Roy Brocksmith, 56; "Picket Fences" actor
Ed Varner
'Picket Fences' Actor Roy Brocksmith Dies
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Roy Brocksmith, a familiar character actor who also
staged theater works in his own home, died Sunday (Dec. 16) from complications
of diabetes. He was 56.
Brocksmith founded the California Cottage Theatre out of his home in Los
Angeles' San Fernando Valley in 1987. He and another actor were looking to
stage a monologue called "A Cold Day in Hell" but found the cost of renting an
Equity-waiver theater to be prohibitive. They set up shop in Brocksmith's
living room instead, and the "theater" staged seven productions over the
following years.
"Over 8,000 people have been in our house -- and never was anything stolen,"
Brocksmith's widow, Adele, tells the Los Angeles Times. "We had such a
wonderful time doing it."
Brocksmith played school Principal Michael Oslo on the CBS series "Picket
Fences." The show's creator, David E. Kelley, had worked with him before on
"L.A. Law" and later cast the actor in guest roles on "Ally McBeal." He also
appeared on "Seinfeld" and "Murder One" and in movies "Total Recall,"
"Arachnophobia" and "The Road to Wellville," among numerous others.
Sam Yorko
Anybody have a picture? IMDB doesn't....
Sam
Sam Yorko
Dave Sill
http://www.what-a-character.com/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=982797540
Courtesy of Google's image search.
--
Dave Sill Oak Ridge National Lab, Workstation Support
Author, The qmail Handbook <http://web.infoave.net/~dsill>
<http://www.lifewithqmail.org/>: Almost everything you always wanted to know.
Mpoconnor7
came to Mars and tried to get Arnold to take the pill.
Michael O'Connor - Modern Renaissance Man
"The probability of one person being right increases in a direct porportion to
the intensity with which others try to prove him wrong"
Matthew Hubbard
>
> I remember him from "Total Recall"; he was the guy in the
> advertisements who came to Mars and tried to get Arnold to take the
> pill.
I remember him from "Star Trek: The Next Pajamas" as the snotty
Kolrami who finally gives Riker good marks as a tactician and gets
exasperated when Data plays him to a draw in some complex game; he also
was Brother Alwyn, a monk who is a Ranger on Earth in the distant future
on "Babylon 5".
It's a real shame, he died much too young; he will be missed.
MattH
Mwest
Just saw that great Trek episode in reruns the other day and couldn't place
the voice with a face (the makeup foils me every time and I never seem to
see credits; not that I would have known the name). As with so many others
(Anne Haney comes to mind) we don't know them by name but their performances
have affected us. I think I may like character actors more than the leads.
I always appreciate the picture links but click on it with a bit of dread in
anticipation of who the "Face with the Name" will be. I was truly sorry to
see Mr. Brocksmith's face.
It's another reminder to me that insulin is not a "cure" for diabetes. It
is still a dreadful affliction that kills and disables many people well
before their time.
Kevin King
no_to...@webtv.net
http://www.what-a-character.com/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=982797540
Nell
Terrymelin
doesn't mention it or detail it again until the fourth paragraph in the obit!
Terry Ellsworth
Matthew Hubbard
>
> I think I may like character actors more than the leads.
I'm sure of it. Character actors get to do more stuff, with
the possible exception of getting the girl, in most good films and TV
shows; they get to be weak and petty and resourceful and hateful, they
get to be the butts of jokes and they get comeuppance; sometimes they
even get to be heroic, though they almost never get the girl.
MattH
Ed Varner
Picket Fences as Principal Oslo in 1992. I don't see this listed on IMDB.
Does anyne know which is correct? - ED (LA Times article listed below)
______________________________
Roy Brocksmith, 56; Made His Living Room a Theater
Roy Brocksmith, a movie and television character actor who ran what is believed
to have been the nation's only Equity-waiver theater in a private residence,
has died. He was 56.
Brocksmith, who founded the California Cottage Theatre in the late 1980s and
staged productions in the living room of his San Fernando Valley home for
nearly 10 years, died Sunday of kidney failure from complications of diabetes
at Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank.
