Marcia Lewis

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Marcia Lewis (born August 8, 1938 in Melrose , Massachusetts , † December 21, 2010 in Brentwood , Tennessee ) was an American actress and singer .

Life

Lewis was born to Edwin Parker and his wife Bernice (Lamb) Lewis. She grew up in Cincinnati , Ohio, USA . In 1959 she earned a degree as a nurse ( Registered Nurse ) at the Jewish Hospital School of Nursing in Cincinnati. As a nurse, she worked at The University of Cincinnati Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City .

Lewis made her Broadway debut in the 1969-1970 season when she appeared in the musical Hello, Dolly! took over the role of Ernestina; her partners were Phyllis Diller and Richard Deacon . She had other appearances on Broadway as Miss Hannigan in the musical Annie (1981-1983), as Rachel Halpern in the short-lived musical Rags at the side of Teresa Stratas (1986) and 1990/1991 as wife Golde in the revival of Anatevka , in the Topol was her partner. In other productions she also played the gold alongside Theodore Bikel and Nehemiah Persoff .

Further Broadway successes were, in particular, her roles as a young English teacher and school principal Miss Lynch in the musical Grease (1994-1998) and from November 1996 as Mama Morton in the Broadway revival of the musical Chicago . In the latter musical she excelled in particular with the song When You're Good to Mama , in which she explained the rules of the women's prison to the inmates, and in the duet Class , in which she and the murderer Velma Kelly complained about the vulgarity of the world. She last appeared in this role on Broadway in 2006. She also played the role of Miss Schneider in the musical Cabaret, among others in a touring production with Joel Gray .

In addition to her musical roles, Lewis also took on several dramatic roles in spoken theater, including the 1969 Lorene in the comedy The Time of Your Life by William Saroyan , 1989 the suspicious nurse Miss Porter in Orpheus descends from Tennessee Williams (at the side of Vanessa Redgrave ) as well as roles in several off-Broadway productions.

Lewis received two Tony Award nominations , each in the "Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical" category for her roles in the musicals Grease and Chicago . She was also nominated twice for the Drama Desk Award , in the category “Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical” for her roles in Chicago and Rags .

As a singer, Lewis has also appeared in various cabarets and clubs in Manhattan , including Rainbow & Stars , Upstairs at the Duplex , Upstairs at the Downstairs , Grande Finale , Reno Sweeney’s , Freddy's Eighty-Eights , Town Hall , The Village Gate and im Russian Tea Room . With a one-woman show, she also gave a concert at Carnegie Hall . She also released a solo CD by Marcia Lewis Nowadays .

Since the 1970s, Lewis also took on a few film and television roles, mostly in television films and series , including Rich and Poor , Baretta , Who's Watching the Kids, and Goodtime Girls .

Private

Lewis was married twice. In 1966 she married Richard Alan Woody; the marriage was divorced in 1990. Lewis was married to financial advisor Fred D. Bryan since June 2001 . Lewis suffered from lung cancer and brain cancer. She died at her home in Brentwood, a suburb of Nashville .

Filmography (selection)

  • 1974: Diamond Quartet ( The Great Ice Rip-Off )
  • 1976: rich and poor ( Rich Man, Poor Man )
  • 1976: Baretta
  • 1976: The Bionic Woman ( The Bionic Woman )
  • 1978–1979: Who's Watching the Kids
  • 1980: Goodtime Girls
  • 1983: Mrs. Lynch ( Night Warning )
  • 1984: The Ice Pirates ( The Ice Pirates )
  • 1990: Orpheus descends ( Orpheus Descending )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Marcia Lewis Biography (1938-) Biography and list of roles at Filmreference.com
  2. ^ Marcia Lewis biography on the Official Website
  3. ↑ a b c d Marcia Lewis, Belting Star of Grease! and Chicago, Dies at 72 Playbill obituary dated December 21, 2010
  4. ↑ a b c Two-Time Tony Award Nominee Marcia Lewis Dies at 72 Obituary Broadway.com dated December 21, 2010
  5. ↑ Cabaret listings , Official Website
personal data
SURNAME Lewis, Marcia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lewis Bryan, Marcia (married name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH August 8, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Melrose , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH December 21, 2010
Place of death Brentwood , Tennessee