Michael Tolan, Stage and Television Actor, Dies at 85
Matthew Kruk
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/arts/television/04tolan.html?ref=obituaries
February 4, 2011
Michael Tolan, Stage and Television Actor, Dies at 85
By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
Michael Tolan, an actor who became a recurring presence on television in
the 1960s and '70s after walking away from film and Broadway but who
returned to the stage to help found the American Place Theater, a
successful Off Broadway house, died on Monday in Hudson, N.Y. He was 85.
The cause was heart disease and renal failure, his partner, Donna Peck,
said. They lived in Ancram, N.Y.
By the early 1960s Mr. Tolan had had roles in films, like Edwin L. Marin's
western "Fort Worth" (1951), and on Broadway, including big parts in
long-running romantic comedies like Peter Ustinov's "Romanoff and
Juliet." But he was dissatisfied.
"This Broadway is for the birds," he told The New York Times in 1965.
"In 99 percent of the cases it has nothing to do with acting as a craft,
as an art."
So Mr. Tolan began acting in televised plays, which led to roles on
weekly series. In 1964 he starred as Dr. Alex Tazinski, a character he
called "hard-hitting, uncompromising, somewhat antisocial" on the CBS
prime-time medical drama "The Doctors and the Nurses."
He later starred on the NBC drama "The Senator" (1970-71) and appeared
on other shows, including "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," as Ms. Moore's
journalism teacher and boyfriend, Dan Whitfield.
Mr. Tolan founded the nonprofit American Place Theater with Wynn Handman
and Sidney Lanier at St. Clement's Church on West 46th Street in 1963.
The theater has since moved to 9th Avenue between 44th and 45th Streets.
"We wanted to attract some of the writers who wrote fine, intelligent,
deep material about American life, and see if we could interest them in
writing for the theater," Mr. Tolan wrote in an unpublished memoir.
The American Place produced first plays by writers like Donald Barthelme
and Anne Sexton. Faye Dunaway, Morgan Freeman and other Hollywood stars
performed there early in their careers.
Michael Tolan was born Seymour Tuchow on Nov. 27, 1925, in Detroit. He
graduated from Wayne State University in 1947 and performed with a
repertory company in Detroit. In New York he studied under Stella Adler
and won a fellowship to study acting at Stanford University.
A performance at Stanford led to his first movie role, as a gangster
(under the name Lawrence Tolan, which he later changed) in "The
Enforcer" (1951) with Humphrey Bogart.
He made his Broadway debut in George Axelrod's "Will Success Spoil Rock
Hunter?" in 1955, and appeared in five more Broadway plays through 1961.
He later had supporting roles in "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965)
and "Presumed Innocent" (1990), among other films.
His two marriages ended in divorce.
In addition to Ms. Peck, he is survived by a brother, Gerald Tuchow, of
Detroit; a daughter, Alexandra, of Watertown, Mass., from his first
marriage, to the actress Rosemary Forsyth; and two daughters, Jenny and
Emilie, both of New York, from his marriage to Carol Hume.
Brad Ferguson
Matthew Kruk <nob...@home.com> wrote:
> (Photo at URL - "Oh yeah ... him ...")
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/arts/television/04tolan.html?ref=obituaries
>
> February 4, 2011
> Michael Tolan, Stage and Television Actor, Dies at 85
> By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
>
> Michael Tolan, an actor who became a recurring presence on television in
> the 1960s and '70s after walking away from film and Broadway but who
> returned to the stage to help found the American Place Theater, a
> successful Off Broadway house, died on Monday in Hudson, N.Y. He was 85.
I used to see him all the time at the Green Kitchen on 77th and First
in Manhattan. Good breakfast place.
Ah. Still there, according to Google Street View, although the sign's
different. Jimmy Cagney was said to have lived in that building when
he was a kid. There was a bordello on the opposite corner. At night,
Cagney would watch the security thug guarding the door. He once said
he'd copied many of his gangster moves from that guy.
Matthew Kruk
"Brad Ferguson" <thir...@frXOXed.net> wrote in message
news:040220110526435563%thir...@frXOXed.net...
Thanks Brad. As usual, some good comments and observations from you.
Hyfler/Rosner
>>
>> Michael Tolan, an actor who became a recurring presence on television in
>> the 1960s and '70s after walking away from film and Broadway but who
>> returned to the stage to help found the American Place Theater, a
>> successful Off Broadway house, died on Monday in Hudson, N.Y. He was 85.
>
>
> I used to see him all the time at the Green Kitchen on 77th and First
> in Manhattan. Good breakfast place.
