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Jerry Orbach

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Jerry Orbach
Orbach in a 1965 publicity photo
Born
Jerome Bernard Orbach

(1935-10-20)October 20, 1935
New York City,U.S.
DiedDecember 28, 2004(2004-12-28)(aged 69)
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeTrinity Church Cemeteryand Mausoleum, Manhattan
EducationWaukegan High School
Alma materUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Northwestern University
Actors Studio
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active1955–2004
Spouses
  • Marta Curro
    ​
    ​
    (m.1958;div.1975)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m.1979)​
Children2

Jerome Bernard Orbach(October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the lastbona fideleading men of theBroadwaymusical and global celebrity on television "[1]and a "versatile stage and film actor".[2]

Orbach's professional career began on theNew Yorkstage, both on andoff-Broadway,where he created roles such as El Gallo in the originaloff-Broadwayrun ofThe Fantasticks(1960) and became the first performer to sing that show's standard "Try to Remember",[3]Billy Flynnin the originalChicago(1975–1977), and Julian Marsh in42nd Street(1980–1985). Nominated for multipleTony Awards,Orbach won for his performance as Chuck Baxter inPromises, Promises(1968–1972).[4]

Later in his career, Orbach played supporting roles in films such asPrince of the City(1981),Dirty Dancing(1987),Crimes and Misdemeanors(1989), and, as a voice actor,Disney'sBeauty and the Beast(1991).[3]He also made frequent guest appearances on television, including a recurring role onMurder, She Wroteas private detective Harry McGraw between 1985 and 1991, and was the voice of Zachary Foxx inThe Adventures of the Galaxy Rangersin 1986. He gained worldwide fame for starring asNYPDDetectiveLennie Briscoeon the originalLaw & Orderseries from 1992 to 2004.[5]

Early life[edit]

Orbach was born on October 20, 1935, inthe Bronx,the only child of Emily Orbach (née Olexy), a greeting card manufacturer and radio singer, and Leon Orbach, a restaurant manager andvaudevilleperformer. His father was aJewishimmigrant fromHamburg,Germany.Orbach said his father was descended fromSephardic Jewishrefugees from theSpanish Inquisition.[6]His mother, a native of Luzerne County,Pennsylvania,was aRoman CatholicofPolish-Lithuaniandescent, and Orbach was raised in her faith (a religious background later replicated in his character onLaw & Order).[7][8][9]The Orbach family moved frequently during his childhood, living inMount Vernon, New York;Wilkes-Barre,Nanticoke,andScranton, Pennsylvania;Springfield, Massachusetts;andWaukegan, Illinois.Orbach attendedWaukegan High Schooland graduated in 1952 (having skipped two grades in elementary school due to his highIQof 163[3]).[10][1]He played on thefootballteam and began learning acting in a speech class.[11]

The summer after graduating from high school, Orbach worked at the theatre of Chevy Chase Country Club ofWheeling, Illinois,and enrolled at theUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaignin the fall. In 1953, Orbach returned to the Chicago area and enrolled atNorthwestern University.Orbach left Northwestern before his senior year and moved toNew York Cityin 1955 to pursue acting and to study at theActors Studio,where one of his instructors was the studio's founder,Lee Strasberg.[11]

Career[edit]

Orbach asBilly Flynnin the original 1975Broadwayproduction ofChicago,with M. O'Haughey as Mary Sunshine.

Orbach would go on to become an accomplishedBroadwayandoff-Broadwayactor. His first major role was El Gallo in the original 1960 cast of the decades-running hitThe Fantasticks,and Orbach became the first to perform the show's signature song and pop standard "Try To Remember".[12]He also starred inThe Threepenny Opera;Carnival!,the musical version of the movieLili(his Broadway debut); in revivals ofAnnie Get Your GunandGuys and Dolls(as Sky Masterson, receiving aTony Awardnomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical);Promises, Promises(as Chuck Baxter, winning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical); the original productions ofChicago(asBilly Flynn,receiving another Tony Award nomination);42nd Street;and a revival ofThe Cradle Will Rock.Orbach made occasional film and TV appearances into the 1970s and appeared as a celebrity panelist on bothWhat's My Line?andSuper Password.

