Godspeed Jerry Fogel

Jerry Fogel, who played Jerry Buell on the Sixties sitcom The Mothers-In-Law and had a regular role on The White Shadow, died Monday, October 21 2019, at the age of 83. He had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008.

Jerry Fogel was born on January 17 1936 in Rochester, New York. His father was a theatre owner. He attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut and then West Point. He then became a DJ for WBBF in Rochester before deciding to take up acting.

Jerry Fogel made his television debut in a guest appearance on the debut episode of That Girl in 1966. He guest starred on The Big Valley and the short-lived sitcom Hey, Landlord. He was cast as Jerry Buell, one half of the newly married couple, on The Mothers-In-Law the show ran for two seasons, from 1967 to 1969. He made his film debut in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970).

In the Seventies he had a recurring role on The White Shadow, which would also turn out to be his final acting role. He guest starred on the shows That Girl; The Bold Ones: The Lawyers; Ironside; Love, American Style; The Paul Lynde Show; Room 222; Temperatures Rising; The New Perry Mason; Here's Lucy; Lotsa Luck!; Chico and the Man; Police Story; Barnaby Jones; Ellery Queen; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Good Heavens; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; The Tony Randall Show; Phyllis; Lou Grant; Operation Petticoat; The Bob Newhart Show; and Project U.F.O. He also appeared in several TV movies. He appeared in the film The Day of the Locust (1975).

After The White Shadow Jerry Fogel moved to Leawood, Kansas. Mr. Fogel became a host on Kansas City radio station KCMO and later worked on CNN Headline News Radio.

Chances are good that Jerry Fogel will always be remembered best as Jerry Buell on The Mothers-In-Law, an exception being in the Kansas City area where he may be best remembered as a radio talk show host. That having been said, he was a frequent guest star on television in the Seventies and played a variety of roles, from a doctor on The Mary Tyler Moore Show to a deputy sheriff on Ellery Queen to a radio host who stutters on The Bob Newhart Show. He had a particular gift for comedy, which explains his many appearances on sitcoms over the years.