"Ron Silver died peacefully in his sleep with his family around him this morning," said Robin Bronk, executive director of the Creative Coalition, which Silver helped create. "He had been fighting esophageal cancer for two years and his family is making arrangements for a private service."

Genre fans may remember Silver from his performances in THE ENTITY, BLUE STEEL (opposite Jamie Lee Curtis), TIMECOP, THE WISHER, THE ARRIVAL, SHADOW ZONE: THE UNDEAD EXPRESS, and many more. More details on his career and political activism at Variety's post HERE.