Jerry Grayson

Jerry Grayson was an American actor whose works included Robert Redford's "The Quiz Show" (1994) and the Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013). Grayson was a native of Long Island, born in Glen Cove, NY. In his youth, Grayson had a strong interest in the performing arts, joining the cast of several high school plays and also running a dance studio as a teenager. Grayson's first credited role was in the drive-in comedy "Wild on the Beach" (1965). His film and television career blossomed late, but he regularly performed standup comedy across the country. Grayson made his first TV appearance in the classic crime procedural drama "Law & Order" (NBC 1990-2010), where he continued to make occasional guest appearances until 2002. In 1994, Grayson was seen in the Oscar-nominated film "Quiz Show," Robert Redford's big screen take on the cheating scandal that rocked television in the 1950s. Director Andrew Bergman cast Grayson in his dismally-reviewed action comedy "Striptease" (1996), where he appeared in an infamous scene involving co-star Ving Rhames. The veteran actor then joined Billy Bob Thornton and John Cusack in the airport flight control comedy "Pushing Tin" (1999). In 2002, fans of the critically-acclaimed mobster series "The Sopranos" (HBO 1999-2007) watched Grayson make a couple of appearances as casino worker and mob associate Marty Schwartz. Years later, the Coen Brothers put him in the role of Mel Novikoff, the agent of title character Llewyn Davis in their 1961-set drama "Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013) Unfortunately, it turned out to be his last role; shortly after filming his last scene, Gray died of heart disease on March 5, 2013 at the age of 77.