Character actor Dan Ziskie, remembered for his performances in acclaimed dramas like Treme and House of Cards as well as his comedic turn on Chappelle’s Show, passed away on July 21 in New York City at the age of 80. The cause of death was arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a notice.
Born in Detroit in 1944, Ziskie studied English at the University of Michigan, where he was also a standout track and field athlete. Before pursuing acting, he worked as a journalist and even served as a crewman on a freighter in the Great Lakes. His stage career began in Chicago with the Second City comedy troupe, where he performed alongside John Belushi, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Joe Flaherty.
In 1980, Ziskie moved to New York, making his Broadway debut as an understudy in Morning’s at Seven. Five years later, he appeared opposite Judd Hirsch in I’m Not Rappaport. By the mid-1980s, he began landing film and television roles, including appearances in The Man with One Red Shoe with Tom Hanks, Twisted with Christian Slater, and Robert Altman’s O.C. and Stiggs. He also had guest roles on Remington Steele, St. Elsewhere, The Equalizer, and Murphy Brown, as well as parts in comedies like Adventures in Babysitting and Troop Beverly Hills.
Throughout the 1990s, Ziskie frequently portrayed politicians, judges, and military officials in series such as Quantum Leap, Law & Order, ER, and DEA. He also appeared in the thriller The Jackal, opposite Bruce Willis and Richard Gere.
His career continued into the 2000s with supporting roles in films including Thirteen Days (with Kevin Costner), Bad Company (with Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock), and Eight Below (with Paul Walker). He became a familiar face on TV as well, appearing in Sex and the City, 24, NCIS, and Ugly Betty. He also had small parts in Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds and Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York.
One of his most talked-about appearances came in 2004 on Chappelle’s Show, where he portrayed the head of a white family with a surname that doubled as a racial slur, in a sketch that quickly became infamous.
Ziskie’s later career brought some of his most significant roles. He played construction magnate C.J. Liquori across 18 episodes of HBO’s Treme, the Vice President of the United States on House of Cards, and appeared in Show Me a Hero, Zero Hour, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, and Madam Secretary.
Beyond acting, Ziskie was also a skilled photographer. In 2017, he published Cloud Chamber, a book featuring portraits of ordinary New Yorkers, with his photography also appearing in outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and the Financial Times.
He is survived by his brother David, sister-in-law Cynthia, their three children, and extended family.
