Jerry Orbach

Biography for Jerry Orbach

A only child, son of a comedy teacher and a singer, Jerome Bernard Orbach was born on October 20, 1925, in the Bronx district of New York. In the forties, the Orbach family was fixed in Waukegan, Illinois. He studied dramatic art at the University of Illinois, then at the Northwestern University of Evanston.

In 1955, Jerry Orbach moved to New York where he took the lessons of Lee Strasberg and Herbert Berghof, at Actors Studio. Quickly, in Broadway, he won a role in Bertolt Brecht's "Quat’Sous Opera". In 1958, he began his film career in a low-budget New York film: "Cop Hater" by William A. Berke.

In May 1960, Jerry Orbach created the character of El Gallo, the narrator of the musical "The Fantasticks", on the boards of the Théâtre de la Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York. The play remains one of the most played works across the United States. Tom Jones wrote the lyrics, and the music was composed by Harvey Schmidt. During the sixties, Jerry still interpreted successful musicals: "Carnival" (1961-1963) by Bob Merrill, "Guys and Dolls" (1965) by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows and "Annie Get You Gun" (1966 ) Irving Berlin. Meanwhile, it appears in some productions for the small and the big screen.

Subsequently, Jerry Orbach's career remains mainly oriented towards the theater. Still on Broadway, he holds the headliner in "Promises, Promises" (1968-1972) by Neil Simon. For this adapted play from the film "La Boynière" by Billy Wilder, (1960), Jerry wins Haut-la-Main Le Tony Award for best actor in a musical. Years later, Jerry is still at the origin of another great triumph, "Chicago" (1975-1976) by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. At the same time, he turns in several television series and begins to make a name for himself in the cinema in secondary roles, including: "La Sentinelle des mudits" (1976) with Ava Gardner, "Le Prince de New York" (1980) with Treat Williams, "FX, shock effect" (1984) with Bryan Brown and "How to slam a million dollars" (1984) with Richard Pryor.

Jerry Orbach's film career really took off in 1986 when he embodied Jennifer Gray's father in "Dirty Dancing" by Emile Ardolino, followed by: "Last outing for Brooklyn" (1989) by Uli Edel, "Crimes and crimes "(1989) by Woody Allen and" Universal Soldier "(1992) by Roland Emmerich. Its popularity is also largely due to its interpretation of the detective Lennie Briscoe in the very famous series "Law & Order" from 1992 to 2004.

In 2000, Al Pacino chose it to play the main role, by its side, in "Chinese Coffee". This film remains its last big composition for cinema. In the spring of 2004, Jerry Orbach learned that he had prostate cancer. The disease leaves him little respite, he died on December 28 of the same year in Manhattan (New York).

Jerry Orbach was an American actor known for his role in the television series "New York, judicial police" (Law & Order) in which he played the character of Lennie Briscoe. He also appeared in many films and won an Emmy Award in 1996 for his performance in the television series.

Orbach was born on October 20, 1935 in New York, in the Bronx district. He grew up in the Manhattan district and attended the prestigious High School of Music and Art before continuing his studies at the University of Yale, where he graduated in dramatic arts.

At the start of his career, Orbach worked as theater actor, especially in productions from the famous Broadway theater. He has played in many musicals, including "The Fantasticks" and "Promised, Promise", and won a Tony Award in 1969 for his performance in the promised, promised "musical".

Orbach also appeared in many films during his career, notably in "Dirty Dancing" (1987) and "Beauty and the Beast" (1991). His performance in "Dirty Dancing" was particularly noticed and has earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Awards.

Unfortunately, Orbach died on December 28, 2004, at the age of 69, after prostate cancer. His death was largely covered by the media and he was largely considered to be one of the most talented actors of his generation. His contribution to the entertainment industry was greeted by his peers and by fans of his many productions.

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• Creation date: 13/08/2010 by abdest