George Hearn

George Hearn (born June 18, 1934) is an American actor and bass-baritone singer, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.

Some of his Broadway credits include Albin in La Cage aux Folles, the title role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Max von Mayerling in Sunset Boulevard, John Dickinson in 1776, Mr. Otto Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in Wicked.

For his work, he won two Tony Awards for La Cage aux Folles and Sunset Boulevard. As well as being nominated for three others. He also was nominated for an Laurence Olivier Award for La Cage aux Folles and won an Emmy Award for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Early years

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hearn studied philosophy at Southwestern at Memphis, now Rhodes College before he embarked on a career in the theater, training for the stage with actress turned acting coach Irene Dailey. Most of Hearn's early performances were in traditional productions at the New York Shakespeare Festival and theaters at Lincoln Center.^[1]

Career

Hearn's career began in 1963 when he played Sir Dinidan in a national tour of Camelot with Biff McGuire and Jeannie Carson, standing by for McGuire, who played King Arthur. He first garnered a notice as John Dickinson in the acclaimed 1969 musical 1776 and as Liv Ullmann's leading man in the musical version of I Remember Mama (1979).^[1]

On March 4, 1980, he replaced Len Cariou in the title role of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd opposite Dorothy Loudon. Later in 1980 Hearn and the show's original star, Angela Lansbury, headed the show's touring company, then reprised their roles for a Showtime production of the musical, which won him an Emmy Award for his portrayal.^[2][3]

In 1983 Hearn created the role of Albin in the original Broadway production of La Cage aux Folles written by Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman. Hearn originated the gay anthem "I Am What I Am".^[4] He won the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics' Circle Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Albin. Hearn also appeared in the West End production (which opened in May 1986).

In 1985, Hearn starred as Long John Silver in an Edmonton production of Pieces of Eight, a musical adaptation of Treasure Island. Despite its credentials, including composer Jule Styne, it never was staged again.^[5]

Hearn and Lansbury remained friends, and the actress invited him to guest star on several episodes of her CBS sleuth series Murder, She Wrote in the early 1990s.^[6]

He won a second Tony award for his role as Max Von Mayerling in the original Broadway production of Sunset Boulevard, and was nominated again for playing Otto Frank in the 1997 revival of The Diary of Anne Frank.

On July 20, 2004, Hearn returned to Broadway for the first time in four years, starring as the Wizard in the Broadway musical Wicked, remaining until May 29, 2005.^[7][8] Hearn later returned to the musical for a limited two-week engagement from January 17 through February 1, 2006.

In 2008 he starred in a production of The Visit by John Kander and Fred Ebb alongside Chita Rivera at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. The Visit opened to positive reviews on May 13, 2008, and closed June 22, 2008.^[9]

Hearn's recordings include Sunset Boulevard (1994 Los Angeles Cast, and later the Broadway Cast Recording), Sweeney Todd Live at the New York Philharmonic, Mack & Mabel (1988 London Concert Cast), I Remember Mama (1985 Studio Cast), Follies in Concert (1985 Live Performance), and A Stephen Sondheim Evening (1983 Concert Cast).^[10]

Hearn was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame on January 29, 2007.^[11]

Personal life

Hearn's spouses include Susan Babel, Mary Harrell, with whom he had one son; Dixie Carter (1977–1979); girlfriend and Sweeney Todd co-star Betsy Joslyn (1979–1984); and current wife Leslie Simons. Hearn and Simons have two sons.^[1][12][13] He currently resides in Essex, New York.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ "George Hearn Biography". filmreference. 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
2. ^ "Sweeney Todd: 1980 National Touring Production". Sondheim Guide.com
3. ^ "Hearn Listing" Internet Movie Database
4. ^ Rich, Frank. "Stage: The Musical 'Cage Aux Folles'"The New York Times, August 22, 1983
5. ^ Q&A Ken Mandelbaum broadway.com, February 28, 2005
6. ^ "Hearn Listing" Internet Movie Database
7. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Wicked Welcomes Trio of New Stars July 20" Archived 2009-03-28 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, July 20, 2004
8. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Thompson, Shelley and Hearn Depart Broadway's Wicked May 29" Archived 2009-03-27 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, May 29, 2005
9. ^ Jones, Kenneth."The Visit, With Rivera, Hearn and Jacoby, Opens May 27" Archived 2008-12-05 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, May 27, 2008
10. ^ amazon.com listing
11. ^ Gans, Andrew."LuPone, Hearn, Wilson and the Late Wasserstein and Wilson Among Theater Hall of Fame Inductees" Archived 2009-03-28 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, October 10, 2006
12. ^ Bernstein, Fred. "HAVENS",The New York Times, October 13, 2006
13. ^ Q&A with Hearn Archived 2008-12-06 at the Wayback Machine broadway.com, September 12, 2004
14. ^ Henry IV, Part 1 lortel.org, accessed June 26, 2016
15. ^ "An Almost Perfect Person – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
16. ^ "Watch on the Rhine – Broadway Play – 1980 Revival | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
17. ^ "Whodunnit – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
18. ^ Gussow, Mel (1988-01-07). "Theater: 'The Chosen,' as a Musical". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
19. ^ Rich, Frank (1988-06-24). "Reviews/Theater; O'Neill's Idealistic 'Ah, Wilderness!'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
20. ^ Rothstein, Mervyn (1989-04-21). "Pairs of Actors Play Spin the Bottle In 'Love Letters'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
21. ^ Klein, Alvin (1992-11-15). "THEATER; 'Sweeney Todd,' in All Its Musical Power". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-26.

External links

• George Hearn at IMDb