TV Stars - Really? They Started on the Legit Stage

Many times the general public associates an actortaking acting classes at the American Actors
with a role theyplay on a long-running television show,Workshop in Paris.
not realizing that oftenthat thespian had an activeWaterston?played numerous roles in New York,
career on the stage first. Jerry Orbachand Samincluding Jonathanin Oh, Dad, Poor, Dad,
Waterston on Law and Order, Jason Alexander onMama¡¯s Hung You in the Closet and
Seinfeld, and Patricia Heaton on Everybody LovesI¡¯m
Raymond are afew of the many actors who firstFeeling so Sad, Hamlet in Hamlet, and Signoir Benedick
trained for, cut their teeth on, andprofessionallyof Padua in
performed on the legitimate stage.Much Ado About Nothing, for which he won the
The fact is the technique most often taught toDrama desk awardfor Best Actor. Prior to becoming
American stageactors - some form of theassociated with Law and Order,he was best known
Stanislavski Method - works very nicelyon both TVfor his work in straight plays, both new andclassic. On
and film. Although there are adjustments to bestage, Waterston perfected an elegant, refined
madegoing from the stage to television, a well-trainedstyle,displaying an ability to make precise and subtle
stage actor canusually make those adjustments fairlyacting choices.
quickly.Barry Bostwick
The biggest changes have to do with the subtletyOn the Michael J. Fox sitcom Spin City, Bostwick
employed bythose acting for the camera. Stageplayed thedimwitted mayor Randall M. Winston Jr. in
actors find that physically andvocally less is more in70 episodes. Since thattime, he¡¯s
front of the camera. Additionally, a good filmorappeared on numerous hit TV shows as a guest
television actor has a sound sense of how to use thestar,including Scrubs, Cold Case and Law and Order.
cameraframe to their best advantage. An actor likeBut Bostwick hasdeep Broadway roots that include
Michael Caine is amaster at this.the creation of the role of Danny
For someone who has only done television or film,Zuko in Grease, for which he received a Best Actor
acting on thestage can be difficult. The stagein a Musicalnomination, and the creation of the lead
demands that actors sustain acharacter for longrole of Jamie Lockhart inthe musical The Robber
periods of time, something the electronic mediadoesBridegroom, for which he won the Tony.
not do. Overall, stage performing also calls for biggerBostwick, who also played in numerous straight plays,
actionsthan those needed for television and film. Ifwas knownfor his high energy and slapdash style.
someone has neverbeen trained for the theatre, thisWhile performing in hisaward winning run as Jamie
can be intimidating.Lockhart, Bostwick broke his armwhen he fell
Of course the scariest thing about acting on stage isswinging across the stage on a rope. He proved
the fact thatyou¡¯re in front of a livehewas a trouper though when, after a short
audience and if you make a mistake,recuperative period, hegot back on stage with his
youdon¡¯t get a Mulligan. Even when aarm in a cast and continued to play
television show is done in frontof a "live audience,"Lockhart, rope swing and all.
there¡¯s less pressure for the actor toPatricia Heaton
beperfect. If they "go up" (that is, forget their lines),For 70 episodes, Heaton played Debra Barone, Ray
they can make ajoke and get a laugh while "cut" isRomano¡¯s wifeon the very popular sitcom
called. They then get to try themoment, action orEverybody Loves Raymond. As a youngwoman, she
scene again. There is no "cut" in a livefocused on theatre arts at Ohio State University
stageperformance; there is only "covering" for aandthen went to New York where she studied with
flubbed line, a missedentrance, or a misplaced prop.William Esper. Shemade her debut in the Broadway
Here are a few actors that you¡¯vegospel musical Don¡¯t Get God
become familiar with ontelevision who first acted onStarted, but overall during her career in New York
the legitimate stage.she wasrelegated to small roles. With a few acting
Jerry Orbachbuddies, she started atheatre company called Stage
Orbach, who passed away in 2004, was best knownThree, which produced new works in
as thewisecracking Detective Lennie Briscoe on LawNYC. In 1989 they took their successful production
and Order. As ayoung man, he attended theof The
University of Illinois andJohnstown Vindicator to Los Angeles, where casting
Northwestern University where he studied drama.directors sawand liked Heaton. Slowly her TV career
After going tostarted to take off. But
New York, he continued to study for the stage. HeHeaton has long acknowledged that despite the fact
became closelyassociated with musicals, creating thethat shenever made it big on Broadway, her stage
role of El Gallo and singingthe well-know openingtraining has beeninstrumental to her success on
number "Try to Remember" in the long-runningtelevision.
