Dan Ziskie, a character actor known for his roles in House of Cards, Chappelle’s Show and 24, has died.
Videos by Suggest
The actor’s family confirmed his passing in an obituary, revealing that he died on July 21 in New York City due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. He was 80.
“Dan was a man of remarkable talent and a keen observer of life,” his family wrote. “He was as vibrant and multifaceted as the characters he portrayed on stage and screen.”
The Detroit native was a prolific guest star in Dick Wolf’s Law & Order franchise over the decades. According to IMDb, Ziskie appeared in two episodes of Law & Order: SVU, two episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and six episodes of the original Law & Order, playing multiple characters.
Ziskie excelled at playing authority figures, taking on parts like Vice President Jim Mathews on Netflix’s House of Cards (2013-17), U.S. senators on CBS’ Person of Interest (2012) and NBC’s The Blacklist (2014), and the U.S. attorney general in Fox’s 24 (2006). He also portrayed Liquori, a scheming associate of Nelson Hidalgo (Jon Seda), in the final three seasons of Treme (2011-13).
Fans of Chappelle’s Show may remember his 2004 role as Frank Niggar, a dad in a 1950s black-and-white sketch featuring Dave Chappelle as the milkman.
Dan Ziskie Got His Break at Chicago’s Legendary Improv Comedy Enterprise Second City
According to his obit, Ziskie’s passion for performance took him to Chicago’s Second City, where he worked alongside legends like John Belushi, Brian Doyle-Murray and Joe Flaherty.
Ziskie found success in Chicago before moving to Broadway, where he worked on productions like Morning’s at Seven (1980) and I’m Not Rappaport (1985) alongside Judd Hirsch. His other credits include After the Fall and I’m Not Ready.
Ziskie began landing TV roles in the mid-1980s, appearing in shows like Remington Steele, The Equalizer, Newhart, Hunter, St. Elsewhere, Murphy Brown, L.A. Law, and Quantum Leap.
On the big screen, Ziskie worked with renowned directors like Robert Altman, Chris Columbus, Roger Donaldson, and Charlie Kaufman. His film credits include O.C. and Stiggs (1985), Adventures in Babysitting (1987), Thirteen Days (2000), Synecdoche, New York (2008), and Peter Landesman’s Concussion (2015), where he portrayed NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
Ziskie also appeared in TV shows like ER, The Practice, Sex and the City, NYPD Blue, Ugly Betty, Louie, Gossip Girl, The Good Wife, Gotham, Elementary, Blue Bloods, Madam Secretary, and Bull. He also acted in films such as Zebrahead (1992), The Jackal (1997), Bad Company (2002), Eight Below (2006), Last Holiday (2006), and Mercy (2016).
Meanwhile, Dan Ziskie was also an accomplished photographer. In October 2017, his collection of New York street photography, titled Cloud Chamber, was released.
Ziskie is survived by his brother, David, and David’s wife, Cynthia, as well as his nephews, Jesse, Brett, and Austin, and their six children.