Jerry Orbach - RIP

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by JFS3, Dec 29, 2004.

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  1. JFS3

    JFS3 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hooterville
    Jerry Orbach Dies of Prostate Cancer

    Dec 29, 10:21 AM (ET)

    NEW YORK (AP) - "Law & Order" star Jerry Orbach has died of prostate cancer at age 69, a representative of the show said.

    :(

    James
     
  2. guy incognito

    guy incognito Senior Member

    Location:
    Mee-chigan
    So long, Briscoe. :(

    Orbach also had considerable talent as a singer. It was he who introduced one of my favorite songs, "Try to Remember", in the original run of The Fantasticks in 1960.
     
  3. JorgeGvb

    JorgeGvb Senior Member

    Location:
    Virginia Beach
    I always loved his little one liners on Law & Order. May he rest in peace.
     
  4. chip-hp

    chip-hp Cool Cat

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    What a shock :( ... I didn't know he was ill ... especially since they were promoting his new series ...
     
  5. Larry Naramore

    Larry Naramore Bonafied Knucklehead

    Location:
    Sun Valley, Calif.
  6. rmos

    rmos Forum Resident

    Goodbye Lenny. :(

    The first time I saw Jerry Orbach on TV is when he was a reoccurring character on "Murder She Wrote." I always thought he could have played an excellent Sgt. Friday on the "Dragnet" revival, if he hadn't been working on "Law and Order". His Briscoe character was a lot like the 1960s Sgt. Friday.

    Also, people are always amazed when I tell them what a fine singer he was ... and play them the album he made for Verve Records in the 1960s.


    An great all-around entertainer, he will be sorely missed.
     
  7. stever

    stever Senior Member

    Location:
    Omaha, Nebr.
    OMG, that's terrible. I only recently became a big fan of Law and Order by watching reruns on TNT.
     
  8. My g/f just told me. Very sad. :shake: :cry: He was supposed to star in the new Law And Order Trial By Jury series next year. Thank you Jerry for all the great hours of entertainment you gave us on TV and in film.
     
  9. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Very sad news. He was one of my favorites on Law and Order.
     
  10. CNN International.com

    (CNN) -- Actor Jerry Orbach, best known for his long-running role as New York police detective Lennie Briscoe on "Law & Order," has died. He was 69.

    Orbach died of prostate cancer Tuesday night, a spokesman for the program confirmed Wednesday.

    The actor had been undergoing treatment for his illness for several weeks, Audrey Davis of the public relations agency Lippin Group told The Associated Press.

    He had recently been in production for a "Law & Order" spinoff featuring Briscoe, "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," scheduled to premiere in early 2005.

    "I'm immensely saddened by the passing of not only a friend and colleague, but a legendary figure of 20th-century show business," said Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of the "Law & Order" series, in a statement. "He was one of the most honored performers of his generation. His loss is irreplaceable."

    Orbach joined "Law & Order" in the show's third season and quickly made Briscoe a popular character, known for his deadpan wisecracks and rough vulnerability.

    Audiences also learned of the character's divorces, his difficult relationship with his daughters (one was later killed for testifying against a drug-dealing boyfriend) and his battle with alcoholism -- though, in true "Law & Order" fashion, these tidbits were revealed casually over the course of many years.

    Orbach was also one of many "L&O" actors who had appeared as a different character at another time in the show's run -- in Orbach's case, as a defense attorney during the show's second season.

    "Law & Order" and its spinoffs are all filmed in New York, and Orbach was so identified with the city that he was declared a "living landmark" by the New York Landmark Conservancy in 2002.

    Orbach had been a notable New York actor for more than three decades when he joined "Law & Order." He was a star of the city's theatrical world, having originated the roles of El Gallo in the off-Broadway "Fantasticks," Billy Flynn in the original mid-'70s Broadway run of "Chicago" and Julian Marsh in the revival of "42nd Street."

    He won a Tony for his performance in 1968's "Promises, Promises," a Burt Bacharach/Hal David musical version of the 1960 movie "The Apartment."

