Lenny Wolpe (born March 25, 1951) is an American musical theatre actor who has appeared in

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musicals including ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'' and ''

The Drowsy Chaperone ''The Drowsy Chaperone'' is a Canadian musical with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. The story concerns a middle-aged, asocial musical theater fan who, feeling "blue", decides to p ...

''.

Early life

Wolpe was born in Newburgh, New York. Wolpe majored in American history at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

and was active in the university's theater department. Upon graduation, Wolpe attended graduate school at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

to teach theater.

Career

Wolpe made his Broadway debut in ''

Onward Victoria ''Onward Victoria'' is a musical (1980) with a book and lyrics by Charlotte Anker and Irene Rosenberg, and music by Keith Herrmann. Its subject is Victoria Woodhull, the 19th-century woman who with her sister were the first women to operate a br ...

'', which closed on opening night. Other Broadway appearances include '' Copperfield'' (Mr. Dick), '' Into the Light'' (Peter Vonn), and ''

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''. S ...

'' (replacement for Max Dettweiler). While in a national tour of '' Little Shop of Horrors'', Wolpe was asked to audition for ''

'' by producer Roy Miller, with whom he had worked at the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live i ...

in New Jersey. Wolpe was cast as Feltzeig, a producer. Wolpe created the role of the Wizard in ''

s original workshops in

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 ...

. Beginning July 10, 2007, he played the Wizard on Broadway. Wolpe played his final performance as the Wizard in the Broadway company on July 27, 2008, and was replaced by P.J. Benjamin. Wolpe recently reprised the role as The Wizard in the first U.S. National Tour of ''Wicked'', where he replaced

Lee Wilkof Lee Wilkof (born June 25, 1951) is an American actor and veteran of the Broadway stage. He originated the roles of Samuel Byck in ''Assassins'' and Seymour in ''Little Shop of Horrors, ''later earning a Tony Award nomination for the 2000 revival ...

. His run started on September 6, 2008 and ended exactly a year later. Wolpe was succeeded by

Richard Kline Richard Kline (born April 29, 1944) is an American actor and television director. His roles include Larry Dallas on the sitcom ''Three's Company'', Richie in the later seasons of ''It's a Living'' and Jeff Beznick in '' Noah Knows Best''. Early ...

. In addition to ''Little Shop'', Wolpe has appeared in National tours of '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' and '' South Pacific''. Off-Broadway, Wolpe has appeared in ''

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

'' (Mayor Koch),'' Brownstone'', '' Company'', and ''The Wonder Years''. His regional theatre credits include ''The Baker's Wife'' (Baker), ''Gypsy'' (Herbie opposite Betty Buckley), ''

The Tale of the Allergist's Wife ''The Tale of the Allergist's Wife'' is a play by Charles Busch. In his first play written for a mainstream audience, Busch explores the Upper West Side milieu of aspiring intellectual and middle-aged upper class matron Marjorie Taub, who lives c ...

'' (Paper Mill Playhouse), ''

A Class Act ''A Class Act'' is a quasi-autobiographical musical loosely based on the life of composer-lyricist Edward Kleban, who died at the age of 48 in 1987. Featuring a book by Linda Kline and Lonny Price along with music and lyrics by Kleban himself, ...

'', ''Radio Gals'' (Pasadena Playhouse), '' Fiddler on the Roof'' (Tevye in six productions), ''

Fiorello! ''Fiorello!'' is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia, a reform Republican, which debuted on Broadway in 1959, and tells the story of how La Guardia took on the Tammany Hall political machine. The book is by Jerome Weidman and ...

'', and ''

She Loves Me ''She Loves Me'' is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. The musical is the third adaptation of the 1937 play '' Parfumerie'' by Hungarian playwright Miklós László, following the 194 ...

'' (Reprise! L.A.). On television, he was a series regular on ''Baby Talk'' and '' You're the One''. Wolpe has guest starred on more than 80 television programs including ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

'' (on which he played a victim of

Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome or Tourette's syndrome (abbreviated as TS or Tourette's) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) ...

), '' ER'', '' Six Feet Under'', '' The Golden Girls'', ''

The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show ...

'', '' Ally McBeal'', and ''

Chappelle's Show ''Chappelle's Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedians Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show and starring in the majority of its sketches. Chappelle, Brennan, and Michele Armour were ...

''. In May 2012, Wolpe premiered in the role of Morty in a new off-Broadway show based on the eponymous ''Old Jews Telling Jokes'' podcast.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolpe, Lenny American male musical theatre actors American male television actors Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Minnesota alumni Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 1951 births