Keith Prentice (February 21, 1940 – September 27, 1992) was an American TV, film and stage actor, whose most famous role was the part of Larry in both the original stage and film versions of '' The Boys in the Band''. He also appeared on the TV soap ''

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...

'' during the series' final months in 1971. For a number of years, his picture was displayed on the Tasters Choice coffee label. Prentice studied in New York City at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

. His stage musical credits include '' Sail Away'', ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

'', '' Paint Your Wagon'', and ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...

''. In 1968, he appeared

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in the play ''The Boys in the Band'', a once controversial play featuring gay characters at a dramatic birthday party the Summer before the

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of Ju ...

. He also appeared in the film version of the play. In 1971, Prentice joined the cast of ''Dark Shadows'' playing Morgan Collins in the show's 1841 plot with parallel time. He also appeared as Nils Fowler in the 1972 film ''

The Legend of Nigger Charley ''The Legend of Nigger Charley'' is a 1972 blaxploitation Western film directed by Martin Goldman. The story of a trio of escaped slaves, it was released during the heyday of blaxploitation films. Filmed in Charles City, Virginia, Eve's Ranch, ...

'' and had a small role in the 1980 film '' Cruising'' which, like ''The Boys in the Band'', was directed by

William Friedkin William "Billy" Friedkin (born August 29, 1935)Biskind, p. 200. is an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in t ...

. In 1982, Prentice co-founded Kettering Theatre Under the Stars in

Kettering, Ohio Kettering is a city in Montgomery county in the U.S. state of Ohio. Almost entirely in Montgomery County, it is an inner suburb of Dayton, Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 57,862 (down slightly from 58,453 in 2010), maki ...

, and directed summer shows there until he died of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

-related cancer on September 27, 1992.Dark Shadows Journal Online: Keith Prentice
Retrieved 18 May 2012

Filmography

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prentice, Keith 1940 births 1992 deaths American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors American gay actors Male actors from Dayton, Ohio AIDS-related deaths in Ohio 20th-century American male actors Deaths from cancer in Ohio 20th-century LGBT people