    As a movie actor, Orbach shined in supporting roles, including performances in 1981's "Prince of the City," 1986's "F/X," Woody Allen's 1989 film "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and 1992's "Mr. Saturday Night." He was the voice of Lumiere in "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) and the father of Jennifer Grey's Baby in "Dirty Dancing" (1987).

    Jerome Bernard Orbach was born in Bronx, New York, on October 20, 1935, the son of a vaudeville actor and a radio singer. The family moved around during his childhood, finally settling near Chicago.

    He attended the University of Illinois and Northwestern University and then returned to New York to begin his acting career.

    He earned his broadest fame relatively late in life, but couldn't have asked for more, he said.

    "I used to say when I was working in the theater that if I ever had five seasons of a hit TV show I'd never have to worry about money and wouldn't have to do anything I didn't want to do," he once said, according to the Internet Movie Database. "The 12 seasons of 'Law & Order' really made that possible."

    New Yorkers, particularly cops, loved him.

    "The police? Oh, my God. It's a straight-up love affair with the man," co-star Jesse L. Martin told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

    Orbach told the AP he didn't know "where I stop and Lennie starts, really. ... I know he's tougher than me and he carries a gun. And I'm not an alcoholic."

    "I know I wouldn't want to be him," Orbach summed up. "I guess that's where I stop and he starts."

    Orbach was married twice. He is survived by his wife, Elaine, and his children, Tony and Chris.
     
  11. Paul G

    Paul G Senior Member

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    That's a shame. The success rates for treatment of prostate cancer are quite good nowadays. (Rudy Giuliani was diagnosed more than four years ago and he's going strong; a 60-plus-year-old friend of my was diagnosed two or three years ago and is doing well.) Jerry's must have been caught late or been extremely virulent.

    RIP.

    Paul
     
  12. GuyDon

    GuyDon Senior Member

    Very sad news.
     
  13. Randy W

    Randy W Original Member

    The cancer must have been discovered late. I am a huge Law & Order fan and he was a favorite of mine. He will be missed. :(
     
  14. Steve D.

    Steve D. Forum Resident

    Jerry's last role?

    Does anyone know if any episodes of the new "Law & Order, Trial by Jury" with Orbach had been filmed? And will they air?
     
  15. Johnny C.

    Johnny C. Ringo's Biggest Fan

    Location:
    Brooklyn, USA
    Sad news, indeed. My wife was lucky enough to see him in 42nd Street, on Broadway. We still love the soundtrack. "Allentown? What's Allentown?"

    Figures CNN would get this wrong: it's "The Bronx."
     
  16. JonUrban

    JonUrban SHF Member #497

    Location:
    Connecticut
    My wife and I saw him in 42nd Street as well. He will be missed, but live forever on TNT! :sigh:
     
  17. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    ...such a great character actor...R.I.P.
     
  18. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Sad loss.

    Friends, I know you don't like a doctor to stick his gloved finger up there, but get a prostate check once a year if you're over 40. It could save your life!
     
  19. Mark

    Mark I Am Gort, Hear Me Roar Staff

    Agreed and agreed. A tough loss. Steve is right, folks. To quote Fletch "Moon River...."
     
  20. eelkiller

    eelkiller One of the great unwashed

    Location:
    Northern Ontario
    Well said - a few seconds of discomfort is worth it if it can save your life.

    Loved him on L & O. Very sad news!
     
  21. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    Sad news. I also didn't know he was this sick. He was a quintessential NY-type actor.
     
  22. rmos

    rmos Forum Resident


    It might be too early to speculate (and I apologize if this sounds cruel) but do you think they'll write his death into the show? It's been done on other programs that have had actors die during the production of a show; most recently with John Ritter. I think they should; it would be a tribute to his legacy.
     
  23. Dugan

    Dugan Senior Member

    Location:
    Midway,Pa
    RIP
    This is sad news........ :(
     
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