Jerry Orbach-RIP

[mmk]

I just read that Jerry Orbach passed away udergoing prostate cancer treatment. He was 69 years old. I was shocked to read that. I know he left Law and Order but he was supposed to be on the 4th spinoff of the show that is starting this March. To me he was a very understated, yet very accomplished actor, having been a success in the theatre world, television and movies. He is an actor who will be missed.

[taylorky]

damn...that is sad ...he was one of my favorite actors :-(

[noviceny]

Im watching right now on Law and Order...great actor RIP

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

RIP Jerry Orbach... The best damned Billy Flynn that Chicago The Musical ever saw

 

 

Warmest,

 

 

 

Benjamin Nicholas

[Guest LatinoRican]

>I just read that Jerry Orbach passed away udergoing prostate

>cancer treatment. He was 69 years old. I was shocked to read

>that. I know he left Law and Order but he was supposed to be

>on the 4th spinoff of the show that is starting this March.

>To me he was a very understated, yet very accomplished actor,

>having been a success in the theatre world, television and

>movies. He is an actor who will be missed.

 

 

Just a few lines to say that I agree with you 100%. He was one of

my favorite characters on Law and Order as detective 'Lennie Briscoe'. His one-liners were his trademark on that series and

would make me laugh every time. May he rest in peace.

[Tall Texn]

He was a delight to watch over the years. Although I never saw him in "The Fantasticks" I came to love the recording. Then, I had the pleasure to see him in the wonderful Burt Bacharach musical, "Promises, Promises." A treat to watch from the second row!

I had a six month wait to get tickets, but well worth the wait!

He will be missed.

[jackhammer91406]

This man was always high on the list of people I admired.

Having played El Gallo in road company productions, I had a great familiarity with his terrific singing voice.

I was fortunate to see him in 42nd Street the week it opened in New York (just a few days after Gower Champion died). Jerry was great in the show (as he was in everything he did).

He was one of a kind and will be sorely missed.

[+ Charlie]

I saw him first in "The Fantastiks" when I was in high school (yeah, I'm that old), and in I don't know how many other roles over the years. His versatility was remarkable.

[Guest Mikel]

I also saw him when he opened in 42nd Street. I agree, he was great. His talent and demeanor will be missed.

[Guest Dan]

A great performance in Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors.

 

Dan Dare

http://male4malescorts.com/reviews/dandarela.html

[Lankypeters]

The man had a great track record on Broadway. From the bios I've seen, he had only one flop, a one-nighter that also featured Doris Roberts. Can't think of the title, but it's listed in some of the obits (see http://www.ibdb.com for his credits). He surely did survive this particular fiasco. He was wonderful in "Promises, Promises," a peak in his career. He was also delightful as Jigger in a Lincoln Center revival of "Carousel," an enchanted production that starred John Raitt. An actor friend who worked with Orbach says the man was as great a guy as he seemed.

 

A story made the rounds that while Orbach appeared in "Annie Get Your Gun" with Ethel Merman he was taking some acting clases. One night during performance, he started reacting to the Merm's lines. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she blasted when they were offstage. "I was reacting," Orbach said. "I DON'T REACT WHEN YOU SAY YOUR LINES, YOU DON'T REACT WHEN I SAY MINE!!!" she said.

 

How sad, how sad. The first big one from my generation to go. And few others, if any, waiting in the wings to take his place -- as if they still wrote the kind of wonderful shows in which Orbach performed.

 

Lankypeters:-(

[Guest rohale]

I was definitely taken aback by the news of his passing. The news caught me by suprise. It makes me think about prostate cancer. It's a crippling disease. Unforunately his life has been taken away from his family.

 

Jerry Orbach had a marvelous career. From stage to the small screen, he was on the most enduring actors of his generation. He's irreplacable and he'll be missed by many. I think it's fair to say that for most people, he will always be identified and remembered from his wonderful portrayal of Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order.

 

I will always remember him from one interview that was conducted with Mr Orbach, maybe four years ago now. He was talking about acting jobs. He said that he had been working since he was a teenager. He was always constantly worried as to where the next job will come from. If I'm not mistaken, he was asked about what Law & Order has done for his career. He said something along the lines of being able to take the summer off and just relax and travel. He brought up the point of having job security and knowing that another season had been booked and he was financially sound.

 

He always seemed very humbled. He didn't roll with the punches. He didn't have a bone to pick with anybody. In interviews, he never made any hostile or negative remarks of his co-workers in his 50 plus year career in show business. Jesse L. Martin described Mr Orbach as an actor who very much cared for his craft and gave 100% of his energy in giving his best on screen. To me that speaks volumes how much respect he earned amongst his peers.

 

It's a shame he died at the young age of 69. My heart goes out to his family. They're the ones who will bear the burden of this terrible loss.

 

Rohale

[Guest enufalready]

>I saw him first in "The Fantastiks" when I was in high school

>(yeah, I'm that old), and in I don't know how many other roles

>over the years. His versatility was remarkable.

 

A couple of years before The Fantastics, he took over the role of MacHeath in Brecht's "Threepenny Opera". It was my first experience of non-traditional, non-Broadway theater, and is still as vivid in my mind as the day I saw it. It remains a highlight of a very long and diverse life of theatre going.(I of course am NOT that old, being just barely out of the womb!) :)

 

There could be no more completely opposite characters than El Gallo and MacHeath. Sunny optimist, sardonic cynic. Even that early in his career, more than 40 years ago, his range and depth were remarkable.

 

He was also one of those rare actors who was both liked and respected by all. I've never heard a single negative comment about him. He was not famous, never a celebrity. He was instead an accomplished professional who earned every accolade, and the respect and affection of his colleagues.

 

In that trite phrase, he was an actor's actor, a complete professional who brought enthusiasm and intelligence to every role.

 

We are all diminished by his absence from our screens...