Robert Hegyes of "Welcome Back, Kotter" Has Died

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Welcome Back, Kotter's Robert Hegyes, Who Played Epstein, Dies
Kate Stanhope

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Jan 26, 2012 06:33 PM ET
by Kate Stanhope

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Robert Hegyes, best known for playing Juan Epstein on Welcome Back, Kotter, died Thursday from an apparent heart attack, The Star-Ledger reports. He was 60.

A New Jersey native, Hegyes studied speech and theater at Rowan University (where he taught later in his career) before finding stage work in New York both on and off Broadway. In 1975, Hegyes was cast on Welcome Back, Kotter as one of the Sweathogs alongside a young John Travolta. After the comedy's four-year run, Hegyes joined the detective series Cagney & Lacey as undercover detective Manny Esposito.

More recently, Hegyes guest-starred on shows like NewsRadio, Diagnosis Murder and The Drew Carey Show. Health problems in the past several years, including a heart attack, kept him out of the limelight. However, he did reunite with the rest of the Welcome Back, Kotter cast at last year's TV Land Awards.

Hegyes is survived by three siblings, two children, Cassie and Mac, and two stepchildren, Sophia and Alex.

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Click on above link to watch full episodes of "Welcome Back, Kotter"

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Actor who played 'Kotter's' Epstein dies

Larry Busacca / Getty Images
Robert Hegyes in 2011

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By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper

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Robert Hegyes, who played Juan Luis Pedro Philippo DeHuevos Epstein on 1970s hit "Welcome Back, Kotter," has died at 60.

The actor died of a heart attack at his New Jersey home on Thursday, Gossip Cop reports.

Hegyes' Epstein was one of the Sweathogs, remedial wisecracking students taught by Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan). His character, a Puerto Rican Jew, was known for constantly attempting to pass off notes he himself would write to try and get out of tests or class, always signing the notes "Epstein's Mother."

Hegyes also appeared on numerous TV shows, including "The Love Boat," "Chico and the Man" and "NewsRadio," and movies including "Bob Roberts" and "Honeymoon Hotel."

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http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/01/robert-hegyes-epstein-of-welco...

ABC...

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By ABC News
Jan 26, 2012 5:51pm
Robert Hegyes, Epstein of ‘Welcome Back Kotter’ Fame, Dead at 60

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Robert “Bobby” Hegyes, best known for playing Juan Epstein on “Welcome Back Kotter,” died in his Metuchen, N.J. home today.

He was 60.

Hegyes’ brother told New Jersey’s Star-Ledger that Hegyes, who also starred on “Cagney and Lacey,” had suffered a heart attack a few years ago and was in poor health.

Police responded to a call for assistance at his home this morning.

They found Hegyes suffering from chest pains; he was taken to a hospital in Edison, N. J., but by the time he reached the emergency room, he went into full cardiac arrest and died, a hospital spokesman told the paper.

Hegyes wrote in a note on his website that he modeled the character of the scheming half-Jewish, half-Puerto Rican Epstein on Chico Marx, noting that all the Marx Brothers were both “intellectuals” and “juvenile delinquents,” adding, “I could definitely relate.”

He continued to act after that show and “Cagney and Lacey,” appearing on “NewsRadio,” “Diagnosis Murder” and “The Drew Carey Show.”

He also appeared in the movie Bob Roberts opposite Tim Robbins, taught acting and wrote screenplays. He, along with almost all the original cast members of Welcome Back Kotter, reunited last year at the TV Land Awards to mark the show’s 35th anniversary.

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PHOTOS: ABC | Getty Images

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http://www.roberthegyes.com/

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Robert Hegyes' official website..

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http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20565095,00.html

People...

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Robert Hegyes, Welcome Back Kotter Star, Dies

Thursday January 26, 2012 06:35 PM EST

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Robert Hegyes, best known as John Travolta's fellow "Sweathog" Juan Epstein on the sitcom Welcome Back Kotter, has died. He was 60

Hegyes died from an apparent heart attack after having chest pains, The Star-Ledger reports. His brother tells the New Jersey paper the actor had suffered a heart attack in the last couple of years and was not well.

Hegyes, who was born in New Jersey, played a wise-cracking Jewish Puerto Rican student with an infectious wide grin. He co-starred in the classic comedy with a young Travolta, who played Vinnie Barbarino.

