Eugene Dynarski (September 13, 1933 – February 27, 2020) was an American actor. Three of the most popular projects that he has been involved with were two Steven Spielberg films, Duel and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and the Westwood Studios computer game Command & Conquer: Red Alert.

Eugene Dynarski
Eugene Dynarski in Star Trek The Next Generation 1987
Born(1933-09-13)September 13, 1933
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.[1]
DiedFebruary 27, 2020(2020-02-27) (aged 86)
Other namesGene Dynarski
OccupationActor
Years active1965–2020

Acting career

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Dynarski acted on stage before he began working in films and on television.[2]

In 1971's Duel, Dynarski had a small role as a truck driver in a cafe that was mistakenly identified by car driver David Mann (Dennis Weaver) as his tormenting truck driver that resulted in a short-lived fight at Chuck's Cafe. In Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Dynarski plays a major supporting role as Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, appearing throughout much of the game's Soviet campaign and, to a lesser extent, the Allied campaign. In the 1974 film Earthquake, Dynarski portrays Fred, a worker at the Mulholland Dam who becomes the first fatality of the disaster.

Dynarski also appeared in numerous television shows. He was one of 32 actors or actresses to have guest-starred in both the original Star Trek television series (episodes "Mudd's Women" and "The Mark of Gideon") and in one of the series' spin offs (Star Trek: The Next Generation's "11001001").[citation needed] In Monkees TV series, Dynarski played the Dragonman's sidekick, Toto, in the episode titled "Monkee Chow Mein" (original US air date: March 13, 1967). His many other TV credits include episodes of Batman (episodes 47 and 48), Starsky & Hutch, CHiPs, Little House on the Prairie and The A-Team.

Dynarski is also known for his two appearances as Izzy Mandelbaum Jr. on Seinfeld and as Helmut Jitters in the short film Apple Jack.

His final role was in The X-Files episode "Patience". As pivotal character Ernie Stefaniuk, his performance was called heartrending and unforgettable.[citation needed]

Dynarski and David Weitz, a friend, built the Gene Dynarski Theater, which opened June 20, 1979, in Los Angeles. Over 2+12 years they converted a bare four-walled space into a 99-seat theater.[2]

Death

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Dynarski died on February 27, 2020, in Studio City, Los Angeles,[3] at the age of 86.[4]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1965 Morituri Merchant Marine Uncredited
1966 Star Trek: The Original Series Ben Childress S1:E6, "Mudd's Women"
1966 The Monkees Zeppo S1:E16, "Son of a Gypsy"
1967 The Monkees Toto S1:E26, "Monkee Chow Mein"
1967 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Centaur I Episode: "Journey with Fear"
1968 In Enemy Country Capek
1969 Star Trek: The Original Series Krodak S3:E16, "The Mark of Gideon"
1971 Duel Truck Driver in Chuck's Cafe
1974 Airport 1975 1st. Friend
1974 Earthquake Dam Caretaker
1976 All the President's Men Court Clerk
1976 Starsky and Hutch Vic Bellamy S1:E22
1977 Close Encounters of the Third Kind Ike
1984 Best Defense Gil
1985 Movers & Shakers Board Member #2
1988 Star Trek: The Next Generation Quinteros Episode: "11001001"
1989 Breaking In Brock, Ernie's Mob Connection
1996 Command & Conquer: Red Alert Joseph Stalin
1999 Boy Meets World Mr. Peterman S7E7 "It's About Time"
2000 The X-Files Ernie Stefaniuk S8E3 "Patience"

References

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  1. ^ "ACTOR DYNARSKI SEES ANOTHER SIDE OF STALIN". Los Angeles Times. May 7, 1987. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Dougherty, Jeanne (June 21, 1979). "This Is The House That Gene Built". L.A. Weekly. p. 7. Retrieved September 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Gene Dynarski, 86". Classic Images (541): 41. July 2020.
  4. ^ "Gene Dynarski, Actor on 'Seinfeld' and 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' Dies at 86 | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com.
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