In the 1980s, Orbach shifted to film and TV work full-time. Prominent roles included tough, corrupt NYPD narcotics detective Gus Levy inSidney Lumet'sPrince of the City;he was the 1981 runner-up for theNSFCBest Supporting Actor award. He also portrayed gangsters in both the action-thrillerF/Xand theWoody AllendramaCrimes and Misdemeanors(the latter of which also featured his futureLaw & Orderco-starSam Waterston). In 1985, Orbach became a regular guest star onMurder, She Wroteas private detective Harry McGraw, which led to him starring in the short-lived spin-off seriesThe Law & Harry McGraw.In 1987, he was featured in the hit filmDirty Dancingas Dr. Jake Houseman, the father ofJennifer Grey's character "Baby". He made further TV appearances on popular shows such asThe Golden Girls(for which he received his firstEmmynomination[3]), andWho's the Boss?.

In 1991, Orbach starred inSteven Seagal's action filmOut for Justiceas police captain Ronnie Donziger, and starred inDisney'sOscar-winning animated musicalBeauty and the Beastas thevoice(both singing and speaking) of the French-accentedcandelabrumLumière, which he played "halfway betweenMaurice ChevalierandPepé Le Pew".[3]At the64th Academy Awards,Orbach performed a live-action stage rendition of the Oscar-nominated song, "Be Our Guest",that he sang inBeauty and the Beast.[13][14]He later reprised his voice role of Lumière for the film's direct-to-video sequels, multiple episodes ofHouse of Mouse,and the previously-deleted song ( "Human Again") that was added to theBeauty and the Beast2002IMAXre-release.[15][16]

In 1992, Orbach joined the main cast ofLaw & Orderduring its third season as the world-weary, wisecracking NYPD homicide detectiveLennie Briscoe.He had previously guest-starred as a defense attorney on the series, and was subsequently cast as the new "senior detective" followingPaul Sorvino's departure.[5]Orbach's portrayal of Briscoe was based on his similar role fromPrince of the Cityyears before, whichLaw & OrdercreatorDick Wolfhad personally suggested to him at the time of his casting.[3]Orbach starred onLaw & Orderfor11+1⁄2seasons, ultimately becoming the third longest-serving main cast member (behindS. Epatha MerkersonandSam Waterston) in the show's 20-year-run history, as well as one of its most popular.[17]During Orbach's tenure onLaw & Order,the series won the 1997Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Seriesamong other accolades, made multiple crossover episodes with fellowNBCseriesHomicide: Life on the Street,and spawned a franchise that included the TV filmExiled: A Law & Order Movie,the spin-off seriesLaw & Order: Special Victims UnitandLaw & Order: Criminal Intent(both of which featured Orbach in guest appearances), and three video games. Orbach himself was nominated for a 2000Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series(losing toJames GandolfiniforThe Sopranos).TV Guidenamed Lennie Briscoe one of their top-25 greatest television detectives of all time.[18]

Also during his time onLaw & Order,Orbach provided the voice of the main antagonistSa'lukin the 1996 direct-to-video filmAladdin and the King of Thieves,and co-starred withAl Pacinoin theindependent filmChinese Coffee,which was filmed in the summer of 1997 and released three years later.[3]

Personal life[edit]

Orbach was married in 1958 to Marta Curro, with whom he had two sons, Anthony Nicholas and Christopher Benjamin.[1]Theydivorcedin 1975.[1]Elder son Tony is a construction manager and an accomplishedcrossword puzzleconstructor who has published more than 25 puzzles inThe New York Times.[19]Younger son Chris Orbach is an actor and a singer; he played Lennie Briscoe's nephew Ken Briscoe during the first season ofSpecial Victims Unit.

In 1979, Jerry Orbach married Broadway dancerElaine Cancilla,whom he met while starring inChicago.[20][21]

Orbach lived in a high-rise on53rd StreetoffEighth AvenueinHell's Kitchenand was a fixture in that neighborhood's restaurants and shops.[1]His glossy publicity photo hangs in Ms. Buffy's French Cleaners, and he was a regular at some of the Italian restaurants nearby. As of 2007, the intersection of 8th Avenue and 53rd Street was renamed in honor of Orbach. The plans met with some resistance by local planning boards but were overcome thanks to his popularity and his love of theBig Apple.[22]

Illness and death[edit]

In January 1994, less than two years into his stint onLaw & Order,Orbach was diagnosed withprostate cancer.[3]He was treated withradiation therapy,but by December 1994, the cancer had returned andmetastasized.At that point, he went onhormone therapy,on which he remained over the next decade while he continued to star onLaw & Order.[3]After he left the series at the end of the2003–04 season,Orbach underwentchemotherapy,but he ultimately succumbed to his cancer on December 28, 2004, at theMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centerin New York at age 69.[2]Orbach's decade-long illness was not revealed to the general public until just weeks before he died.[23]Orbach was signed to continue in the role of Lennie Briscoe on the new spin-offLaw & Order: Trial by Jury,which gave him a lighter schedule than the original series, but he was only featured in the first two episodes, both of which aired after his death.[3]

The day after Orbach's death, the marquees on Broadway were dimmed in mourning, one of the highest honors of the American theatre world,[3]while NBC re-aired theLaw & Orderepisode "C.O.D."(the last episode of the original series to feature Orbach) in honor of him. TheCriminal Intentepisode "View from Up Here" and theTrial by Juryepisode "Baby Boom"[3]were dedicated to Orbach, and theLaw & Orderepisode "Mammon" featured a pictorial memorial of him.

