Anthony DeFonte - actor, director
Bob Feigel
SACRAMENTO BEE
Obituary: Anthony DeFonte, nationally known in theater
By Marcus Crowder -- Bee Theater Critic
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, July 25, 2004
Anthony DeFonte was known as a big man with an even bigger heart. But
it was his heart that gave out Monday night when the respected
Sacramento theater professional died of a heart attack at his North
Sacramento home.
He was 56.
Mr. DeFonte was a nationally known actor, director and theater
educator who moved to Sacramento from Seattle in 2001.
He moved here, friends said, to be with the woman he called his "soul
mate and the love of his life."
Mr. DeFonte met Suzanne Connors in the lobby of the B Street Theatre
in 2001, when he was performing in "Arms and the Man" with the
Sacramento Theatre Company.
The couple were married in 2003 and moved four months ago into a home
they had purchased in North Sacramento.
Actress Julia Brothers, who met Mr. DeFonte at a Bay Area audition in
the 1980s, said he was a person anyone could feel comfortable with.
They played opposite each other in the 2001 STC production of
"Educating Rita."
"It happened during 9/11, and his qualities as an artist and a person
helped all of us get through an extremely difficult time," Brothers
said. "He was an amazingly compassionate and sensitive man. His big
Italian bear hugs were given out quite freely and quite often during
that time. He was a big-hearted person, and that always showed in his
work."
Brothers said Mr. DeFonte had gone through personal difficulties
before moving to Sacramento. "After he met Suzanne, the light in his
eyes was just like Broadway neon. He had finally found a perfect blend
of things he wanted in his life - a great theatrical community and his
true soul mate. He was so happy to be here."
Born in Chicago and educated at the University of Delaware, Mr.
DeFonte was a 35-year veteran of stage, film and television.
He had extensive classical experience from eight years with the acting
company of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, as well as his work with
the Utah Shakespearean Festival and California Actors Theatre. He
performed in regional theaters throughout the United States, including
the acclaimed Actors Theatre of Louisville, the McCarter Theatre in
New Jersey and Shakespeare in the Park in Fort Worth, Texas.
After coming to Sacramento, Mr. DeFonte often worked at STC, starring
in "Educating Rita" as Dr. Frank Bryant, working in two productions of
"Cinderella" and taking on roles in "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" and
"Arcadia."
In 2003, he directed "Art" at STC and Richard Broadhurst's "Inside,"
the premiere production at the rebuilt Guild Theatre in Oak Park. The
previous year, he had directed "Over the River and Through the Woods"
at the Delta King Theatre.
Mr. DeFonte also worked as the director of STC's Educational Outreach
Program, and he had a noted passion and interest in bringing theater
to younger, newer audiences. He left STC in 2003 and had hoped to
develop a professional theater company.
Actor Greg Alexander, whom DeFonte directed in "Art," knew the actor
in the late 1970s when both lived on the East Coast. When Alexander
helped Mr. DeFonte move, there was very little furniture but endless
crates of theater books and plays.
"Tony had such a tremendous enthusiasm for the text and a tremendous
enthusiasm for theater," Alexander said. "When he came here, I thought
what a great addition to the Sacramento theater community. He will
really be missed."
Mr. DeFonte played many of Shakespeare's most demanding roles,
including King Lear, Macbeth and Shylock.
Anthony DeFonte
Born: Oct. 23, 1947
Died: July 19, 2004
Remembered for: Extensive professional theater career throughout the
United States as an actor, director and educator.
Survived by: Wife, Suzanne Connors of Sacramento; daughter, Regina
DeFonte of Dallas; stepchildren, Matt and Amanda Connors of
Sacramento; and brothers, Robert DeFonte of Valencia and John DeFonte
of Atascadero.
Services: 9 a.m. Saturday at Religious Science Creative Living Center,
4868 San Juan Ave., Fair Oaks. Donations may be made to Broadway
Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, 165 West 46th St., Suite 1300, New York, NY
10036.
About the Writer
---------------------------
The Bee's Marcus Crowder can be reached at (916) 321-1120 or write him
P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento CA, 95852 or mcro...@sacbee.com.
"When weaving nets, all threads count." - Charlie Chan
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