Robert LuPone, who as an actor earned a Tony Award nomination within the unique run of "A Refrain Line" and performed Tony Soprano's household doctor, and likewise helped discovered and lead the influential off-Broadway theater firm MCC Theater for nearly 40 years, has died. He was 76.
LuPone, brother of Broadway icon Patti LuPone, died Saturday following a three-year battle with pancreatic most cancers, in accordance with Matt Ross Public Relations.
"The MCC Theater group mourns the lack of our a lot beloved and uniquely inspiring accomplice, colleague and expensive pal, Bob LuPone, who lived fearlessly and with nice curiosity, good humor, a boundless ardour for connection, and a complete lot of coronary heart. We'll miss him deeply and all the time," the theater firm stated in a press release.
LuPone's first skilled job was in 1966, within the ensemble of the Westbury Music Honest's manufacturing of "The Pajama Sport" starring Liza Minnelli. He made his Broadway debut within the 1968 manufacturing of Noel Coward's "Candy Potato" and later appeared in "Minnie's Boys," "The Rothschilds" and "The Magic Present."
LuPone was initially solid as Al in "A Refrain Line," however satisfied creator and director Michael Bennett to let him play Zach after the unique actor left. LuPone would earn a greatest featured actor Tony nomination for the function.
"Deepest condolences to the Lupone household," stated Betty Buckley on Twitter.
Born in 1946 in Brooklyn, New York, LuPone graduated from The Juilliard Faculty with a bachelor's diploma in dance in 1968.
He was instructing an performing class at New York College when one in every of his college students was Bernie Telsey. Collectively they'd assist type Manhattan Class Firm in 1986 — recognized at present as MCC Theater.
LuPone, Telsey together with third co-artistic director Will Cantler formed MCC right into a theatrical powerhouse, producing such Broadway-bound works as "Frozen," "Causes to be Fairly," "Hand to God," "Faculty Ladies; or the African Imply Ladies Play," "The Snow Geese," "The Different Place" and the Pulitzer Prize- successful "Wit."
Whereas serving as co-artistic director of MCC, LuPone additionally labored as an actor, showing in "A View from the Bridge," "True West" and "A Thousand Clowns," all on Broadway. He was within the Chicago premiere of Sam Shepard's "The Tooth of Crime" and on TV was in "Intercourse and the Metropolis," "Guiding Mild," and "All My Kids," for which he acquired a Daytime Emmy nomination.
He performed Dr. Bruce Cusamano on "The Sopranos," teasingly nicknamed "Cooze" by neighbor mobster Tony Soprano. In a single memorable episode, Tony performs a joke by bringing Cooze a sealed field and asking him to carry on to it for some time, not telling his nervous neighbor that the bundle is full of sand.
He additionally served as director of the grasp's drama program on the New Faculty for Drama from 2005 by means of 2011 and served as president of the board of administrators of A.R.T/ New York.
LuPone is survived by his spouse, Virginia; his son, Orlando; sister, Patti; and brother, William.