NEED TO KNOW
Dan Ziskie has died. He was 80 years old.
The House of Cards and Treme actor’s family announced his death in an obituary, which revealed he died on July 21 in New York City from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Ziskie is survived by his brother David and his wife Cynthia, along with his nephews Jesse, Brett and Austin and their six children, who say they “will miss him deeply.”
“Dan was a man of remarkable talent and a keen observer of life,” the obituary reads. “He was as vibrant and multifaceted as the characters he portrayed on stage and screen.”
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Born in Detroit in 1944, Ziskie was an athlete throughout college and went on to be a crewman on a Great Lakes freighter before moving into acting.
According to his obituary, Ziskie’s “love for performance led him to the Second City of Chicago,” alongside major names such as John Belushi, Brian Doyle-Murray and Joe Flaherty.
His success in Chicago led Ziskie to work on Broadway productions in New York, where he was an understudy in Morning’s at Seven in 1980. In 1985, he acted with Judd Hirsch in the play I’m Not Rappaport. His other Broadway credits include After the Fall and I’m Not Ready.
Ziskie was best known for his recurring role as Vice President Jim Mathews on Netflix’s House of Cards from 2013-2017 and C.J. Liquori on the final three seasons of HBO’s Treme from 2011-2013.
He also appeared in Chappelle’s Show, CBS’ Person of Interest, NBC’s The Blacklist and Fox’s 24, as well as films Zebrahead (1992) and Adventures in Babysitting (1987), among others.
Some of his many episodic cameos were in Remington Steele, St. Elsewhere, The Equalizer, Newhart and Murphy Brown.
“Dan’s natural talent and dedication to his craft were evident in each role he played, earning him the admiration and respect of his peers,” his family wrote.
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He also pursued his passion for photography, with his family praising “his eye for detail and ability to capture the essence of his subjects.”
His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian and the Financial Times, and he also has a photo book called Cloud Chamber, published in 2017.
His obituary describes it as “a testament to his artistic vision and continues to be cherished by readers and photography enthusiasts alike.”
In his free time, Ziskie enjoyed traveling and exploring “complex topics such as the nature of the cosmos and quantum physics.”
“Dan’s life was not only marked by his creative achievements but also by the bonds he shared with his family,” his loved ones wrote, adding: “Dan’s legacy extends beyond his family, as his colleagues and friends will remember him as a creative, thoughtful, and interesting man whose presence enriched their lives.”
“His was a life lived with passion, a life that exemplified the beauty of pursuing one’s dreams and the importance of cherishing every moment,” the obituary concluded. “Dan will be profoundly missed, yet he will forever remain in the hearts of those who knew him, like a cherished character in the timeless narrative of their lives.”
