Andrew Alcott Hallett (August 4, 1975 – March 29, 2009) was an American singer and actor who became known from playing the part of Lorne in the television series ''

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

'' (2000–2004). He used his singing talents often on the show, and performed two songs on the series' 2005 soundtrack album, '' Angel: Live Fast, Die Never''.

Early life

Hallett was an only child, and hailed from the

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

village of

Osterville, Massachusetts Osterville is one of seven villages within the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. The village of Osterville is located on the south side of Barnstable on Nantucket Sound. Osterville is a residential community that includes marshes, ...

, which is part of the town of Barnstable. He was a 1993 graduate from Barnstable High School and he went on to Assumption College in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

after graduation. He did not begin singing publicly until he was invited onstage at a concert, and discovered the thrill of performing. He was in the audience at a Patti LaBelle concert, in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, when she coaxed a group of guys onto the stage; "I'm this little white boy. I started singing, and we blew the house down. I sang a line and she said, 'This is a white boy with soul.'"

Career

After moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, Hallett worked as a runner for an agency and then as a property manager. He eventually became a personal assistant to Kai Cole, wife of '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' creator Joss Whedon. When the couple and their friends saw Hallett singing at the "B.B. Kings" lounge at

Universal CityWalk Universal CityWalk is the name shared by the entertainment and retail districts located adjacent to the theme parks of Universal Parks & Resorts. CityWalk began as an expansion of Universal's first park, Universal Studios Hollywood, and serves as ...

, Whedon conceived a new character for his new show ''Angel'': Lorne, an anagogic demon who reads the hearts and futures of his guests as they sing in his

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i ...

bar. Hallett was invited to try out for the part, and won it after three auditions. ''Angel'' was his first real job as an actor, though he did play an extra role in a 1999 episode of ''Buffy''; he acquired agent Pat Brady only after she spotted him singing and acting in "

Judgment Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct uses. Aristotle s ...

", the premiere episode of ''Angels second season.Krug, Kurt Anthony
"Good Night, Folks" – Andy Hallett 1975-2009
, ''Mania.com''. April 3, 2009. The character of Lorne was featured as a

recurring character A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main f ...

in 45 episodes before Hallett was added to the title sequence as a series regular for the last nine episodes of the fourth season, and all of the fifth; in total he appeared as Lorne in 76 of the show's 110 episodes. The character's demonic visage involved extensive

prosthetic makeup Prosthetic makeup also called special make-up effects and FX prosthesis) is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects. Prosthetic makeup goes back to the beginning of film maki ...

and detailed coloring of his face, neck and hands, leading to early calls for at least two and a half hours of makeup before Hallett's filming day could begin.Andy Hallett Trivia

''IMDB.com'' During the run of ''Angel'', Hallett appeared in two other small productions: ''The Enforcers'' (2001), a TV miniseries directed by ''Angel'' writer

Mere Smith Meredyth (Mere) Smith is an American television script-writer who wrote a number of episodes of the series ''Angel''. She was also the executive story editor and script coordinator for 66 episodes from 1999 to 2003. More recently, she wrote the ...

, and ''

Chance Chance may refer to: Mathematics and Science * In mathematics, likelihood of something (by way of the Likelihood function and/or Probability density function). * ''Chance'' (statistics magazine) Places * Chance, Kentucky, US * Chance, Mary ...

'' (2002), a film directed by ''Buffy'' actress

Amber Benson Amber Nicole Benson (born January 8, 1977) is an American actress, singer, writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her role as Tara Maclay on the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1999–2002), and has also directed, produced ...

Health complications and death

According to a 2005 interview, about a month after filming the last episode of ''Angel'', Hallett suffered a dental infection which spread through the bloodstream to his heart, leading to a case of cardiomyopathy, for which he spent five days in the hospital. Although he recovered, his heart muscle and valves were weakened and he found himself easily fatigued afterward. He did not return to acting (except for a voice part in the animated film ''Geppetto's Secret''), but pursued his music career and frequently appeared at media conventions for ''Buffy'' and ''Angel'' and for science fiction and fantasy in general. Five years after first experiencing heart problems, and after at least three additional hospitalizations, Hallett died from

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

on March 29, 2009, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles with his father by his bedside. He was 33 years old.

Legacy

The character of Lorne continued on in the comic book series '' Angel: After the Fall'', and a 48-page book about the character was written by John Byrne. Chris Ryall of IDW Publishing said, "the issue serves as a tribute to Andy as well as a final send-off for Lorne, too."Lorne's final song
, RyallTime blog, Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Filmography

References

External links

* * at The Friends of Science Fiction Fan Club convention in Australia in 2002 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hallett, Andy 1975 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 21st-century American male actors American male television actors Assumption University (Worcester) alumni Barnstable High School alumni Burials in Massachusetts Male actors from Massachusetts People from Osterville, Massachusetts Singers from Massachusetts 20th-century American male singers