletewhemmer@dslextreme.com
Do you have to have known someone to be touched with their passing? Reading the comments, memorials and epitaphs About Ron, I think not. I am just grateful there is so much humanity to others in this world.
ReplyDeleteI miss Ron more and more as times goes by. Thanks for this tribute.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome; I miss him too.
DeleteI lost touch with Ron. Tried looking for him today and sadly saw that he had passed away. Thank you for your piece. I now mourn him and remember him as a wonderful actor and a wonderful person.
ReplyDeleteI saw Ron Hunter playing Kenneth Edelin on television and later saw him in a play in the Boston area. He had stuck in my mind and for no particular reason I wondered what had happened to him.
ReplyDeleteI realize I am years too late and that you may never see this, but I am sorry for your loss. If he hadn't been such a fine actor, I would not have remembered him after so long a time.
Thank you Steve - yes I check these things all the time and we still miss Ron. Chris
Delete*sigh a few more years and still, I sometimes feel as if Ron is going to call me and get together to see a play, take in a movie, or eat a meal at one of his usual haunts. I miss Ron 3 1/2 years later just as much as I did when he passed on
ReplyDeleteThanks for your words, Donald, I appreciate hearing from you. Chris
DeleteFeeling a bit melancholic after a recent accident. Still recovering and my mind was wandering and I remembered this page.
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping it up Chris. I met Ron way back in the 1970s when he was acting in Lenny Bruce on stage in Boston. Throughout the years we bumped into each other and unknown at first to both of us, we ended up with mutual friends. Decades go by and we become closer than ever when I moved out west (2008).
I miss the man's company and his wit and wisdom, .. of course his laughter and smile.
Ron reminded me of an old pup I was companions with. Which brings up to memory a line:
"And when someone you love walks in through the door, even if it happens five times a day, go totally insane with joy." - In my mind and world, Ron was always insane with joy