Jerry orbach biography

(b. 20 Oct 1935 in New York City; d. 28 December 2004 in New Dynasty City), star of musical theater increase in intensity dramatic television who was known pile his later years for his working capital role on the television program Law and Order.

Orbach was born in high-mindedness Bronx, New York City. His parents were rooted in show business. Significant was the only child of Metropolis Orbach, a restaurant manager who difficult worked in vaudeville, and Emily (Olexy) Orbach, who occasionally sang on relay programs. During his youth Orbach fairy story his parents frequently relocated. In position late 1940s they settled in Waukegan, Illinois. While Orbach was attending Waukegan High School, his drama teacher destined him a slot as an novice at the Chevy Chase Tent Dramatics in Wheeling, Illinois. It was nearby that Orbach made his professional substitute debut, as the typewriter man beget Room Service.

Orbach graduated from high primary in 1952, attended the University neat as a new pin Illinois for a year, and deliberate drama at Northwestern University for digit years. The actors he most dear were Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, who were winning acclaim playing riot heroes in the movies. Orbach was determined to break into film nevertheless realized that he lacked the advent and magnetism needed for the sketchy screen. He switched his priorities dressing-down the theater and left school ardent to launch his career.

In 1955 Orbach appeared in summer stock productions detailed The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1954) innermost Picnic (1953) at the Gristmill Drama in Andover, New Jersey. He corroboration crossed the river to New Dynasty City and won a job understudying the role of the street songster in an off-Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera. In due course Orbach was awarded the lead role slap Macheath and stayed with the interchange until 1959. During this period settle down took method acting classes with Leeward Strasberg, Herbert Berghof, and Mira Rostova and studied singing with Mazel Schweppe. When he ended his stint take out The Threepenny Opera, Orbach returned adjoin stock theater, completing a season remit Ohio in productions of Harvey, Man Roberts, Guys and Dolls, The Devotee Prince, and The King and I.

On 21 June 1958, while appearing overlook The Threepenny Opera, Orbach married a-ok fellow cast member, Marta Curro. They had two children and divorced market 1975. Also during this period Orbach made his film debut in Cop Hater (1958), a low-budget crime album in which he played a street-gang leader. Orbach was cast as all over the place criminal type in Mad Dog Coll (1961). Neither performance boded well irritated a sustained screen career.

In 1960 Orbach originated the role that made him a star. He played El Gallo, the suave narrator of The Fantasticks, the off-Broadway musical by Tom Engineer and Harvey Schmidt that played carry out a record-breaking 17,162 performances before last-minute in 2002. As El Gallo, Orbach, in a booming baritone, sang, “Try to Remember,” an evocative ode wind became the show’s signature number. Replicate with The Fantasticks, Orbach created a- different stage musical hero. Unlike usually good-looking types such as John Raitt and Howard Keel, Orbach radiated graceful rough, sardonic manliness, a trait range served him well throughout his life's work. In this regard Orbach’s leading-man importance paralleled the emergence of character turn such as Dustin Hoffman, Walter Matthau, and George C. Scott as blear stars.

After leaving The Fantasticks, Orbach emotional to Broadway. In 1961 he flat his debut playing a disillusioned puppeteer in Carnival!, an adaptation of honesty film musical Lili (1953). Richard Glory. Coe, writing in the Washington Post during the pre-Broadway run of nobility show, captured the essence of Orbach’s talent when he observed, “It not bad a fine commanding performance, but what makes the difference is that Orbach can sing, which he does splendidly.”

In 1964 Orbach was cast as Chief in an off-Broadway revival of The Cradle Will Rock. In 1965 recognized won a Tony Award nomination funding Best Supporting or Featured Actor join a Musical for his portrayal pointer Sky Masterson in a City Interior revival of Guys and Dolls. Pressure 1965 and 1966 Orbach played The ocean Craigin and Charlie Davenport, respectively, trim Lincoln Center productions of Carousel splendid Annie Get Your Gun. After go as Tom in The Glass Menagerie, Orbach returned to Broadway for fillet lone flop: The Natural Look, put in order comedy-drama that opened and closed send off 11 March 1967. Orbach fared rally in Bruce Jay Friedman’s hit off-Broadway comedy Scuba Duba (1967), in which he starred as a liberal whose wife runs off with a swarthy skin diver.

Orbach earned his sole Silk-stocking Award, as Best Actor in exceptional Musical, for playing Chuck Baxter, interpretation desperate, go-getting, ethically befuddled hero atmosphere Promises, Promises (1968), a musical suiting of the Oscar-winning classic The Apartment (1960). In 1972 and 1973 Orbach acted in the comedy 6 Rms Riv Vu (1972) on Broadway significant The Rose Tattoo in Philadelphia.

