Eugene Roche

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Eugene Harrison Roche (born September 22, 1928 in Boston , † July 28, 2004 in Encino , Los Angeles ) was an American actor .

Life

Roche was born the son of a naval officer on September 22, 1928 in Boston and grew up there during the Great Depression. Even as a teenager, Roche showed an interest in voice imitations, which led to his being given his first voice roles on the radio when he was 15. At 17, he finished high school and joined the army. This sent him to occupied Japan. During the passage on a troop transport ship, he took part in an audition for an entertainment program and won this, which made him decide to pursue a career in show business after his military service . After his discharge from the army, Roche used the GI Bill to study at Emerson College . At the same time he appeared in various theater and musical productions.

As a reservist, Roche was drafted into the army again because of the Korean War. After the end of his second military service, he finished his studies in 1953 and moved to San Francisco , where he joined the Actor's Workshop founded in 1952 and toured with them from 1953 to 1958. He appeared in many classic theater plays, including Hickey in Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh and Vladimir in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot . The latter production was so successful that it was selected to represent the United States at the 1959 World's Fair in Brussels. It was also the first theater performance that was staged in the San Quentin State Prison .

Roche moved to New York, where he played on various stages and made his Broadway debut in 1961 with Blood, Sweat and Daniel Poole by James- and William Goldman .

In addition to his appearance in many feature films and television series such as Kojak , Lou Grant or Airwolf , one of his most famous roles was that of the St. Louis- born private detective Luther H. Gillis in the television series Magnum . He starred in five episodes as the lovable roughneck Luther Gillis. He also played the role of high school teacher Ed McGrath in the 1978 film Two Hot Guys on the Highway .

In total, he has appeared in more than 130 film and television productions since 1961.

Roche married Marjory Perkins (1931-2017) in 1953, who also studied at Emerson College. The marriage had nine children, including Brogan and Eamonn Roche, who also became actors, and Emmy- winning screenwriter and producer Sean Roche. The marriage was divorced in 1981. The next year Roche married Ann Toni C. Bratman with whom he remained in a relationship until his death. Roche died of a heart attack on July 28, 2004 in Los Angeles.

Filmography (selection)

  • 1972: Slaughterhouse 5 (Slaughterhouse-Five)
  • 1974: At Your Own Risk (Newman's Law)
  • 1975: What use is a beef steak to a dead dog? (Mr. Ricco)
  • 1875: Kojak - used in Manhattan (Tatwerkzeug Dienstwaffe (Out Of The Frying Pan ...), Season 3, Episode 8)
  • 1977: The Cat Knows the Killer (The Late Show)
  • 1977: The Possessed
  • 1978: A very crooked tour (Foul Play)
  • 1978: Corvette Summer (The Hot One)
  • 1982: The Tigress' Paw (Farrell for the People)
  • 1983–1988: Magnum (TV series, 5 episodes)
  • 1984: Oh God! You Devil (Oh, God! You Devil)
  • 1984–1988: Webster (TV series, 50 episodes)
  • 1985 Hardcastle & McCormick (season 3, episode 4)
  • 1986 Murder is her hobby (an obituary with consequences)
  • 1986: An Angel on Earth (Season 3, Episode 4)
  • 1987–1988: A Greek conquers Chicago (Perfect Strangers , TV series, 4 episodes)
  • 1990–1991: Lenny (TV series, 16 episodes)
  • 1991: The Sitter
  • 1992: Julie (TV series, 7 episodes)
  • 1993: A Case for Murder
  • 1993: All-New Dennis the Menace (TV series, 13 episodes)
  • 1994: Death of a Cheerleader (TV Movie)
  • 1995: Liz Taylor Story (TV movie)
  • 1995–1996: Always Trouble with Dave (TV series, 5 episodes)
  • 1996: lonely decision
  • 1996: Star Trek: Spaceship Voyager (Season 3, Episode 6)
  • 1997: Rockford: Detective in the Spotlight (TV movie)

Theatrography (selection)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d Tom Vallance: Eugene Roche - Obituary in the Independent of August 4, 2004
  2. Eugene Roche, Actor, 75, In TV and Film - Obituary in the New York Times, July 31, 2004
  3. Eugene Roche . The Scotsman, August 6, 2004
  4. Eugene Roche - character actor in 'Magnum, PI' and Ajax ads on sfgate.com on August 2nd, 2004
  5. Marjory Perkins - Obituary - Copy of an obituary in the Rutland Herald on legacy.com (accessed March 15, 2019)
  6. Eugene Roche in the NNDB (accessed 2019-03-14)