Actor From TNT Show and Other Productions Dead at 73: RIP to Joseph Ziegler

Actor Joseph Ziegler has died.

The Grid actor passed away on July 28, as shared in his obituary from Humphrey Funeral Home. He was 73.

Ziegler was born on Nov. 7, 1953, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He earned a BA in theatre from the University of Minnesota and later studied at the National Theatre School of Canada, graduating in 1979. After graduation, he moved to Toronto, where he built a stage career, performing all over Canada. In 1998, Ziegler co-founded Soulpepper Theatre Company.

He made his on-screen debut in the series Empire, Inc. in 1983, appearing in six episodes as Larry. Other credits include Twelfth Night, Street Legal, Oh, What a Night, To Save the Children, The Circle Game, and Due South. In 1996, Ziegler landed the role of Len Hubbard in the CBC television series Black Harbour, which ran for three seasons until 1999.

After Black Harbour came to an end, Ziegler went on to appear in Tribulation, Focus, Leap Years, Blue Murder, The Matthew Shepard Story, and Tom Stone until the TNT and BBC Two miniseries The Grid came along in 2004, in which he starred as Mark Carrier. He can also be seen in Open Heart, Our Fathers, Timon of Athens, and Nurses. Ziegler’s final role came in 2021 with a single-episode appearance in Murdoch Mysteries.

Stratford Festival, a theatre company in Canada, confirmed Ziegler’s death on Facebook in a lengthy message. They said that Ziegler’s career, which included directing performances, “involved many artists and many companies over four decades, and we treasure the time he spent with us. He had an enormous heart, which he shared willingly with those around him – as willingly as he shared a great story.”

On stage, Joseph Ziegler was often paired with his wife, actress Nancy Palk, including in Death of a Salesman, Long Day’s Journey into Night, and A Tender Thing. In 2008, he earned Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Best Leading Actor in General Theatre for The Time of Your Life and the same award for Death of a Salesman in 2011. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Nancy Palk, his son Henry (Heather Moher), his son Charles (Jennifer Williamson), and his son Timothy (Karen Slater), his four grandchildren Macey, Matthew, Lily, and Oliver, and a number of nieces and nephews.