>
> Ah. Still there, according to Google Street View, although the sign's
> different. Jimmy Cagney was said to have lived in that building when
> he was a kid. There was a bordello on the opposite corner. At night,
> Cagney would watch the security thug guarding the door. He once said
> he'd copied many of his gangster moves from that guy.
Jeez, Brad, you used Google Street view when you could have asked me?
Green Kitchen still there, renovated somewhat, food still hearty and
awful. My son's favorite joint, if the credit card is any indication.
We all went together a couple of years ago. Me, Bill Schenley and my son.
I used to see Tolan at the 77th Street subway stop, so that makes sense
now. He lived in the nabe.
Hyfler/Rosner
> In article<_wM2p.357639$Ph5.1...@en-nntp-07.dc1.easynews.com>,
> Matthew Kruk<nob...@home.com> wrote:
>
>> (Photo at URL - "Oh yeah ... him ...")
>>
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/arts/television/04tolan.html?ref=obituaries
>>
>> February 4, 2011
>> Michael Tolan, Stage and Television Actor, Dies at 85
>> By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
>>
> he was a kid. There was a bordello on the opposite corner. At night,
> Cagney would watch the security thug guarding the door. He once said
> he'd copied many of his gangster moves from that guy.
Yes, he did. In fact, he is the most famous grad (after Michael
Rapaport and Cynthia Nixon) of my kids' elementary school, one block
further east on York.
P.S. 158.
Brad Ferguson
<rel...@rcn.com> wrote:
> Jeez, Brad, you used Google Street view when you could have asked me?
At four in the morning? Besides, I also looked at Italian Village and
my old building. I still miss Italian Village. Nobody down here knows
how to do that stuff right.
Matthew Kruk
news:iigoi0$a6m$1...@reader1.panix.com...
Thanks Amelia ...
Matthew Kruk
Joe Pucillo
> In fact, he is the most famous grad (after Michael
> Rapaport and Cynthia Nixon) of my kids' elementary school, one block
> further east on York.
Oh, yeah. Cynthia Nixon is much, much more famous than Jimmy
Cagney. :-)
We're getting old....
JP
Kris Baker
"Joe Pucillo" <new...@pucillo.net.xx> wrote in message
news:MPG.27b5d9e06...@news.east.earthlink.net...
For the oldies in the fly-over states, Tolan's about halfway down
this page:
http://www.mtmshow.com/castremcast.html
Kris
hyfler/rosner
I actually meant to write before or along with but I was hoping no one
would notice....
casa...@nospam.home
>>(Photo at URL - "Oh yeah ... him ...")
>>
>>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/arts/television/04tolan.html?ref=obituaries
>>
>>February 4, 2011
>>Michael Tolan, Stage and Television Actor, Dies at 85
>>By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
>>
>>Michael Tolan, an actor who became a recurring presence on television in
>>the 1960s and '70s after walking away from film and Broadway but who
>>returned to the stage to help found the American Place Theater, a
>>successful Off Broadway house, died on Monday in Hudson, N.Y. He was 85.
>>
>>The cause was heart disease and renal failure, his partner, Donna Peck,
>>said. They lived in Ancram, N.Y.
>>
>>By the early 1960s Mr. Tolan had had roles in films, like Edwin L. Marin's
>>western "Fort Worth" (1951), and on Broadway, including big parts in
>>long-running romantic comedies like Peter Ustinov's "Romanoff and
>>Juliet." But he was dissatisfied.
>>
>>"This Broadway is for the birds," he told The New York Times in 1965.
>>"In 99 percent of the cases it has nothing to do with acting as a craft,
>>as an art."
>>
>>So Mr. Tolan began acting in televised plays, which led to roles on
>>weekly series. In 1964 he starred as Dr. Alex Tazinski, a character he
>>called "hard-hitting, uncompromising, somewhat antisocial" on the CBS
>>prime-time medical drama "The Doctors and the Nurses."
>>
in "The Journey of the Fifth Horse". Hoffman won an
Obie for his perfomance. Michael Tolan played Chulkaturin,
the alter-ego to Hoffman's character, in a performance
at least as good. He brought great subtlety to the role,
a quality that often gets overlooked at awards time, but
which requires at least as much skill as the award winners.
BobF
On Fri, 01 Jun 2012 14:58:37 -0500, casa...@nospam.home shouted from
the highest rooftop:
>>>By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
>>>
>>>Michael Tolan, an actor who became a recurring presence on television in
>>>the 1960s and '70s after walking away from film and Broadway but who
>>>returned to the stage to help found the American Place Theater, a
>>>successful Off Broadway house, died on Monday in Hudson, N.Y.
--
"It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens." - Woody Allen
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