Jim Troesh, 'Highway to Heaven' Actor, 54

[A Friend]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/quadriplegic-actor-jim-troesh-dies-
245761

Quadriplegic Actor Jim Troesh Dies at 54

by Mike Barnes

Jim Troesh, a screenwriter, actor and entertainment industry disability
advocate, died Oct. 1 at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. He was
54.

Troesh was perhaps best known for his three-season role as a
quadriplegic attorney on Highway to Heaven, the 1984-89 Michael Landon
NBC drama for which he also wrote.

His screenwriting credits also include the 2006 film Color of the
Cross, which he penned with Jean-Claude La Marre and Jean Claude
Nelson.

As an active member of the WGA West's Writers with Disabilities
Committee, Troesh was the industry's lone quadriplegic WGAW-SAG dual
member and the first quadriplegic to join the actors union. He also
served on the Performers Executive Committee of the Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences, was a former national chairman of AFTRA's
Performers with Disabilities Committee and a former president of the
Media Access Office.

"What Jim brought to the disability equation was an irreverent,
disarming sense of the absurd. Humor kept him going for 41 years," said
WGAW WDC Committee chair Allen Rucker, who dedicated the 2011 Media
Access Awards to Troesh at this year's ceremony held Thursday. The
Media Access Awards honor projects and artists that improve awareness,
promote accessibility and champion accurate representations of the
disability experience.

Troesh received the prestigious Michael Landon Award from the Media
Access Office and was a recipient of the ABC/Disney Writing
Scholarship.

Among his recent projects, Troesh created the TV pilot The Hollywood
Quad, a sitcom that he wrote, produced, directed and starred in along
with guest star Bryan Cranston. Comically chronicling Troesh's journey
in the industry, he turned the program into a podcast series. Troesh's
other acting credits include Boston Legal, Special Unit, Notes From the
Underground, Rise and Walk: The Dennis Byrd Story and Airwolf.

At age 14, Troesh fell off a roof and sustained a spinal injury that
left him paralyzed.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Oct. 21 in North Hollywood
at a location to be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family requests
that donations be made in Troesh's name to Total Improv Kids -- Jim
Troesh Scholarship; c/o Linda Fulton; Avery Schreiber Theatre; 11050
Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601.

<http://goo.gl/nSbYz>


Lots of pics of him at his website:

<http://jimtroesh.com/hollywood_quad.htm>

[BobF]

On Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:30:54 -0400, A Friend <no...@noway.com> shouted
from the highest rooftop:

>http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/quadriplegic-actor-jim-troesh-dies-245761

>
>Quadriplegic Actor Jim Troesh Dies at 54

Jim Troesh on Jim Troesh (with photos)

http://jimtroesh.blogspot.com/2010/04/dr-jekyll-and-mr-troesh.html

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Troesh

I often feel like there two completely different sides of me. So
different are these two sides they are almost at war. One side is the
public side; the Jim Troesh you see on TV, the me that schmoozes at
Hollywood parties, meets with executives, hangs with famous people
like Jack Black, promotes Jim Troesh, and performs on stage. The me
that goes to the store, talks on the phone, pays the bills, writes the
screenplays, magazines and other things like this blog.

Then there is the quadriplegic Jim Troesh. (I was 15 in this picture)
That is the part no one knows too well. The part of me that deals with
muscle spasms, manages caregivers and their multitude of
personalities, deals with nursing registries, doctors, medications,
and intense regime of morning and nighttime care, as well as
depression, anger, jealousy, envy, and everything else that goes along
with being paralyzed from the shoulders down. The part of me that
tries to connect with a body that I cannot feel. The part of me that
thinks I should have dealt with all of this years ago.

Occasionally, these two opposing forces meet on the pages of my
screenplays, and I'm able to spew out my feelings. That is when I am
writing at the top of my game, writing stories that someone without my
disability couldn't possibly write because I have a unique
perspective. When I'm in that zone I feel that it's all been worth
while. Maybe like war veterans turn screen writers must feel.

On any given day, one or the other Jim Troesh may be in charge. Most
of the time, quadriplegic Jim rides in the back seat and public Jim
takes care of business. Occasionally though, quadriplegic Jim takes
over because things like bladder infections, muscle spasms or a unique
gift God saved for quadriplegics called autonomic dysreflexia force
themselves into the forefront. On days like that, I wonder about my
ability to make it in this business at all.

I guess that is why I'm here. Mine is the unique blessing of having
the gifts to share this feeling, these thoughts with the world. As
hard as it is to say, I guess I am thankful for all the adversities
I'm given, because I've also been given many blessings. It is those
qualities that I share with readers of this blog, and any and all who
have ever read or seen my work.
--

"It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens." - Woody Allen

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