STAN KIRSCH (HIGHLANDER) IS DEAD TO ME

6 months after my grandfather passed, his brother went out for a nice lunch, got a haircut, and parked in front of the police station. Then he put a gun in his mouth. If I were ever going to kill myself, that seems like a solid blueprint. Doing it in your home or where your loved ones will find you seems unnecessarily cruel

[quote] found the actor hanging Saturday afternoon in their bathroom.

Hanging what?

Levolor BLINDS, Rose!

So, do I get prorated for the rest of this month’s classes, or...

R1 Good call. A forest or deeply wooded area would be my choice, if I were at that point, and lived with someone. It can be viewed as a selfish act by many, but this aspect certainly is the worst part. So many suicides, I believe most people are miserable, though many never let on. A friend and I were just talking about this the other day.

It sounds like he might have been facing problems with his business, or perhaps his wife wanted a divorce. I’ve heard that his acting school was one of those “sketchy” companies that promised an intro into the biz and how it all works.

The people who went to him were mostly desperate wannabes who got taken in by a Z-list actor.

Terrible for his wife, I bid her peace.

The last place I would choose to die is a bathroom. My last thought would probably be of Archie Bunker's terlet flush.

[quote] I’ve heard that his acting school was one of those “sketchy” companies that promised an intro into the biz and how it all works. The people who went to him were mostly desperate wannabes who got taken in by a Z-list actor.

99.9% of acting schools in LA are like this.

Is this really considered sketchy? He was a regularly working actor. They can give you an introduction course in the biz, since they went through it themselves.

R1, Good idea. That was thoughtful of him. As long as it didn't void the life insurance policy. In that case,It might be better to just wave a gun around in the police parking lot and let nature take it's course. Plus, you could play your car stereo loud and smoke your last cigarette and make a speech.

Fair enough, r8. The reason why I mentioned it was because I was browsing on a forum a few years ago that was frequented by actors and Kirsch’s school came up. They basically said it was a scam and a complete waste of time.

I’m sure there’s other ways to learn about preparing for auditions and such without paying out hundreds or thousands of dollars that you can’t really afford.

[quote] I’m sure there’s other ways to learn about preparing for auditions and such without paying out hundreds or thousands of dollars that you can’t really afford.

I've never lived in LA, but I did work/volunteer at community theatre a lot in my 20s and I had many actors friends who made the move to LA. They ALL went to acting classes lead my former (or what you would call Z list) actors, and they were all stupid expensive and paid for by a high-limit credit card that may or may not have ever gotten paid. I've always had the sense that there were two roads to being a working actor 1. You go to famous schools (Tisch, Yale, Juilliard) and then move into legitimate theatre, and then go to LA with your credits, but only for serious, paid-for films 2. If you don't have that pedigree, you go to LA and try your luck with the little schools so that you can do small theatre productions and student films (for free), and give it a go that way.

I love this skit with Parker Posey so much because I know people like this--

That’s what I think happened with James Franco, r11. I don’t know if he charged anything, but he obviously had a far higher profile than a lot of the other acting coaches out there. It’s not hard to imagine a bunch of deluded wannabes swarming around Franco in the hope they’d make it because of the doors he’d open for them.

[quote] let nature take it's course.

Oh, dear!

Where did that Parker Posey Emmy class video originate from?

It’s glorious!

R14, I think it was a special skit for some awards show a few years back--maybe the Emmys?

It's hilarious on its own--BUT if you have ever spent time in theatre or with ex-actors who have worked in the industry a bit, you absolutely know a real life JAN.

I checked his acting credits and it appears he hadn’t worked in anything steadily for quite some time. And although he’d done one or two shows where he’d been a series regular, none of them were particularly high profile. The highlight of his career seems to have been his guest spot on Friends.

I think his lack of success in the business as well as growing older contributed to his problems.

R5 so some poor hiker or brush clearer comes across your body? That’s awful.

R5 so some poor hiker or brush clearer comes across your body? That’s awful.

[quote] Good call. A forest or deeply wooded area would be my choice, if I were at that point, and lived with someone. It can be viewed as a selfish act by many, but this aspect certainly is the worst part. So many suicides, I believe most people are miserable, though many never let on. A friend and I were just talking about this the other day.

Yes, this is what I plan to do. R18, there are plenty of wooded locations in this country that get absolutely no visitors. Go deep into the woods of Minnesota or northern Canada.

Why would anyone want to die out in the wilderness or deep in the woods, r5. Nobody would find your body for months. Moreover, you’d have wild animals feasting on your carcass and scattering the remains all over the place.

Don’t you think that would be a lot more distressing for a relative to have to go through?

Sad. I loved Highlander back in the day. Peter Wingfield was yummy. I was shocked to find out he was straight. He quit acting and went on to become an anesthesiologist. Good for him.

His exit was the ultimate "fuck you" to the world and especially his wife. Suicide is not a passive act.

And I could be wrong about this situation in particular, of course, but nevertheless it's a common reaction.

His wife is probably screwed out of any life insurance, and the business will go belly up now. Sad for her.

[quote] Stan later found success as Lieutenant Ferrari on "JAG" ... appearing for 5 seasons.

I watched a lot of JAG and couldn't place him, but looking him up reminded me he's the second JAG actor to commit suicide that I know of. Trevor Goddard who played Aussie Mic Brumby killed himself over a divorce.

A JAG curse?

God, I loved Highlander. Looking back, it was incredibly cheesy, really, really cringeworthy, but as an impressionable youngling, I ate it up with a spoon. Kirsch's character was actually my least favorite, but it's sad news.