Lenny Baker
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| Lenny Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Leonard Baker January 17, 1945 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | April 12, 1982 (aged 37) |
| Occupation | Film, stage actor |
Lenny Baker (January 17, 1945 – April 12, 1982) was a Tony Award-winning,[1] Golden Globe-nominated [2] actor.
Contents |
[edit] Life
Baker was born January 17, 1945 in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Bertha and William Baker. A 1962 graduate of Brookline High School, he received his college degree from Boston University, and performed in regional theater. He spent several summers at the O'Neill Center's National Playwrights Conference in Waterford, Connecticut. Baker had two brothers, Alan and Malcolm.
He died of AIDS [3][4] April 12, 1982
[edit] Awards
Baker won the Tony Award in 1977 for his leading performance in I Love My Wife,[1] and was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his performance as lead that same year in Next Stop, Greenwich Village.[2]
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ian Richardson for My Fair Lady |
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical 1976-1977 for I Love My Wife |
Succeeded by Ken Page for Ain't Misbehavin' |
| Preceded by Sammy Williams for A Chorus Line |
Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical 1977 for I Love My Wife |
Succeeded by Kevin Kline for On the Twentieth Century |
[edit] Career
He appeared Off Broadway in plays such as Conerico Was Here to Stay, Paradise Gardens East, The Year Boston Won the Pennant, and Summertree, debuting on Broadway in 1974 in The Freedom of the City, performing in repertory in Secret Service and Boy Meets Girl, and in Pericles, Prince of Tyre, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry V and Measure for Measure with Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival. He devoted himself to the production of new plays at The O'Neill Center's National Playwirght's Conference where he worked with Werner Liepolt and many other young playwrights. He was highly praised by critics such as Clive Barnes and Walter Kerr, and won the Tony Award for his performance in I Love My Wife. [5]
In the course of his career Baker appeared in a number of television shows, such as Kojak, Starsky and Hutch, The Rockford Files, and Taxi.
Far and away most prominent amongst his film roles, which included Hospital and The Paper Chase, was Next Stop, Greenwich Village, for which he was widely praised by critics and for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
[edit] Off Broadway
- Conerico Was Here to Stay – Fortune Theatre, 1969 – Young Man
- Paradise Gardens East – Fortune Theatre, 1969 – Brother
- The Year Boston Won the Pennant – Mitzi Newhouse Theatre, 1969 – Dillinger/Peabody
- Barbary Shore – Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, 1973 – Mike Lovett
- Pericles, Prince of Tyre – Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, 1974 – Thailard/Knight of Ephesus/Boult
- The Merry Wives of Windsor – Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, 1974 – Abraham Slender
- Henry V – Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, 1976 – Dauphin
- Measure for Measure – oseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, 1976 – Lucio
- Referenced from Internet Off-Broadway Database
[edit] Broadway
- The Freedom of the City – Alvin Theatre, 1974
- Secret Service – Playhouse Theatre, 1976 – Henry Dumont
- Boy Meets Girl – Playhouse Theatre, 1976 – Robert Law
- I Love My Wife – Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 1977 – Alvin
- Referenced from Internet Broadway Database
[edit] Film
- The Hospital, 1971 – Dr Schaefer
- AWOL – Avhopparen, 1972 – Sidney Feitel
- Malatesta's Carnival of Blood, 1973 – Sonja
- The Paper Chase, 1973 – William Moss
- Next Stop, Greenwich Village, 1976 – Larry Lapinsky
- Referenced from Internet Movie Database
[edit] Television
- The Teaching, 1970 – Samuel Golden
- Pueblo, 1973 – Ens T L Harris
- Kojak: Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die, 1974 – Joyce Harrington
- Sunshine: White Bread and Margarine, 1975 – Jinx
- Secret Service, 1977 – Henry Dumont
- The Rubber Gun Squad, 1977 – Eddie
- Starsky and Hutch: Ninety Pounds of Trouble, 1979 – Damon
- The Rockford Files: Only Rock 'n' Roll Will Never Die: Part 1 and Part 2, 1979 – Ronny Martz
- Taxi: Latka's Revolting, 1979 – Baschi
- Referenced from Internet Movie Database
