Alfred Drake

Alfred Drake
Drake photographed by Carl Van Vechten in 1951
Born	Alfred Capurro (1914-10-07)October 7, 1914 New York City, U.S.
Died	July 25, 1992(1992-07-25) (aged 77) New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor, singer
Spouse(s)	Alma Tollefsen (m. 19??; div. 19??) Esther Harvey Brown ​ ​ (m. 1944)​
Children	2

Alfred Drake (October 7, 1914 – July 25, 1992) was an American actor and singer.

Biography

Born as Alfred Capurro in New York City, the son of parents emigrated from Recco, Genoa, Drake began his Broadway career while still a student at Brooklyn College. He is best known for his leading roles in the original Broadway productions of Oklahoma!; Kiss Me, Kate; Kismet; and for playing Marshall Blackstone in the original production of Babes in Arms, (in which he sang the title song) and Hajj in Kismet, for which he received the Tony Award. He was also a prolific Shakespearean, notably starring as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing opposite Katharine Hepburn.

Drake was mostly a stage and television actor; he starred in only one film, Tars and Spars (1946), but played several roles on television, including providing the voice for the Great Ak in the Rankin-Bass stop-motion animated adaptation of the L. Frank Baum novel The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. He appeared in a minor film role as president of the stock exchange in the classic comedy Trading Places (1983), with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd. His first musical television appearance was as Captain Dick Warrington in the January 15, 1955 live telecast of the operetta Naughty Marietta. His 1964 stage performance as Claudius in the Richard Burton Hamlet was filmed live on the stage of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, using a "quickie" process called Electronovision, and shown in movie theatres in a very limited engagement. It was also recorded on LP. His final stage appearance in a musical was in 1973 as Honore LaChaisse in Lerner and Loewe's Gigi. Two years later he starred in a revival of The Skin of Our Teeth.

As a director he staged the 1974 premiere of The Royal Rape of Ruari Macasmunde at the Virginia Museum Theater. He was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981.

He was also a published author - writing at least a few plays: Dr. Willy Nilly, an adaptation of Molière's The Doctor in Spite of Himself, an adaptation of Goldoni's The Liar, and even at least one book on cards (specifically Gin Rummy).

Death

Alfred Drake died of heart failure, after a long fight with cancer, in New York City at the age of 77.

Family life

Alfred Drake is survived by his wife Esther, his two daughters Candace Olmsted and Samantha Drake, and two grandchildren.

Theatre credits

• The Gondoliers (1935)
• The Yeomen of the Guard (1935)
• The Pirates of Penzance (1935)
• The Mikado (1935)
• White Horse Inn (1936)
• Babes in Arms (1937)
• The Two Bouquets (1938)
• One for the Money (1939)
• The Straw Hat Revue (1939)
• Two for the Show (1940)
• Out Of The Frying Pan (1941)
• As You Like It (1941)
• Oklahoma! (1943)
• Sing Out, Sweet Land (1944)
• Beggar's Holiday (1946)
• The Cradle Will Rock (1947)
• Kiss Me, Kate (1948)
• Joy to the World (1948)
• The Liar (1950)
• Courtin' Time (1951) - rare outing as a director
• The King and I (1952)
• The Gambler (1952)
• Kismet (1953)
• Marco Polo (1954)
• Kean (1961)
• Zenda (1963)
• Lorenzo (1963)
• Hamlet (1964), directed by Sir John Gielgud, with Richard Burton as co-star
• Those That Play the Clowns (1966)
• Song of the Grasshopper (1967)
• Gigi (1973)
• The Royal Rape of Ruari Macasmunde (1974) directed by Drake at the Virginia Museum Theater with Keith Fowler as Sir Roger Casement
• The Skin of Our Teeth (1975)
• Gambler's Paradise (1975)

Radio

• Musical Comedy Theatre (1952) ("The Barkleys of Broadway")

External links

• Alfred Drake at the Internet Broadway Database
• Alfred Drake at IMDb
• Alfred Drake — Broadway — The American Musical — Stars over Broadway
• Alfred Drake — Overview — AllMovie
• Alfred Drake — Britannica Online Encyclopedia
• Alfred Drake performing in "Oklahoma!" on Broadway in 1943
• Alfred Drake and others — Who's Who in Musicals
• Alfred Drake Obituary — The New York Times
• Alfred Drake Obituary — The Independent, U.K.