A native of Quincy, Ill., Brocksmith made his stage debut at 3 1/2 by standing
on the bar of a tavern dressed in a sailor suit and serenading patrons with a
rendition of "Cruising Down the River." After studying theater at Quincy
University, he moved to New York in 1969 and six years later made his Broadway
debut in the Joseph Papp production of "The Leaf People." After appearing in
New York and regional theater, including stints in Anchorage directing
productions for the Alaska Repertory Theater, he moved to Los Angeles in 1986.
He worked continuously, appearing in small roles in dozens of television shows,
including "Ally McBeal," "L.A. Law" and "Picket Fences," for which he won an
Emmy nomination in 1992 for his role as a school principal.
He also performed in numerous movies such as "Total Recall," "War of the
Roses," "Arachnophobia" and the 1998 remake of "Psycho," in which he appeared,
in an uncredited cameo, as Alfred Hitchcock.
But Brocksmith's first love was theater, as an actor, writer and director.
In 1987, he and actor Michael Liscio decided to stage Jan Quackenbush's "A Cold
Day In Hell," a 35-minute monologue on euthanasia. But when they went looking
for Equity-waiver theaters, what they found were beyond their means.
So Brocksmith came up with what he thought was the perfect solution: his
1920s-vintage cottage--painted barn red with white trim and a weathercock
perched atop the chimney--on a tree-lined street in a middle-class section of
what is now Sherman Oaks.
California Cottage Theatre audience members were greeted at the driveway gate
by an actor dressed as Toby, a red-haired, freckle-faced rustic character in
bluejeans who was a staple of tent shows in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries.
The actor would lead the way past fruit trees and a doghouse to the theater
"lobby," the plant-filled back porch where coffee and home-baked cookies would
be served during intermission.
Come show time, the audience would assemble in the dining room, where folding
chairs faced the living room, which served as the stage.
Admission was free, and the audience turned up via invitation and
word-of-mouth. Reservations, however, were a must.
The Brocksmiths could accommodate 36 to 40 people, depending on whether "we
turned the couch on its back, put boards across the front and made a 'balcony.'
" said Adele, Brocksmith's wife of 37 years, who not only baked the
intermission cookies but also handled the lights and sound.
"Over 8,000 people have been in our house--and never was anything stolen," she
said with a laugh. "It was very fun. We had such a wonderful time doing it."
Each California Cottage Theatre production was performed four times one weekend
a month, and shows typically ran three to six months.
Brocksmith staged seven productions in all and wrote three of them, including
"Heddy," a musical based on Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler."
As did the actors, Brocksmith worked for free.
"He just did it for a love of doing it," said Adele Brocksmith. "He was making
money doing television, so he felt he should give something back to the
community."
The Brocksmiths staged their last California Cottage Theatre production in
1996.
"It was a hard decision to make," Adele Brocksmith said, "but we just decided
we wanted our house back as a home."
In addition to his wife, Brocksmith is survived by his son, Blake, of New York
City; and three brothers and three sisters.
The family will hold a private memorial service at 6 p.m. Dec. 30 in the
backyard of the cottage. For details, call (818) 784-1023.
Mwest
I was just watching TV and trying to describe Brocksmith to my roommate and
getting no where ("You know, the guy from Picket Fences").
We were watching Bill Murry in "Scrooged" (well, I Like it). Well Sir, not
two minutes after mentioning him there he was as the host of the kids show
with Murry in the Dog costume. I didn't remember that he was in it..... %0
Kevin King
Portabellakid
The Avocado Avenger
>'Picket Fences' Actor Roy Brocksmith Dies
>
>LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Roy Brocksmith, a familiar character actor who also
>staged theater works in his own home, died Sunday (Dec. 16) from complications
>of diabetes. He was 56.
I was just thinking about him this evening. TLC shows lots of "death
and destruction" shows on weekends and holidays, and this evening they
featured a show about spontaneous human combustion. If I recall
correctly, Brocksmith's character in "Picket Fences" died from spontaneous
human combustion.
Really, he was a terrific actor. I was shocked to see him look so ill
in the picture on Google, let alone find out he had died so young.
Stacia * The Avocado Avenger * Life is a tale told by an idiot;
http://world.std.com/~stacia/ * Full of sound and fury,
There is no guacamole anywhere. * Signifying nothing.