In addition to his sons, wife, and former wife, Orbach was survived by his mother and two grandchildren, Peter and Sarah Kate Orbach, children of his older son Tony. His mother died on July 28, 2012, at the age of 101.[24]His wife Elaine died in 2009 at age 69, and his former wife Marta died in 2012 at age 79. Having had perfect 20/20 vision his whole life, Jerry Orbach requested that his eyes be donated after his death.[3]His wish was granted when two people – one who needed correction for a nearsighted eye and another who needed correction for a farsighted eye – received Orbach'scorneas.His likeness has been used in an ad campaign for Eye Bank for Sight Restoration in Manhattan. Orbach was interred atTrinity Church Cemeteryand Mausoleum in lower Manhattan.[3]

Honors and legacy[edit]

Jerry Orbach Way in New York City

In addition to his Tony Award and nominations, Jerry Orbach is also a member of theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame,having been inducted in 1999.[25]In 2002, Orbach was named a "Living Landmark" by theNew York Landmarks Conservancy,along with hisLaw & Orderco-star Sam Waterston.[26]Orbach quipped that the honor meant "that they can't tear me down."[8]

On February 5, 2005, he wasposthumouslyawarded aScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Seriesfor his longtime role onLaw & Order.[27]His wife Elaine accepted the award on his behalf.

In 2007, the Jerry Orbach Theatre was named for him in theSnapple Theater Centerat 50th Street and Broadway in New York City. At the time, the theater was mounting a revival ofThe Fantasticks.On September 18, 2007, a portion of New York City's 53rd Street near Eighth Avenue was renamed "Jerry Orbach Way" in his honor.[28]

Remembrances[edit]

AfterLaw & Orderwas cancelled in 2010, executive producerRené BalcertoldThe Wall Street Journal:"I always think about the show as before Jerry and after Jerry...You saw the weariness of 25 years of crime-fighting in New York written on his face."[29]

AuthorKurt Vonnegut,a fan of Orbach, said during an Australian radio interview in 2005, "People have asked me, you know, 'Who would you rather be, than yourself?'," and he replied "Jerry Orbach, without a question...I talked to him one time, and he's adorable."[30]

New York Timeswriters Ben Brantley and Richard Severo analyzed the breadth and scope of Orbach's career,[1]andDirty Dancingco-starPatrick Swayzememorialized Orbach after his death.[31]

Filmography[edit]

Main article:Jerry Orbach filmography

Awards and nominations[edit]

