Which role did Jack Axelrod play in Grey's Anatomy? All you need to know as actor dies aged 93

Veteran actor, Jack Axelrod, most notable for his stellar performances in Grey's Anatomy and General Hospital died on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, as confirmed by his representative, Jennifer Garland. The actor, who was 93 years old died in Los Angeles due to natural causes, as per The Hollywood Reporter. He was also a U.S. Army Corporal and served in Germany from 1953 to 1955.

Whilst on ABC's Grey’s Anatomy, Jack played the role of semi-comatose Seattle Grace patient Charlie Yost, who eventually died peacefully. The actor announced his retirement from acting back in 2020 and was hailed for his roles on screen over the years.

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Jack Axelrod and the bittersweet tale of Charlie Yost

Apart from being an excellent actor, the Los Angeles native was also a United States Army Corporal, who served in Germany from '53 to '55. After his time in the army, he went to UC Berkeley and graduated as an architecture major.

He was a Washington DC licensed architect. It was while working as an architect that Axelrod decided to give acting a go by joining an off-broadway Macbeth production in 1969 followed by an off-broadway Gandhi adaptation.

He made his film debut in 1971 with the portrayal of Arroyo in Woody Allen's Bananas. This kick-started his career spanning decades, consisting of a wide variety of roles in both television and film. When Grey's Anatomy was at its peak, Jack Axelrod appeared in a short but touching guest role.

In the third and fourth seasons of the series, Axelrod portrayed a semi-comatose Seattle Grace patient named Charlie Yost. Charlie was admitted to the fictional hospital after a fall and did not wake up after surgery. He also underwent dialysis three times a week and the interns of the hospital used to have lunch in his room.

In the episode Let the Truth Sting, Charlie suddenly woke up and told Doctor Izzie Stevens, played by Katherine Heigl that there was no more need for dialysis as he was planning to die on that day itself.

Charlie developed a rather bittersweet relationship with Izzie, as he constantly tried to die, with Izzie saving him at one point. Later in the episode, all seemed to be well as Charlie was dressed up and ready to leave the hospital in a wheelchair.

On hearing the news, Izzie walked in and told Charlie, who was sitting in a wheelchair that even if he felt like he had no one, he still had her and that she needed him as a person she could talk to. When she did not receive a response, Izzie checked up on Charlie only to realize that he had died. Later in the episode, Izzie organized a mini-send-off for Charlie in his room.

Jack Axelrod also appeared in another ABC television series, the soap, General Hospital, in which he portrayed Victor Jerome, the head of the Jerome crime family, for 40 episodes.

Jack Axelrod was seen in a plethora of major television shows and movies. He made memorable appearances in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family, Ray Donovan, Dice, Speechless, Everybody Loves Raymond, My Name Is Earl, Mulaney, The Office, NCIS, Dexter, and Frasier.

He was also seen in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Malcolm in the Middle, Transformers: Dark of The Moon, Super 8, and Hancock, among others. He was last credited in 2020's Bad Therapy.

Jack Axelrod was also a teacher. According to Variety, he was a member of the theater faculty at Penn State University, Boston University, University of Wisconsin, Temple University, University of Michigan, and Cal Arts and Brandeis University.