Hegyes also acted in Cagney and Lacey NewsRadio, Diagnosis Murder and The Drew Carey Show.

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http://www.nj.com/entertainment/celebrities/index.ssf/2012/01/robert_hegyes_juan...

The Star-Ledger (New Jersey)...

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Robert Hegyes, Juan Epstein of 'Welcome Back Kotter' dead at 60

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Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 4:11 PM Updated: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 5:28 PM

Vicki Hyman/The Star-Ledger By Vicki Hyman/The Star-Ledger

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Robert Hegyes, the Jersey-born actor who played Jewish Puerto Rican wheeler-dealer Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein on the 1970s classic "Welcome Back Kotter," died from an apparent heart attack after suffering chest pains at his Metuchen home this morning. He was 60.

Hegyes, who also co-starred on "Cagney and Lacey" and taught occasional master classes at his alma mater, Rowan University, was best known for his work on "Kotter," in which he performed alongside a young John Travolta as one of the tough remedial students known at the Sweathogs. Hegyes and nearly all of the original cast members reunited last year at the TV Land Awards to recognize the show's 35th anniversary.

On his website, Hegyes wrote that he modeled the swaggering, skirt-chasing Epstein after Chico Marx, whom he played in a national touring production of "A Night With Groucho." He was a big fan of the Marx Brothers: "They were immigrant Jews, and I was an immigrant Italian. Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo, and Zeppo were intellectuals ... They all played the piano and took music lessons, and they were all juvenile delinquents; I could definitely relate."

Hegyes had suffered a heart attack a couple of years ago and was not in good health, his brother Mark Hegyes of Montana said. Metuchen police responded to a call for medical assistance from Hegyes' home at 9:02 a.m., and Hegyes, who was experiencing chest pains, was taken to JFK Medical Center in Edison, police said. By the time he arrived at the emergency room at 9:40 a.m., he was in full cardiac arrest and died, according to hospital spokesman Steven Weiss.

Hegyes, whose father was Hungarian-American and whose mother was Italian-American, was born in Perth Amboy and grew up in Metuchen. He was one of the kids equally at home on the gridiron and in the footlights. His nickname: Chico. He wrote that his mother, a big Broadway musical and Frank Sinatra fan, stoked his theatrical ambitions, making him sing along with Ol' Blue Eyes and "incessantly" to "Maria" from "West Side Story."

He graduated from Rowan University (then Glassboro State College) with a bachelor's degree in speech/theater and secondary education -- Rowan spokesman Joe Cardona called him a "great friend" of the school, noting that he sported a Rowan shirt while co-starring as Det. Esposito on "Cagney and Lacey" -- and quickly found work in New York, co-starring Off-Broadway in "Naomi Court" and in the Broadway drama "Don't Call Back." He was then cast as Epstein, a role he played for "Kotter"'s four-season run on ABC.

Following "Kotter" and "Cagney & Lacey," he continued to act on television, mostly in guest-starring roles including "NewsRadio," "Diagnosis Murder" and "The Drew Carey Show," and made occasional films, including "Bob Roberts" with Tim Robbins. He also taught at Brooks College of Long Beach, Calif., and wrote screenplays. Peter Loewy, who runs the Forum Theatre Arts Center in Metuchen, says he planned to work with Hegyes on a one-man show a year or so ago, but Hegyes' health problems -- he needed a hip replacement, among other things -- put it on hold indefinitely. "He was a gentle guy," Loewy remembers. "He had, ironically, a big heart."

Hegyes was retired but still talked about directing and getting more involved in local arts efforts, Mark Hegyes said. "He always had these great schemes," his brother said, "but last week he said I'm not going to do that anymore."

Hegyes leaves behind three siblings, two children, Cassie and Mack, and two step-children, Sophia and Alex.

Visitation will be at Flynn & Son Funeral Home at 23 Ford Ave., Fords, on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The funeral will take place during the evening visiting hours.

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Star-Ledger staff writer Tom Haydon contributed to this report.

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PHOTO:
Last year, Hegyes, second from left, and other cast members of "Welcome Back, Kotter," (from left, Marcia Strassman, Robert Hegyes, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, John Travolta, Ellen Travolta and Gabe Kaplan ) accepted the 35th Anniversary Award at the 9th Annual TV Land Awards.

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