Entertainment

'Hangover' Actor Passes Away

by Alanna Bennett

The great Hollywood mythos is that you show up for showbiz an 18-year-old ingenue, straight off the bus from Ohio, or any other flyover state of your choice, then you work hard for years and years and years, waiting tables waiting for your big break, which may or may never come. This was not the story for actor Murray Gershenz, who died today at 91.

Gershenz, who started his acting career at the age of 80, has appeared in films like I Love You Man and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, and in television in shows like Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, Mad Men, and Raising Hope. His most recent work was on the TBS show Sullivan & Son, but he might be best known for his role as Felix in The Hangover.

Before he started his acting career, Gershenz was an opera singer and synagogue cantor. He also ran Music Man Murray, a record store in Los Angeles for more than 50 years. Over that time he raked up a massive collection of albums, for which he had recently been seeking a buyer (they're still for sale). Gershenz's time with Music Man Murray even inspired a documentary about him (it's called, surprise, Music Man Murray), which premiered on the Documentary channel.

Gershenz died of a sudden heart attack on August 28 and is survived by three children, two grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a record collection of over 300,000 albums.

[Image via MurrayGershenz.com]