Main article:List of awards and nominations received by Jerry Orbach

Partial discography[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Remember How I Love You: Love Letters from an Extraordinary Marriage(Touchstone, 2009).[33]
  • Jerry Orbach, Prince of the City: His Way from the Fantasticks to Law & Orderby John Anthony Gilvey, was published on May 1, 2011.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefBrantley, Ben; Severo, Richard (December 29, 2004)."Jerry Orbach, Star of 'Law & Order', Dies at 69".The New York Times.RetrievedApril 12,2013.
  2. ^abBernstein, Adam (December 30, 2004)."'Law & Order' Star Jerry Orbach Dies at 69 ".The Washington Post.Washington DC: Nash Holdings LLC.RetrievedJuly 12,2014.
  3. ^abcdefghijklmnoGilvey, John Anthony (May 1, 2011).Jerry Orbach: Prince of the City - His Way From The Fantastiks to Law & Order.Milwaukee, Wisc.: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books.ISBN978-1-42348-845-3.
  4. ^Jones, Kenneth (December 29, 2004)."Tony-Winner Jerry Orbach Is Dead at 69".Playbill.RetrievedMarch 25,2022.
  5. ^ab"'Law & Order' Star Jerry Orbach Dies ".Today - Pop Culture newsletter.Associated Press. December 29, 2004.RetrievedNovember 14,2016.
  6. ^Brady, James (February 27, 1994)."In Step With...Jerry Orbach".Parade.p. 26.
  7. ^Horwitz, Simi (February 28, 1993)."Jerry Orbach; His 'Law & Order' Role Fits Him Like a Glove".The Washington Post.Washington DC: Nash Holdings LLC.RetrievedMarch 25,2022.
  8. ^abHiltbrand, David (January 4, 2004)."Jerry Orbach Gets His Due on the Sidewalks of New York".The Boston Globe.Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Globe Partners, L.P.Knight Ridder.RetrievedApril 12,2013.
  9. ^Gilvey (2011), p. 4.
  10. ^Thompson, Lorraine (December 31, 2004)."Local Woman Went to School With Actor".St. Augustine Record.Archived fromthe originalon January 18, 2014.RetrievedApril 12,2013.
  11. ^ab"Jerry Orbach".biography.com.A&E Networks.RetrievedApril 12,2013.
  12. ^McLellan, Dennis (December 30, 2004)."Jerry Orbach, 69; Actor Portrayed Det. Briscoe on TV's" Law & Order "".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedMarch 25,2022.
  13. ^"The 64th Annual Academy Awards".Hollywood.com.Hollywood.com, L.L.C. Archived fromthe originalon May 19, 2014.RetrievedApril 22,2014.
  14. ^"Jerry Orbach — Filmography".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.2014. Archived fromthe originalon May 19, 2014.RetrievedApril 22,2014.
  15. ^Ghez, Didier (May 1, 2010).Walt's People: Talking Disney with the Artists Who Knew Him.Xlibris Corporation.ISBN9781450087476.
  16. ^Tracy, Joe."Digital Media FX Review of Beauty and the Beast Special Edition (IMAX)".digitalmediafx.com.Digital Media FX Review of Beauty and the Beast Special Edition. Archived fromthe originalon May 8, 2021.RetrievedNovember 14,2016.
  17. ^"Missing You Already, Punk".Sydney Morning Herald.October 7, 2004.
  18. ^TV Guide Book of Lists.Running Press. 2007. p.218.ISBN978-0-7624-3007-9.
  19. ^"XWI -- Tony Orbach thumbnails".
  20. ^Simonson, Robert (April 2, 2009)."Elaine Cancilla Orbach, Actor Jerry Orbach's Widow, Dies at 69".Playbill.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  21. ^Varley, Eddie (April 2, 2009)."Elaine Cancilla Orbach, Widow of Jerry Orbach Passes Away at 69".BroadwayWorld.com.RetrievedJune 10,2019.
  22. ^McGeehan, Patrick (March 7, 2007)."Jerry Orbach Was a Marquee Name, but a Street Sign's Another Story".The New York Times.p. B1.RetrievedNovember 14,2016.
  23. ^Silverman, Stephen M. (December 2, 2004)."Jerry Orbach Battling Prostate Cancer".People.Meredith Corporation.RetrievedNovember 14,2016.
  24. ^Obituary for Emily Orbach,The New York Times;accessed January 16, 2014 at legacy.com archive online.
  25. ^Rawson, Christopher (November 17, 1999)."On Stage: New Class of Theater Hall of Famers".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Archived fromthe originalon January 8, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 13,2014.
  26. ^"Living Landmarks Celebration - Living Landmarks Honoree List".nylandmarks.org.New York Landmarks Conservancy.RetrievedNovember 14,2016.
  27. ^"Press Release — Screen Actors Guild Honors Outstanding Film and Television Performances in 13 Categories at the 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards".sagawards.org/.Screen Actors Guild. February 5, 2005. Archived fromthe originalon November 15, 2016.RetrievedNovember 14,2016.
  28. ^McGeehan, Patrick (September 18, 2007)."Manhattan: Street Naming".The New York Times.p. B8.RetrievedNovember 14,2016.
  29. ^Chosick, Amy; Gamerman, Ellen (May 21, 2010)."'Law & Order' School of Drama ".The Wall Street Journal.New York City:Dow Hones & Company.
  30. ^October 6, 2005. Kurt Vonnegut interviewed on ABC Radio National Audio by Phillip Adams. Available on theSlaughterhouse-FiveRegion 4 DVD, released by Umbrella Entertainment Pty Ltd in 2007.
  31. ^YouTube video.Patrick Swayze Talks About Working With Jerry Orbach.American Film Institute.
  32. ^"Jerry Orbach - Off Broadway".Discogs.November 25, 1963.RetrievedJuly 4,2018.
  33. ^Orbach, Jerry; Orbach, Elaine (November 3, 2009).Remember How I Love You: Love Letters from an Extraordinary Marriage.New York, N.Y.: Touchstone.ISBN978-1-4391-4988-1.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jerry_Orbach&oldid=1228134703"