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Ron Holgate

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Ron Holgate
Born
Ronald Holgate

(1937-05-26)May 26, 1937(age 87)
Aberdeen, South Dakota,U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1960s–2000s
Spouse(s)Dorothy Collins(m. 1966–1977; divorced)
Anny DeGange (m. 1989–present)

Ronald Holgate(born May 26, 1937,Aberdeen, South Dakota) is an Americanactorandopera singer.He won theTony Awardfor Best Supporting Actor asRichard Henry Leein the originalBroadwayproduction of1776,a role he reprised in 1972 for the film1776.

Early life

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The son of a school superintendent and a drama teacher, raised in South Dakota, Holgate originally intended to become a classical actor and studied drama withAlvina KrauseatNorthwestern University.While there, however, he was discovered byBoris Goldovsky,and went on to studyoperaat bothTanglewoodand theNew England Conservatory.In 1959, Holgate, a bass-baritone, won second prize in theMetropolitan Opera National Council Auditions,finishing afterTeresa Stratas;he went on to tour with Goldovsky'sNew England Opera Theater.[1]In 1960 he attended theMusic Academy of the Westsummer conservatory.[2]

Career

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By the early 1960s, however, Holgate had gone back to theater, only resuming a regular opera career in the 1970s. Roles like the narcissistic Miles Gloriosus inA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum(which he originated in the show's Broadway premiere) led to him developing a reputation for whatFrank Richcalled his portrayal of "vain ladies' men."[3]

Until 2005, he worked regularly on andOff-Broadway,in regional theatre, and in over a dozen national and international tours. As an opera singer, Holgate played leading roles inLa Boheme,Don Giovanni,and the world premiere ofPhilip Marshall,among many others. He had an active career as a concert singer, which included performances atCarnegie Halland a Broadway revue with his first wife,Dorothy Collins(1926–1994). He and Collins were married from 1966-77. He was featured in the first concert devoted toStephen Sondheim's work.

Holgate appeared asRichard Henry Leein1776.Although he had only one song, "The Lees of Old Virginia", and a scant few lines of additional dialogue, he earned that season'sTony Awardas Best Featured Actor in a Musical.[4]

CriticWalter Kerrcommented that "there is simply no stopping Mr. Holgate as he explodes with the sheer happiness of having come to exist."[5](Holgate and fellow1776performerWilliam Danielswere nominated in the same, supporting category. Daniels turned down the nomination, because he felt that his role asJohn Adamswas clearly the lead.[6])

Holgate created the role of the vain opera star Tito Morelli inLend Me a Tenor.He wasBuffalo Bill Codyin the 1999 revised edition ofAnnie Get Your GunstarringBernadette PetersandTom Wopat,and in the early 2000s he toured as Caldwell B. Cladwell in the first national tour of the musicalUrinetown.Later in 1999, he played Harrison Howell in the Broadway revival ofKiss Me, Kate;as an inside joke, when he made his initial appearance, the orchestra played the intro to "The Lees of Old Virginia," which roused hearty laughter from audience members who remembered his signature role.[citation needed]

Holgate has few film and television credits. He played Lee again in the film1776,and was featured in the straight-to-videoMen of Means.He has acted occasionally in daytimesoap operas,includingAnother World,Guiding Light,andOne Life to Live.[7]

Personal life

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Holgate was married to singerDorothy Collinsfrom 1966 to 1977, to Anny DeGange from 1989 to the present, and has three daughters, Melissa, Chloe, and Lily.

Stage productions

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Broadway
Off-Broadway
  • Hobo:Jonah
  • Hooray! It's a Glorious Day...and all that:Carl Strong
  • Blue Plate Special:Larry Finney
  • The Sounds of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Part II
  • Milk and Honey:Phil Arkin
  • Heroes

Awards and nominations

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  • 1959 Frederick K. Weyerhauser Scholarship, Metropolitan Opera Auditions
  • 1974 New Jersey Drama Critic's Circle Award:A Little Night Music
  • 1969 Tony Award: winner,1776:Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
  • 1979 Tony Award: nominee,The Grand Tour
  • 1992 Detroit Drama Critic's Circle Award:Man of La Mancha
  • 2005IRNE Award(Independent Reviewers of New England):Urinetown

References

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  1. ^Kevin Kelly, "'Flukey Kind of Thing...'",Boston Globe,December 16, 1990, pg. B21; accessed 2007-12-24.
  2. ^"Alumni Roster".musicacademy.org.Archived fromthe originalon 5 June 2012.Retrieved28 January2020.
  3. ^Frank Rich, "When One Tenor Is Much Like Another",New York Times,March 3, 1989, pg. C3; accessed 2007-12-24.
  4. ^"Tony Awards, 1969"broadwayworld.com, accessed June 26, 2011.
  5. ^Walter Kerr, "'1776' And All's Well",New York Times,March 23, 1969, pg. D1. Accessed 2007-12-24.
  6. ^Mandelbaum, Ken. "Tony Moments to Remember (And a Few to Forget)",New York Times,June 2, 1996, pg. H10
  7. ^"Ron Holgate | Actor, Soundtrack".IMDb.Retrieved2023-12-11.

Further reading

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  • "Holgate, Ron".The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television(ed. Thomas S. Hischak. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008;ISBN0-19-533533-3
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