Danny Goldman, known for his roles in Young Frankenstein and The Smurfs, died Sunday at the age of 80. His death was not related to coronavirus.
The news was announced in a Facebook post by Goldman’s longtime friend and agent, Doug Ely. Ely met Goldman when he first became an agent in 1980.
“We became fast friends and have been for the last 40 years,” Ely said on the Facebook post. “He joined our poker game early on and has even hosted it for the last 20 years or so. We’ve played together in our baseball rotisserie league for the last 32 years. In fact, he won it as a rookie in his very 1st year. He was quite the baseball fan. He was quite the actor as well.”
Danny Goldman’s acting roles
Goldman played numerous roles throughout his career, from Capt. Dennis Murrhardt in 1970’s MASH, to guest-starring in a 2012 episode of Criminal Minds.
In 1974 Goldman worked alongside Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein as a medical student questioning Wilder’s character about his grandfather’s work.
His most recognizable work may be as the voice of a character on Hanna-Barbera’s The Smurfs. Voicing Brainy Smurf, Goldman portrayed the character from 1981 to 1989. He went on to reprise the character multiple times for the show Robot Chicken.
According to Ely, around New Years Goldman had suffered a couple of strokes. He died at his home in Los Angeles among friends and family. Goldman had been born in New York City on Oct. 30, 1939.
“Danny was truly one of a kind,” Ely said on the Facebook post.
“He always had strong opinions and didn’t mind telling you about them. He was incredibly funny. He loved to root for the little guy and help wherever he could. He had a huge heart. We lost a good one today. He will be missed.”