Obit: Robert "Welcome Back Kotter" Hegyes

[Markxxx]

Robert Hegyes, the Jersey-born actor who played Jewish Puerto Rican wheeler-dealer Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein on the 1970s classic "Welcome Back Kotter," died from an apparent heart attack after suffering chest pains at his Metuchen home this morning. He was 60.

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Please excuse Juan he's dead...Signed Epstein's mother

 

[Mark Giardina]

Died of a heart attack at 60. Holy Cow! Any comment so far from Travolta or the rest of the cast of Kotter?

 

[FreddyE1977]

The thing that he did which most sticks in my head was that very sad episode of
Chico and the Man they made after Freddie Prinze committed suicide. The one
where Jack Albertson goes to Mexico looking for Chico but fails to find him. Hegyes
played a local who was trying to help him.

 

[CrankyYankee]

Mark Evanier, a writer on "Welcome Back Kotter" has kind words regarding the late Mr. Hegyes.
http://www.newsfromme.com/2012/01/26/robert-hegyes-r-i-p/

 

[Corky Marlowe]

Robert Hegyes, the Jersey-born actor who played Jewish Puerto Rican wheeler-dealer Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein on the 1970s classic "Welcome Back Kotter," died from an apparent heart attack after suffering chest pains at his Metuchen home this morning. He was 60.

IIRC, he drescribed himself as "Hungarican" (Hungarian-Puerto Rican).

 

[Markxxx]

Freddie Prinze used to describe himself as a Hungarican. I don't know if Hegyes ever did.

Apparently from what I've been reading, he was not in good health the last few years

 

[RALfan]

I think he was Hungarian and Italian. RIP, Epstein.

 

[firepoint525]

Interesting that, given his age, he was playing a high school student while he was in his mid-to-late 20s, which would have been his age when Kotter was on the air.

 

[LKellerIII]

Interesting that, given his age, he was playing a high school student while he was in his mid-to-late 20s, which would have been his age when Kotter was on the air.

Well, he would have been 23 when the show began, and 28 when it ended. That's not particularly unusual. There are a lot less labor law issues if you hire a young adult, and if the show has a long successful run, that young adult is pushing 30 when you're done.

A couple other examples - Luke Perry was 25 when Beverly Hills 90210 started its ten year run, so he was 35 when it ended. Jason Priestly was a bit younger - 21 at the start, and 31 when the show ended.

It's make believe after all, and as long as you look young, it'll work.

 

[cowboybud]

Interesting that, given his age, he was playing a high school student while he was in his mid-to-late 20s, which would have been his age when Kotter was on the air.

Well, he would have been 23 when the show began, and 28 when it ended. That's not particularly unusual. There are a lot less labor law issues if you hire a young adult, and if the show has a long successful run, that young adult is pushing 30 when you're done.

A couple other examples - Luke Perry was 25 when Beverly Hills 90210 started its ten year run, so he was 35 when it ended. Jason Priestly was a bit younger - 21 at the start, and 31 when the show ended.

It's make believe after all, and as long as you look young, it'll work.

Jimmie Walker was in his late 20s when he played a teenage JJ on Good Times...in fact, he was only 7 or 8 years younger than John Amos, who played his father (who in turn, was nearly 20 years younger than Esther Rolle. Was Florida Evans TV's first Cougar?).

 

[Mark Giardina]

A few years ago, I think it was on TV Land, there was a reunion of the Kotter cast on some awards show. I remember Hegyes looking overweight and walking with a cane. Perhaps he wasn't well (health-wise) back then. The person who really physically changed was Gabe Kotter.

 

[LKellerIII]

Interesting that, given his age, he was playing a high school student while he was in his mid-to-late 20s, which would have been his age when Kotter was on the air.

Well, he would have been 23 when the show began, and 28 when it ended. That's not particularly unusual. There are a lot less labor law issues if you hire a young adult, and if the show has a long successful run, that young adult is pushing 30 when you're done.

A couple other examples - Luke Perry was 25 when Beverly Hills 90210 started its ten year run, so he was 35 when it ended. Jason Priestly was a bit younger - 21 at the start, and 31 when the show ended.

