Eugene Dynarski

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
Born(1933-09-13)September 13, 1933
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.[1]
DiedFebruary 27, 2020(2020-02-27) (aged 86)
Studio City, California, U.S.
Other namesGene Dynarski
OccupationActor
Years active1965–2020

Acting career

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"). 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 (released posthumously) was in the X-Files episode "Patience". As pivotal character Ernie Stefaniuk, his performance was called heartrending and unforgettable.

Dynarski and David Weitz, a friend, built the Gene Dynarski Theater, which opened June 20, 1979, in Los Angeles. Over 2+1⁄2 years they converted a bare four-walled space into a 99-seat theater.[2]

Death

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

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1965MorituriMerchant MarineUncredited
1966Star Trek: The Original SeriesBen ChildressEpisode: "Mudd's Women"
1966The MonkeesZeppoS1:E16, "Son of a Gypsy"
1967The MonkeesTotoS1:E26, "Monkee Chow Mein"
1967Voyage to the Bottom of the SeaCentaur IEpisode: "Journey with Fear"
1968In Enemy CountryCapek
1969Star Trek: The Original SeriesKrodakS3:E16, "The Mark of Gideon"
1971 DuelTruck Driver in Chuck's Cafe
1974Airport 19751st. Friend
1974EarthquakeDam Caretaker
1976All the President's MenCourt Clerk
1976 Starsky and Hutch S1/E22 :Vic Bellamy
1977Close Encounters of the Third KindIke
1984Best DefenseGil
1985Movers & ShakersBoard Member #2
1988Star Trek: The Next GenerationQuinterosEpisode: "11001001"
1989Breaking InBrock, Ernie's Mob Connection
1996Command & Conquer: Red AlertJoseph Stalin
1999Boy Meets WorldMr. PetermanS7E7 "It's About Time"
2000The X-FilesErnie StefaniukS8E3 "Patience"

References
  1. "ACTOR DYNARSKI SEES ANOTHER SIDE OF STALIN". Los Angeles Times. May 7, 1987. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020.
  2. 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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