Longtime actor Gerald Simon dies at 71

Gerald Simon's passion was acting. His friends and family said his profession is what made him the happiest.

But when family responsibility demanded, he put aside that passion. In the late 1990s, Simon all but gave up acting to take care of his wife, who was stricken with cancer.

"It brought out the best in him," said longtime friend and fellow actor Gerry Bamman of Piermont.

Simon, who landed many roles in television commercials and on stage, died April 23 after a long illness. A Port Washington resident since 1973, he was 71 and had spent the past 10 months in a Glen Cove nursing home, his wife said.

Simon's wife, Elizabeth Dammarell, also an actor, said her husband's dedication to her recovery - which lasted about five years - uncovered a noble layer of his personality.

"He literally gave up everything to take care of me," she said. "And when you are a 50- or 60-year-old actor, to give it all up, it can be difficult to get back into it."

Bamman, 67, said Simon was a "lovable loudmouth," a life-of-the-party kind of guy who for years organized Thanksgiving Day touch-football games. "He'd get 30 or 40 people to play in the street in front of his house," Bamman said.

Simon also reveled in solving crossword puzzles actively with family and friends. People would gather around as he read clues aloud, and then they'd shout back answers, Bamman said.

Simon caught the acting bug when as a child he played Pontius Pilate in a school play and his grandmother made him a red cape for the role. He performed with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival, the National Players classical touring company, the Washington Shakespeare Festival and the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts in St. Louis, his wife said.

He also had small roles in several films, including "Wall Street," "Sweet Charity" and "Working Girls."

In addition to his wife of 47 years, Simon is survived by sons Phillip Simon of San Francisco, and William Simon of Brooklyn; daughters Elizabeth Ann Simon Houser and Therese Simon, both of Brooklyn; brothers James Simon of Tampa, Fla., and Edward Simon of Chicago; and three grandchildren.

The remains were cremated and a service was held Thursday at Austin F. Knowles Funeral Home, Port Washington.