David Groh was a popular American actor who rose to fame as Joe Gerard, the husband of Rhoda Morgenstern in the hit sitcom Rhoda. He also appeared in many other TV shows and films, as well as on Broadway. But his life was cut short by kidney cancer, which claimed his life in 2008. Here is a brief overview of his career and his struggle with the disease.
Early Life and Career
David Groh was born on May 21, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School and Brown University, where he majored in English literature. He then went to London to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art on a Fulbright scholarship. He served in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1964, and then returned to New York to pursue acting. He joined the Actors Studio and made his TV debut in the soap opera Dark Shadows in 1968.
Rhoda and Beyond
Groh’s breakthrough role came in 1974, when he was cast as Joe Gerard, the love interest and later husband of Rhoda Morgenstern, played by Valerie Harper, in the spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The show was a huge success, and the wedding episode of Joe and Rhoda was one of the most-watched TV events of the time, attracting 50 million viewers. However, the show’s producers decided to have the couple divorce in the third season, which shocked the fans and caused a decline in ratings. Groh left the show after the divorce episodes, but remained friends with Harper.
Groh continued to work in TV, film, and theater after Rhoda. He starred in his own sitcom, Another Day, in 1978, and played the villainous D.L. Brock in the soap opera General Hospital from 1983 to 1985. He also appeared in shows like Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, L.A. Law, Baywatch, Law & Order, Murder, She Wrote, Melrose Place, The X-Files, and JAG. His film credits include Two-Minute Warning, A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich, Get Shorty, and The Return of Superfly. He made his Broadway debut in Neil Simon’s Chapter Two, and also starred in The Twilight of the Golds.
Cancer Diagnosis and Death
Groh was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2007, and underwent surgery to remove the tumor. However, the cancer had spread to other parts of his body, and he was given only a few months to live. He spent his last days with his wife, Kristin Andersen, whom he married in 1992, and his son, Spencer, from his previous marriage to Karla Pergande. He died on February 12, 2008, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, at the age of 68. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
Groh was remembered by his colleagues and fans as a talented, handsome, and kind-hearted actor, who brought joy and laughter to millions of viewers. His legacy lives on through his work and his family.
