24 Star And Ever-Present Character Actor Gregory Itzin Has Died At 74
"24" star and ever-present character actor Gregory Itzin has died. The performer passed away on Friday, July 8 at age 74. A cause of death has yet to be confirmed. Jon Cassar, executive producer and director of "24," revealed Itzin's death via Twitter. He wrote:
"My friend Greg Itzin passed away today. He was one of the most talented actors I had the honor to work with, but more than that he was an all around great guy. He'll be missed by his 24 family who had nothing but love & respect for him. You made your mark, now Rest In Peace friend."
The Washington D.C. native was perhaps best known for his performance as Charles Logan, an evil politician who ended up as president in the "24" universe. His character was introduced during season 4 (which was, as you might remember, day 4 in the "24" storyline) as the vice president serving under Geoff Pierson's President John Keeler. In hour 17 of that season, VP Logan invoked the 25th amendment on Keeler and was able to obtain the presidency.
Itzin earned two Emmy nominations for his work on the primetime action series, which was on air from 2001 to 2010. He garnered recognition with nominations for Supporting Actor in a Drama during his season 5 run as a main cast member and for Guest Actor in a Drama when Logan returned in season 10 as the disgraced former president. Additionally, he was also honored when the season 5 cast was nominated for a SAG award as a group.
Itzin's legacy
The actor started to really shine on the small screen during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He garnered some smaller guest roles on several popular series, including "Charlie's Angels," "Santa Barbara," and "Fame" — but his first major job was the NBC sitcom "The Nutt House" in 1989. After that, he secured roles on "L.A. Law," "Something Wilder," "Murder One," "Profiler," "Judging Amy," "Eerie," and "Indiana." He even appeared on several different "Star Trek" series and the hit comedy "Friends."
Following his stint on "24," Itzin appeared on "Big Love" as Senator Dwyer, "The Mentalist" as Lisbon's boss Virgil Minelli, "Covert Affairs" as Jai's father Henry Wilcox, and as Mayor Brown on "Mob City." In February 2020, he made a guest appearance on an episode of "NCIS."
Itzin was also an accomplished stage actor. In 1994, He received a Tony Award nomination for his work in "The Kentucky Cycle."