{"id":591273,"date":"2023-09-15T09:25:47","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T06:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/michael-mcgrath-tony-winning-actor-dies-at-65\/"},"modified":"2023-09-15T09:25:47","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T06:25:47","slug":"michael-mcgrath-tony-winning-actor-dies-at-65","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/michael-mcgrath-tony-winning-actor-dies-at-65\/","title":{"rendered":"#Michael McGrath, Tony-Winning Actor, Dies at 65"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Michael McGrath, the veteran stage actor who received a Tony Award for his performance in the musical Nice Work If You Can Get It<\/em>, has died. He was 65.<\/p>\n

\n McGrath died unexpectedly in his sleep Thursday at his home in Bloomfield, New Jersey, his publicist told The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>. No cause of death has been determined. <\/p>\n

\n A regular in Broadway and off-Broadway musicals and musical comedy productions, McGrath had starring turns in Plaza Suite<\/em>, Tootsie<\/em>, Memphis<\/em>, Born Yesterday<\/em> and Wonderful Town<\/em>. He was also the first actor to play Patsy, King Arthur\u2019s long-suffering sidekick, in Spamalot<\/em>, which earned him his first Tony nomination. <\/p>\n

\n \u201cVery saddened to hear that Michael McGrath, our first and most beloved Patsy in Spamalot<\/em>, has passed away,\u201d Idle wrote<\/a> on X, formerly Twitter<\/a>. \u201cWarm hugs to all the Spamalot<\/em> family and very happ<\/a>y memories of a lovely man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n McGrath was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Sept. 25, 1957. He graduated from St. Peter\u2019s High School in Worcester and attended the Boston Conservatory, leaving after three months to pursue a career in acting. <\/p>\n

\n He began on the stage in Worcester before moving to Boston and garnering attention with a run in Gerard Alessandrini\u2019s musical comedy Forbidden Broadway<\/em> from 1985-89. One of his co-stars in Forbidden Broadway<\/em> was Toni DuBuono, whom he would marry.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cForbidden Broadway<\/em> has always been one of the hardest shows I\u2019ve ever done,\u201d McGrath said in an interview<\/a> about the production that proved his breakout. \u201cIt\u2019s like doing an opera every night. It was 24 songs a night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n McGrath moved to New York and gained his first Broadway credit in 1992 as part of the Joseph Dougherty musical My Favorite Year<\/em>. During the 1990s, he also had parts in The Goodbye Girl<\/em>, Swinging on a Star<\/em> and the revival of Neil Simon\u2019s Little Me<\/em>, where he played one of the Buchsbaum brothers alongside Martin Short. <\/p>\n

\n His performance in Swinging on a Star<\/em> earned him his first Drama Desk nomination in 1996.<\/p>\n

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\"Michael<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

From left: Michael McGrath, Faith Prince and Martin Short in Little Me<\/em> in 1998.<\/span><\/p>\n

Everett Collection<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n His first major Broadway role came in Wonderful Town<\/em>, playing Chick Clark from 2003-05. By now an established stage talent, he was cast in Spamalot<\/em>, Eric Idle\u2019s musical adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail<\/em>. The high-profile production opened in Chicago in 2004 and moved to Broadway the following year, with McGrath as King Arthur\u2019s coconut-clopping servant. <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt was an amazing time in my life to work with such people as Mike Nichols and Tim Curry, Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce,\u201d McGrath said in an interview<\/a> in 2014 about working on Spamalot<\/em>. \u201cWhen the project was first presented to me, I thought, \u2018How the hell are they gonna do a musical version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail<\/em>?\u2019 I just couldn\u2019t see it. Nonetheless, when I was told that Mike Nichols was directing it, I jumped at the chance to be involved.\u201d <\/p>\n

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\"The<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

The original cast of Spamalot<\/em>, from left: Sara Ramirez, Christopher Sieber, Tim Curry, Michael McGrath and Hank Azaria with creator Eric Idle (seated). <\/span><\/p>\n

Peter Kramer\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n McGrath, who sang Idle\u2019s iconic \u201cAlways Look on the Bright Side of Life\u201d<\/a> in Spamalot<\/em>, starred in the production for 2 1\/2 years and earned Tony and Drama Desk nominations for best featured actor in a musical in 2005.<\/p>\n

\n In 2012, he scored his Tony and a Drama Desk prize for portraying Cookie McGee in Nice Work If You Can Get It<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n His other notable Broadway credits include originating the role of Mr. Simmons in 2009\u2019s Memphis<\/em>, playing Ralph Kramden in the 2017 musical stage adaptation of the classic sitcom The Honeymooners<\/em> and portraying the agent Stan Fields in 2018\u2019s Tootsie<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n Outside of theater, McGrath was Short\u2019s announcer and sidekick on The Martin Short Show<\/em>, the short-lived syndicated talk show that birthed the Jiminy Glick character, and had minor roles in the features Changing Lanes<\/em> (2002) and The Interpreter<\/em> (2005).<\/p>\n

\n In addition to his wife of 30 years, survivors include his daughter, actress Katie Claire McGrath.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n