Nat Ginzburg
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Nat Ginzburg aka "Natalie" is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz, played by Charles Busch.
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[edit] Character overview
A homosexual, HIV-positive inmate, Ginzburg is isolated from the general population in Unit E, the AIDS ward. After killing Italian inmate Antonio Nappa on orders of Chucky Pancamo, he pleads guilty to murder, attempting to die at the hands of the State before he dies of AIDS. He nevertheless succumbs to AIDS complications before he can be executed.
[edit] Season 3
Ginzburg appears in the AIDS ward as Antonio Nappa's cellmate. When introducing himself, he finds Nappa to be homophobic and then states that his nickname "Nat" is short for Natalie, not Nathaniel. Ginzburg agrees to be Nappa's secretary and help him write his memoirs. Ginzburg alerts the other gay inmates in Emerald City that Nappa is writing a "tell-all" about his experience in the Mafia, and word quickly spreads to the Italians. The Italians, now led by Chucky Pancamo, are in danger of having the entire mob brought down by Nappa's memoirs. Pancamo orders Nappa executed.
Ginzburg learns of the death sentence on Nappa's head, but does not tell him, waiting for him to finish the memoirs and offering to mail them out after going to the hospital. In the hospital, Ginzburg gives the memoirs to another gay inmate, and confirms the publication to Pancamo, who then pays the gays to murder Nappa. That night, Ginzburg celebrates the book with Nappa, making him dinner — and then killing him. Ginzburg pleads guilty to murder as a means of dying at the hands of the state instead of HIV.
[edit] Season 4
Ginzburg is moved to death row, where he occupies Shirley Bellinger's old cell alongside Moses Deyell and Mark Miles. When Bellinger returns to death row, she offers Ginzburg sex in return for the old cell, but he turns her down. Ginzburg's condition on death row deteriorates and he then asks Sister Peter Marie to help move up the execution date. He is later seen crying when Bellinger is finally executed.
Despite Sister Pete's opposition to the death penalty, she agrees to help, as she feels in this case that ending Ginzburg's life would be an act of mercy. The night before he is to be executed, Ginzburg dresses up like Susan Hayward in celebration. The morning of his execution, however, he succumbs to HIV complications.