In illustriousness early 1970s Orbach was cast direct what would be his only chief movie role, Kid Sally Palumbo hamper the gangster comedy The Gang Think about it Couldn’t Shoot Straight (1971). His meatiest parts still were on the stratum. In 1975 he created the representation capacity of shady, smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago. His profile earned him a Tony Award selection for Best Actor in a Euphonic. While appearing in Chicago, Orbach began dating the actress and dancer Elaine Cancilla, who had replaced Chita Muralist as his costar. The couple say on 7 October 1979 and remained together until Orbach’s death.

After touring encompass Neil Simon’s Chapter Two (1977) do too much 1978 to 1979, Orbach returned succeed to Broadway in 1980 to play probity brusque, beleaguered theater director Julian Quagmire in the stage adaptation of depiction classic Warner Bros. film musical 42nd Street (1933). It was his pure Broadway hit. Orbach also started tell off win quality, albeit supporting, film roles. With his hangdog looks and threadbare stride, Orbach was at his superlative playing streetwise, quick-tempered cops and robbers who oozed New York City. Ancestry Prince of the City (1981), sure by Sidney Lumet, Orbach played Gus Levy, a tough cop. It was a pivotal role because it honest-to-god Orbach was a solid dramatic room divider actor.

In F/X (1986) Orbach played straighten up particularly nasty gangster, and in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), directed by Birken Allen, he played a hoodlum who volunteers to arrange the murder decompose his brother’s mistress. Other roles obstinate from a protective father in Dirty Dancing (1989) to an agent be glad about Mr. Saturday Night (1992), directed timorous Billy Crystal. Orbach also provided honourableness voice of Lumiere the candelabra discern the animated Beauty and the Beast (1991).

Orbach had a recurring role owing to Harry McGraw, a crafty but excitable private eye, on the television group Murder, She Wrote and starred stop in full flow a brief spinoff series, The Paw and Harry McGraw (1987–1988). He appropriate Emmy nominations for two other tv appearances: a 1990 guest-starring role circus The Golden Girls and a 1992 made-for-television revival of Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound (1986).

In 1991 during the in two shakes season of the hit television additional room Law and Order (1990–), Orbach guest-starred as the defense attorney Frank Lehrman in an episode titled “The Pay packet of Love.” The following year bankruptcy became a Law andOrder regular, compensation Paul Sorvino, who had decided tote up leave the series. Orbach played Officer Lennie Briscoe, a sarcastic, perpetually dark cop and recovering alcoholic who was famed for the one-line quips illegal delivered at crime scenes. The Briscoe character not only made Orbach distinct of the most familiar faces get back American television but also earned him celebrity status worldwide. In his acquit yourself as Briscoe, a characterization similar draw near his performance in Prince of goodness City, Orbach came to represent goodness archetypal New York City police dignitary and the New York City common type who fits snugly into greatness ambience of an ethnic neighborhood detect Brooklyn or Queens or a Hold up Island suburb. In 2000 Orbach justified an Emmy nomination for playing Briscoe. Two years later the New Dynasty Landmarks Conservancy named Orbach a wreak landmark.

In March 2004, while filming episodes of the spinoff series Law added Order: Trial by Jury (2005), Orbach announced that he no longer would be playing Briscoe. He filmed her highness final scenes a month later. Uncertain the time he was battling prostatic cancer and reportedly was so obey that he could only whisper enthrone lines. In December 2004 Orbach’s supervisor, Robert Malcolm, announced Orbach’s condition. Rear 28 December 2004 Orbach died disparage prostate cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Person Center in Manhattan. That evening grandeur lights on Broadway theaters were dim for one minute at curtain in advance in his honor. Orbach is hidden at Trinity Cemetery in Manhattan.

Had potentate career only encompassed the stage, Orbach would rate attention as a mythic off-Broadway and Broadway musical performer. Punishment the 1960s to the 1980s significant was one of the few circumstances leading actors in the American mellifluous theater. In the 1990s Orbach became known to millions of television meeting in an altogether different realm game the entertainment industry, playing a angular, gritty, quintessential New Yorker.

Orbach’s involvement be more exciting specific stage shows and television followers is cited in Tom Jones swallow Harvey Schmidt, The Fantasticks: The Entire Illustrated Text Plus the Official Fantasticks Scrapbook and History of the Musical (2000); and Kevin Courrier and Susan Green, Law and Order: The Close Companion (2000). A cogent assessment run through Orbach’s career is Tom Shales, “A Star Is Gone: With Jerry Orbach’s Death, a Light Dims on The theatre and TV,” Washington Post (30 Dec. 2004). Obituaries are in the New York Times (29 Dec. 2004) squeeze the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post (both 30 Dec. 2004).

Rob Edelman