David Groh(1939-2008)

David Groh's highly anticipated "marriage" to Valerie Harper on the eighth episode of the sitcom Rhoda (1974) was the highest rated episode of that decade, and the second most-watched program of all-time, surpassed only by the birth of 'little Ricky' on I Love Lucy (1951), with more than 50 million viewers watching. It was this co-starring role which situated him squarely on the Hollywood TV map. Rhoda Morgenstern, the single and cynical, highly beloved Bronx-born jokester and best friend of Mary Richards on the The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970), was given her own spin-off series and landed back in New York City, where she found her dream man. Audiences took to the prospects of having tall, dark, virile, curly-haired blue-collar man Joe Gerard sweep their single heroine off her feet. Cast over 150 other actors despite his lack of comedy experience, David's presence added greatly as Rhoda's husband.

The writers soon felt the CBS's pressure to get Rhoda married. When they finally did, as has happened in other series where marriages occurred, the show had no place to go. After only two seasons, fickle producers decided to break up the happy couple so Rhoda could be single again. Groh was written out of the show. Divorce was a serious issue back then and audiences were perturbed that their beloved Rhoda would end up a divorcée, but all was forgiven and the series ran four more years. Although David never found equal stardom again, he continued to impress on the stage, in guest TV parts and in independent films.

Born David Lawrence Groh in Brooklyn on May 21, 1939, the son of Jewish-Americans Benjamin (an architect) and Mildred Groh, he received his diploma from Brooklyn Technical High School, where he was elected student body president. He subsequently attended Brown University with an early interest in engineering but graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in English literature. He apprenticed for a couple seasons at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut, and was a spear carrier in the Katharine Hepburn/Robert Ryan production of "Antony and Cleopatra" in 1960. This early encouragement led to further studies in London -- courtesy of a Fulbright scholarship. David served in the Army for six months in 1963, and a year of reserve duty. Returning to his native New York, he sharpened his technique at the Actors Studio. Appearing around and about in such plays as "The Importance of Being Earnest," he finally marked his TV debut on a 1968 episode of the cult Gothic daytime drama Dark Shadows (1966) and made his film entrance in a prime role in the Italian-made feature Colpo rovente (1970).

While continuing to add on-camera credits to his resume, notably a regular 1972-1973 role in the daytime drama Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1967), it wasn't until he made the move to Los Angeles in 1974 when his career suddenly accelerated. Within months he was cast as Valerie Harper love interest in Rhoda (1974) and enjoyed two solid seasons as her handsome construction worker hubby who wins then loses her. After he was phased out of the show, David found a sitcom of his own to star in with Another Day (1978) opposite Joan Hackett, but the family-oriented program lasted only a month in April. From then on he focused more and more on heavier dramatics. He portrayed the evil-minded D.L. Brock on the daytime soap opera General Hospital (1963) from 1983 to 1985, and later co-starred in the Roger Corman crime action series Black Scorpion (2001), while finding recurring roles on such programs as Melrose Place (1992), Baywatch (1989), and Law & Order (1990). Although he never made a strong showing on the large screen, David did appear in the films A Change in the Wind (1972), Two-Minute Warning (1976) and A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich (1977) in between assorted stage and TV assignments.

Groh returned strongly to his theater roots after leaving Rhoda (1974) and played both appealingly charismatic and slick, unsavory types. He made his Broadway debut replacing Judd Hirsch in the winning Neil Simon comedy "Chapter Two" in 1978. Down the road he appeared in an assortment of plays: "King Lear" (1982), "Be Happy for Me" (1986), "Road Show" (1987), "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" (1989), "The Twilight of the Golds" (1993), "Mizlansky/Zilinsky" (2000), "The Waverly Gallery," "Gangster Planet" (2002) and "Blackout" (2003), to name a few. He was an admired fixture both in New York and on the smaller Los Angeles stages and tried his hand at stage directing with a production of "Mango Mango" at the Lee Strasberg Creative Center Theatre in Los Angeles in 2000.

Later post-"Rhoda" guest appearances on TV included "Trapper John," "Matt Houston," "General Hospital," "Hotel," "Hunter," "Spenser: For Hire," "Equal Justice," "L.A. Law," "Dark Justice," The Equalizer," "Jake and the Fatman," "Murder, She Wrote," "Melrose Place," "JAG," The X Files," "Melrose Place," "Walker, Texas Ranger and "Law and Order," plus recurring roles on V.I.P. (1998) and Black Scorpion (2001). He also added in a few "tough guy" film supports including Hotshot (1986), The Stöned Age (1994), White Cargo (1996), Acts of Betrayal (1997), Swimsuit: The Movie (1997), Spoiler (1998), Blowback (2000), The Confidence Man (2001), Crazylove (2005) and Evilution (2008).

David developed a lifelong passion for early American furniture and folk art (which first blossomed as a youth visiting the Brooklyn and Metropolitan Museums and fully bloomed from his association with an acting teacher who was also a collector). He lived in Los Angeles at the time of his death from kidney cancer at age 68. His last film, a featured role in Jelly (2010), was released posthumously. He was survived by third wife, actress Kristin Andersen, and one son, Spencer from a prior marriage.