Robert Franklin Bingham (born October 29, 1946) is a retired American actor and singer. Bingham is best known for playing the role of

Caiaphas Joseph ben Caiaphas (; c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD), known simply as Caiaphas (; grc-x-koine, Καϊάφας, Kaïáphas ) in the New Testament, was the Jewish high priest who, according to the gospels, organized a plot to kill Jesus. He famous ...

in Andrew Lloyd Webber and

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ...

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

'' Jesus Christ Superstar'' in the first USA concert tour, original

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 ...

cast, original French cast, and in the 1973 film version.Smith, Gary Allen
''Epic Films: Casts, Credits and Commentary on More Than 350 Historical Spectacle Movies''
McFarland & Company, Inc. (2006), p. 137

Life and career

Bingham was born in Seattle and raised in Edmonds, Washington. He attended the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

for three years and studied singing with Ernest J. Anderson and acting with Larry and Pamela Liester's Home Adjunct, Inc.Bingham's resumé on the History For Sale website
/ref> His first professional appearance was in a touring production of the musical '' Hair'' in 1970, first at the

Moore Theatre Moore Theatre is an 1,800-seat performing arts venue in Seattle, Washington, United States, located two blocks away from Pike Place Market at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Virginia Street. It opened in 1907 and is Seattle's oldest active theater ...

in Seattle that ran for more than three months, a local record, and then in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. In the 1970s Bingham led a Buddhist group dedicated to world peace. Bingham played the role of

in the original concert tour of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'' and went on to perform the role in the original

production which ran from 1971 to 1973, and in a Paris production. He appeared in the film by Juan Orol, ''El fantástico mundo de los hippies'' in 1972. Along with

Barry Dennen Barry Dennen (February 22, 1938 – September 26, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and writer. He played Pontius Pilate on the original recording and later in the film of ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. Life and career Dennen was born in Chicag ...

( Pilate) and Yvonne Elliman ( Mary Magdalene) and Carl Anderson (

Judas Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betr ...

), Bingham reprised his Broadway role in the 1973 film '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. In 1974, he played God in the original production of '' Up from Paradise'', by

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He retired from show business soon afterwards and worked as COO managerial position in a Talon zipper factory. In April 2015 he appeared on-stage at the Hollywood Boulevard Cinema in a question and answer session with

Ted Neeley Teddie Joe "Ted" Neeley (born September 20, 1943) is an American singer, actor, musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for portraying the title role in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (1973), a role for which he was nominated for two Gol ...

, Barry Dennen and

Kurt Yaghjian Kurt "Frenchy" Yaghjian (or Yahjian; born February 9, 1951, Detroit) is an Armenian-American actor and singer known for his appearance as Annas in the 1973 film ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. Biography Kurt Yaghjian is the only son of Haig Yaghjian ...

following a showing of a remastered version of the 1973 film '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. This was as part of a national screening tour. His reminiscences of appearing in the 1973 film were recorded with those of the rest of the original cast in the DVD ''Superstar: the Making and Reunion of the Film'' (2015).Bingham in ''Superstars'' DVD (2015) on Amazon.com
/ref> Bingham lives in Brewster, New York with his wife and two children.

References

External links

*
Bingham's Official Facebook Page

Bob Bingham on Yahoo! Movies

'Jesus Christ Superstar' on MSN movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bingham, Bob Living people 1946 births American male stage actors American basses Male actors from Seattle