Brad Ferguson
<sta...@world.std.com> wrote:
> evar...@aol.comm (Ed Varner) writes:
> >'Picket Fences' Actor Roy Brocksmith Dies
> >
> >LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Roy Brocksmith, a familiar character
> >actor who also staged theater works in his own home, died Sunday
> >(Dec. 16) from complications of diabetes. He was 56.
>
> I was just thinking about him this evening. TLC shows lots of
> "death and destruction" shows on weekends and holidays, and this
> evening they featured a show about spontaneous human combustion.
> If I recall correctly, Brocksmith's character in "Picket Fences"
> died from spontaneous human combustion
That was the (original) mayor of Rome, Bill Pugen, played by Michael
Keenan. (All they found was his foot.) Roy Brocksmith played the
school principal, Michael Oslo. Oslo was never killed off.
Ed Varner
> I was just thinking about him this evening. TLC shows lots of "death
>and destruction" shows on weekends and holidays, and this evening they
>featured a show about spontaneous human combustion. If I recall
>correctly, Brocksmith's character in "Picket Fences" died from spontaneous
>human combustion.
> Really, he was a terrific actor. I was shocked to see him look so ill
>in the picture on Google, let alone find out he had died so young.
>
>
> Stacia * The Avocado Avenger
>
>
No, Principal Oslo never died on the series. It was the original Mayor, Bill
Pugen (played by Michael Keenan) who died from spontaneous human combustion.
That started a trend of dead Mayors on the show. Howard died when he commited
suicide (he had alzh. disease) so his son could have his heart, and Ed Lawson
was killed by his wife who locked him in the freezer.
Picket Fences had so many great characters, and David E Kelley hired some of
the greatest character actors to populate Rome, Wisconsin. Ray Wlaston, Roy
Dotrice, Dabbs Greer, Robert Cornthwaite, Richard Masur, Roy Brocksmith, Zelda
Rubinstein, Leigh Taylor-Young, Don Cheadle, Erica Yohn, Michael Jeter, &
Marlee Matlin, just to name a few.
It's too bad this show couldn't have enjoyed the ratings success of Kelley's
later shows. I thought it to be a much better show than "The Practice" or
"Ally McBeal".
ED
The Avocado Avenger
>>From: sta...@world.std.com (The Avocado Avenger)
>>featured a show about spontaneous human combustion. If I recall
>>correctly, Brocksmith's character in "Picket Fences" died from spontaneous
>>human combustion.
>No, Principal Oslo never died on the series. It was the original Mayor, Bill
>Pugen (played by Michael Keenan) who died from spontaneous human combustion.
My mistake. I haven't watched the show since it was picked up by TNN,
the channel that scrunches everything *and* time-compresses it by removing
frames. I kind of wondered if I had the right character in mind, because
I didn't recall the boy on the show commenting that his principal had
died.
>That started a trend of dead Mayors on the show. Howard died when he commited
>suicide (he had alzh. disease) so his son could have his heart, and Ed Lawson
>was killed by his wife who locked him in the freezer.
That was a classic series of deaths - didn't she also use a skillet?
Brad Ferguson
<sta...@world.std.com> wrote:
> evar...@aol.comm (Ed Varner) writes:
> >>From: sta...@world.std.com (The Avocado Avenger)
>
> >>featured a show about spontaneous human combustion. If I recall
> >>correctly, Brocksmith's character in "Picket Fences" died from spontaneous
> >>human combustion.
>
> >No, Principal Oslo never died on the series. It was the original Mayor,
> >Bill
> >Pugen (played by Michael Keenan) who died from spontaneous human
> >combustion.
>
> My mistake. I haven't watched the show since it was picked up by
> TNN, the channel that scrunches everything *and* time-compresses it
> by removing frames. I kind of wondered if I had the right
> character in mind, because I didn't recall the boy on the show
> commenting that his principal had died.
>
> >That started a trend of dead Mayors on the show. Howard died when
> >he commited suicide (he had alzh. disease) so his son could have
> >his heart, and Ed Lawson was killed by his wife who locked him in
> >the freezer.
>
> That was a classic series of deaths - didn't she also use a skillet?
Yes, she did. She locked Ed in the freezer and left town.
And Howard wasn't a suicide; he was shot by his son, who wound up
getting a new heart from a frozen-to-death homeless man who I think was
called the Potato Man. (Howard had gone to court to ask permission to
donate his heart to his son.)