Gary Beach (October 10, 1947 – July 17, 2018) was an American actor of

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

, film and television. His roles included Roger De Bris in both the

and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

productions of ''The Producers'', which won him a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

, and Lumiere in the stage musical version of Disney's ''Beauty and the Beast'', for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.

Early life

Beach was born in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

and graduated from Groveton High School. He went on to graduate from the

North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina School of the Arts by then-Governo ...

, the same school as his ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

'' co-star

Terrence Mann Terrence Vaughan Mann (born July 1, 1951) is an American theatre, film and television actor. He is best known for his appearances on the Broadway stage, which include Chester Lyman in ''Barnum'', Rum Tum Tugger in '' Cats'', Javert in '' Les ...

Career

Beach's television credits included both the 2003 and 2009

Kennedy Center Honors The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in a gala celebrating five hono ...

, '' Queer as Folk'', ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'', ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'', ''

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

'', '' Arli$$'', and ''

Saved by the Bell ''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...

'', as well as "Recording the Producers", a documentary for PBS. Beach also lent his voice to Fox’s ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...

'' in the now infamous banned-from-television episode "

Partial Terms of Endearment "Partial Terms of Endearment" is the 21st and final episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series ''Family Guy''. Directed by Joseph Lee and written by Danny Smith, the episode originally aired on BBC Three in the United Kingdom on ...

" (available on DVD). In 1994, Beach originated the comical role of Lumiere in ''

'', a performance that earned him a

nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. In 2001, he originated the stage role of Roger DeBris in '' The Producers'' for which he won the

for Featured Actor in a Musical. In 2004, he starred as Albin in the Broadway revival of '' La Cage aux Folles,'' earning him his third Tony nomination, this time for Leading Actor. After starring in the 2005 film version of ''The Producers'', Beach returned to his stage role as Roger DeBris while the movie was in release, becoming the first artist to play the same part on Broadway and in movie theaters at the same time. In 2006, Beach played the role of Thénardier in the Broadway revival of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'', a role he had originated in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

production. Previously, he performed in the chorus for the 1989 '' Les Misérables: Complete Symphonic Recording''. In March 2008, Beach joined the United States national tour cast of ''

Monty Python's Spamalot ''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot'') is a musical comedy with music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, and lyrics and book by Idle. It is adapted from the 1975 film ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail''. Like the motion picture ...

'' in the lead role of

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

. Beach's other Broadway credits included ''

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

'', ''

Doonesbury ''Doonesbury'' is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States The president ...

'', ''

The Moony Shapiro Songbook ''Songbook'' (New York title ''The Moony Shapiro Songbook'') is a musical with music by Monty Norman and book and lyrics by Monty Norman and Julian More. The musical tells the improbable life story of a fictional songwriter, born in Liverpool in ...

'', ''Broadway Bash'', '' Sweet Adeline'' (Encores), ''

Something's Afoot ''Something's Afoot'' is a musical that spoofs detective stories, mainly the works of Agatha Christie, and especially her 1939 detective novel ''And Then There Were None''. The book, music, and lyrics were written by James McDonald, David Vos, ...

'' and ''

1776 Events January–February * January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces. * January 1 ...

''. He toured nationally with the James Kirkwood comedy ''

Legends! ''Legends!'' is a comedic play written by James Kirkwood, Jr. It toured the United States with Mary Martin and Carol Channing in 1986, but never had a production on Broadway. The play concerns two aging rival film stars. Kirkwood wrote about the t ...

'' starring

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in '' South Pacific'' (194 ...

and

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, ...

. In addition to his Broadway credits, Beach was well known for his

Summer stock theatre In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock the ...

performances. In later years he frequently returned to Sacramento as a Music Circus favorite in shows such as ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'', ''

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specifica ...

'' and ''

Spamalot ''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot'') is a musical comedy with music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, and lyrics and book by Idle. It is adapted from the 1975 film ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail''. Like the motion picture ...

''.

Personal life

Beach and his husband, Jeffrey Barnett, resided in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

where Beach died on July 17, 2018 at the age of 70.

Awards and nominations

Stage productions

*''

'' (revival) (2006–2008) *'' La Cage aux Folles'' (revival) (2004) *'' Funny Girl'' (

benefit concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate hu ...

) (2002) *'' The Producers'' (2001) *''

'' (1994) *'' Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy'' (1983) *''

'' (1981) *''

'' (1977–1983) *''

'' (1976) * ''1776'' (1969–1972) ;National tours *''Annie'' *''Beauty and the Beast'' *''Les Misérables'' *''

Legends A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief. Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to: Narrative * Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth * A fictitious identity used in espionage Books, co ...

'' (with

and

) *''

References

External links

* * *
Gary Beach
- ''Downstage Center'' 2005 interview at American Theatre Wing.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Beach, Gary 1947 births 2018 deaths American male singers American male musical theatre actors American male television actors Drama Desk Award winners American gay actors American gay musicians People from Fire Island, New York Tony Award winners LGBT people from Virginia University of North Carolina School of the Arts alumni 20th-century American LGBT people 21st-century American LGBT people