Edmund Lyndeck (October 4, 1925 – December 14, 2015) was an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and musical theatre performer. He is best known for originating the roles of

Judge Turpin Judge Turpin (also known as Lord Turpin) is a fictional character in some adaptations of the story ''Sweeney Todd''. He is the main antagonist, who imprisons Benjamin Barker on a false charge, rapes Barker's wife Lucy, and takes Barker's daug ...

in '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' and

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

’s Father in ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

''. His other Broadway credits include ''

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. * Januar ...

'', ''

Mrs. Warren's Profession ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893, and first performed in London in 1902. The play is about a former prostitute, now a madam (brothel proprietor), who attempts to come to terms with her disapproving ...

'', '' A Doll's Life'', and '' Merlin'', and he also played Sir Danvers Carew in the 1990 world premiere of '' Jekyll & Hyde''.

Stage

Lyndeck, a former college professor, spent over a dozen years in stock and regional theater before making his

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 ...

debut in the original production of ''

''. After originating the role of John Witherspoon, Lyndeck went on to play Stephen Hopkins, Dr. Lyman Hall, and Charles Thomson before ending up on tour as John Dickinson. His best-known role is the evil

in the original production of Stephen Sondheim's ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...

'', which he also repeated for the first national tour, the 1980 television broadcast, and a 1994 production at the

North Shore Music Theatre North Shore Music Theatre is the largest operating regional theater in New England. It is located in Beverly, Massachusetts and is one of the few remaining theatre-in-the-round stages left in the United States. The theater is owned by Massachuset ...

. He earned a Drama-Logue Award for his performance in the tour's

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 ...

berth. He followed up ''Sweeney Todd'' with another Stephen Sondheim musical, ''

'', originating the role of Cinderella's Father and later playing the Mysterious Man as well. His other Broadway credits include ''

'', '' A Doll's Life'', and '' Merlin''. Lyndeck worked frequently in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

regional theater. For many years he was a fixture at the

Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (Pittsburgh CLO) is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Despite its name, the organization presents musical theatre classics rather t ...

— most notably as Scrooge in their annual musical version of '' A Christmas Carol'', a role he performed almost every year from 1992 to 2007.

Film and television

Lyndeck appeared occasionally on film and television. He was a contract player on a now-defunct

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

, '' The Doctors'', and has had guest roles in series like '' Ed'', ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class Africa ...

'', and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. His best-known film role is as the marijuana-smoking grandfather in '' Road Trip''; he is also known for his appearance in Adam Sandler's '' Big Daddy'' as Mr. Herlihy, ''

You Don't Mess with the Zohan ''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' is a 2008 American satirical action comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Judd Apatow, and produced by Sandler, Smigel, and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Sandler in ...

'' as the Pharmacist, and his most recent appearance in ''

The Notorious Bettie Page ''The Notorious Bettie Page'' is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by Mary Harron. The screenplay by Harron and Guinevere Turner focuses on 1950s pinup and bondage model Bettie Page, portrayed by Gretchen Mol. Plot Bettie Page is ...

''. He also did voiceovers for numerous television and film documentaries.

Death

Lyndeck died December 14, 2015, aged 90.

Acting credits

Theatre

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Brief interview with Lyndeck about Stephen Sondheim

Obituary - Playbill
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyndeck, Edmund 1925 births 2015 deaths American male musical theatre actors American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Male actors from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Place of death missing