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Byrne Piven
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Miami Vice Character
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Hector Sandoval ("Free Verse")
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Born
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September 24, 1929, Scranton, Pennsylvania
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Died
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February 18, 2002, Evanston, Illinois (age 72, lung cancer)
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Active
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1970-2002
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Spouse/Children
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Joyce Hiller Piven (1954-2002, his death), two children
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Byrne Piven (September 24, 1929 - February 18, 2002) was an American actor, director, and founder of the Chicago-based Playwrights Theatre Club, who appeared in the show Miami Vice as Hector Sandoval, a recently released political prisoner from Central America visiting Miami before his Congressional testimony regarding the conditions in his country in the episode "Free Verse".
Career[]
Piven was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1954 Piven moved to Chicago where he met Joyce Hiller, and they co-founded the Playwrights Theater Club, which later became The Second City, and among its' many successful alumni include Rosanna Arquette, Joan, Ann, and John Cusack, and Aidan Quinn. He made his film debut in the 1965 movie The Double-Barrelled Detective Story, followed by 1985's Creator, 1991's Pyrates (with Kyra Sedgwick), 1994's Miracle on 34th Street (with James Remar), and his final film, 2001's Madison.
His TV career included playing the riverboat captain in the 1970s Uncle Ben Rice commercials, as well as appearances in the 1978 mini-series The Awakening, the TV movies Chicago Story (with Jack Kehoe), Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy, and his final TV appearance, 2000's Shadow of the Blair Witch. Episodic appearances include The A-Team, Magnum P.I., Quantum Leap (with Dean Stockwell), Home Improvement, and Early Edition.
Personal Life/Death[]
Piven & Joyce Hiller were married in 1954, and remained married until his death from lung cancer on February 18, 2002. They had two children: Jeremy (born 1965), who has a successful acting career, appearing in the TV series' Ellen and Entourage, and Shira, who wrote, produced, and directed the 2010 movie Fully Loaded.