Jerry Orbach

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Jerome Bernard "Jerry" Orbach (born October 20, 1935 in New York City , New York ; † December 28, 2004 there ) was an American actor .

Life

Orbach received his diploma from Northwestern University . He studied with Lee Strasberg and was a member of the Actors Studio . Orbach began his career on Broadway , where he attracted attention in various musical productions. He created the role of El Gallo in The Fantasticks and won two Tony Awards , among others . He has also appeared in the musicals Chicago , 42nd Street , Carnival !, Guys and Dolls , Promises and The Cradle Will Rock .

He made his film debut in the late 1950s, but after that he rarely got beyond supporting roles. However, he played under directors such as Sidney Lumet ( Prince of the City ), Ridley Scott ( The Man in the Background ) and Woody Allen ( Crime and Other Trifles ) . His greatest successes had Orbach in the film Dirty Dancing , in which he played the father of baby 'Houseman, as well as Universal Soldier by Roland Emmerich and as Speaker of the Lumiere in the Walt Disney - Cartoons Beauty and the Beast .

Orbach also became known through television roles. From 1987 to 1988 he played the main role of the private detective of the same name in the television series Harry McGraw . The series was a short-lived spin-off of the series Murder is Her Hobby , in which the character of Harry McGraw had previously appeared. His most successful role was that of detective Lennie Briscoe, which he played from 1992 to 2004 in the crime series Law & Order , which has existed since 1990 . He then had two appearances in the series Law & Order: Trial by Jury , in which he also embodied this role.

Orbach was honored seven times with an Actors Union nomination for best performance in a television series ensemble, and he received three Emmy nominations . At the beginning of December 2004 it was announced that Orbach had been undergoing treatment for prostate cancer since the spring of 2004 . His agent Robert Malcolm said that Orbach had had cancer for ten years. Orbach died on December 28, 2004 in New York.

Orbach was married to Broadway dancer Elaine Cancilla (1940-2009) since 1979 and has two sons from a previous marriage. His son Chris Orbach appeared in the first offshoot of Law & Order , Law & Order: Special Victims Unit , in which he played the nephew of Jerry Orbach's series character Lennie Briscoe.

In September 2007, a section of 53rd Street at 8th Avenue in Manhattan was named Jerry Orbach Way in honor of Jerry Orbach . In June 2007 one of the theaters in the Snapple Theater Center was renamed the Jerry Orbach Theater .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Jerry Orbach  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ broadwayworld.com
personal data
SURNAME Orbach, Jerry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Orbach, Jerome Bernard (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH October 20, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City , New York, United States
DATE OF DEATH December 28, 2004
Place of death New York City , New York, United States