Veteran actor Dan Ziskie dies at 80 in New York

Dan Ziskie, a prolific character actor with credits spanning stage, film and television, died July 21 in New York at age 80.

Dan Ziskie remembered across decades on TV

Dan Ziskie, a prolific character actor, built a career that spanned stage, film and a long stream of television work. He began with Chicago’s Second City, moved to Broadway, and later became a familiar face in hundreds of episodes and guest roles over four decades. On television he had longer arcs, including 18 episodes on Treme as C.J. Liquori and six episodes as Vice President Jim Mathews on House of Cards. In film, his roles included the dad in Adventures in Babysitting and a part in Troop Beverly Hills. Off screen he pursued photography, publishing the monograph Cloud Chamber in 2017. He died on July 21 in New York from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, aged 80.

Ziskie’s career highlights a core truth in TV history: the quiet backbone of the industry rests on versatile, dependable performers. He moved between stage and screen with ease, delivering scenes that felt authentic without stealing attention.

His work on Treme and House of Cards shows how a strong supporting performer can anchor a show and help it travel between local texture and national reach. Theater roots and Second City training gave him tools to adapt across genres, a flexibility that keeps a long career viable in an era of rapid changes in how content is made and paid.

Highlights

The stage and screen still feel his influence.