It's make believe after all, and as long as you look young, it'll work.

Jimmie Walker was in his late 20s when he played a teenage JJ on Good Times...in fact, he was only 7 or 8 years younger than John Amos, who played his father (who in turn, was nearly 20 years younger than Esther Rolle. Was Florida Evans TV's first Cougar?).
[/quote

Another example of this was the original version of The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Angela Lansbury played Lawrence Harvey's mother in the film, though in real life, she was only 3 years older than Harvey. But at age 37 (when the film was produced) she was rather matronly looking already, while Harvey looked quite young at 34, so it worked.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Jimmie Walker was in his late 20s when he played a teenage JJ on Good Times...in fact, he was only 7 or 8 years younger than John Amos, who played his father (who in turn, was nearly 20 years younger than Esther Rolle. Was Florida Evans TV's first Cougar?).

There was 21 years difference between Isabel Sanford and Sherman Hemsley on the Jeffersons.

On the Cosby Show there was only 10 years difference between Phylicia Rashad and Sabrina Lebauf, who played the oldest daughter, and only 11 years difference between Bill Cosby and Earle Hyman, who played his dad.

 

[onairb]

And, in one of the more extreme examples, on 'The Golden Girls', in real life, Bea Arthur was 14 months OLDER than Estelle Getty...they could have been roommates at Shady Pines! ;D
Good point about the Hemsley-Sanford age gap;I was just watching a 'Jeffersons' rerun recently, and they mentioned the 'onscreen' age difference between George and Louise..I think she was said to be slightly younger!

 

[anotherguyTN]

And, in one of the more extreme examples, on 'The Golden Girls', in real life, Bea Arthur was 14 months OLDER than Estelle Getty...they could have been roommates at Shady Pines! ;D
Good point about the Hemsley-Sanford age gap;I was just watching a 'Jeffersons' rerun recently, and they mentioned the 'onscreen' age difference between George and Louise..I think she was said to be slightly younger!

In Golden Girls Estelle Getty was "playing older" than her actual age. The other best comparison would be Vicki Lawrence playing Mama on The Carol Burnett Show where she was the youngest cast member, and also on Mama's Family.

 

[KeithE4]

In Golden Girls Estelle Getty was "playing older" than her actual age. The other best comparison would be Vicki Lawrence playing Mama on The Carol Burnett Show where she was the youngest cast member, and also on Mama's Family.

On The Beverly Hillbillies, Irene Ryan, in her 60s, played 80-something Granny. Donna Douglas, who was 29 in 1962, played 18-or-so Ellie May, and was 4 years older than Max Baer. IIRC, Jethro was supposed to be in his early 20s when the show started.

 

[firepoint525]

Interesting that, given his age, he was playing a high school student while he was in his mid-to-late 20s, which would have been his age when Kotter was on the air.

Well, he would have been 23 when the show began, and 28 when it ended. That's not particularly unusual. There are a lot less labor law issues if you hire a young adult, and if the show has a long successful run, that young adult is pushing 30 when you're done.
A couple other examples - Luke Perry was 25 when Beverly Hills 90210 started its ten year run, so he was 35 when it ended. Jason Priestly was a bit younger - 21 at the start, and 31 when the show ended.
It's make believe after all, and as long as you look young, it'll work.

Missed opportunity here. You could have pointed out that "students" like the sweathogs typically ARE older than most of their classmates. Surprised that you didn't take that angle.

 

[71dude]

Zara Cully (b. 1892) was 46 years older than Sherman Hemsley (b. 1938) - she could have played his grandmother! Mike Evans (b. 1949) was 11 years younger than Hemsley.

 

[anotherguyTN]

On Sanford and Son Fred Sanford was supposed to be in his 60's, but Redd Foxx was 50 when the series started.

 

[LKellerIII]

On Sanford and Son Fred Sanford was supposed to be in his 60's, but Redd Foxx was 50 when the series started.

Caroll O'Connor was only 46 when All in the Family premiered in 1971. No problem there - they never really established his age, but considering the portly body and gray hair, I always assumed Archie Bunker was at least in his mid 50s. Of course, I was in my early 20s then, so anybody in middle age seemed old to me... ;D