musical The Fantasticks. He won the Tony in 1969James Gandolfini
for hisportrayal of Chuck Baxter in Promises,Gandolfini continues his run as the cold-hearted,
Promises; he sang the hitsong "I¡¯ll Neverinsecure,narcissistic Tony Soprano on
Fall in Love Again" in that show. He also playedleads inHBO¡¯s hit series The Sopranos.
Chicago (Billy Flynn) and Forty-Second Street (JulianAfterreceiving a degree in Communications from
Marsh). Most Law and Order fans don¡¯tRutgers University,
realize that Orbach had abeautiful, resonate singingGandolfini went on to study acting in the late
voice.1980¡¯s at theprestigious Actors Studio in
Bebe NeuwirthNew York City. After making hisprofessional stage
Beatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth has recently become adebut in Big El's Best Friend, he appeared inmany
regular on Lawand Order, where she plays the roleNew York productions. He made his Broadway debut
of Tracey Kibre. However, itwas on the sitcomin 1992as Steve Hubbell in the revival of Tennessee
Cheers that she found fame by playing LilithWilliams¡¯ A Streetcar
Sternin-Crane - a tough, tense psychiatrist and wifeNamed Desire, which starred Alex Baldwin and Jessica
of FrasierLang. Other
Crane. Neuwirth trained at the Julliard School and firstNew York credits included On the Waterfront, One
made hername as a dancer and actor in the nationalDay Wonder and
tour of A Chorus LineTarantulas Dancing. The same year he first appeared
(1980), where she played Cassie and Sheila. In 1982,on
sheappeared on Broadway in Dancin¡¯,Broadway, he also landed his first screen role, which
directed and choreographed bythe legendary Bobwas in Sidney
Fosse, and in the musical Little Me. Shecemented herLumet's A Stranger Among Us. Since 1992,
reputation on the Great White Way by playinghe¡¯s appeared in over
thelead in Bob Fosse¡¯s revival of the20 films. He¡¯s been Tony Soprano in over
musical Sweet Charity (1986), forwhich she won a70 episodes.
Tony. Neuwirth is an amazing, charismaticOther actors, who have either made their name or
musicalperformer, who commands the stage with herlearnedinvaluable acting lessons in the theatre before
voice and body.becoming part ofthe electronic entertainment
Jason Alexanderindustry, include Martin Sheen,
Best know as Jerry Seinfeld¡¯s obnoxiousStockard Channing, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Duvall,
best friend GeorgeMeryl Streep,and Swoosie Kurtz. These actors have
Costanza in the sitcom Seinfeld, Alexander, who waslabored hard to learn theircraft on what was the first
born Jayacting platform available to humankind -the live stage.
Greenspan in Newark, NJ, is another former TonyMovies are a little over 100 years old and television is
winner. While hewas an undergraduate at Bostonabout 75years old. The formal theatre goes back
College, Alexander was cast inover 2,500 years! It¡¯s thetrue learning and
Stephen Soundheim¡¯s Broadway musicaltesting ground for acting technique, stamina, andskill
Merrily We Roll Along. Hewon the Best Actor in Athat, once honed, can then be transferred to any
Musical Tony for his role in Jeromeother venue.
Robbin¡¯sGo to a Broadway show or a professional theatre
Broadway (1989). In the first few episodes ofnear you - youmay catch a performance by
Seinfeld, he wasn¡¯tquite sure of how tosomeone you¡¯ll see break through onthe
play George Castanza so he imitated Woodytube in the next few years. One night,
Allen.you¡¯ll be sitting in yourden or living room
Sam Waterstonwatching the next big hit drama or sitcom andsay,
On television he plays tough, no nonsense D.A. Jack"Hey, didn¡¯t we see that actor on the
McCoy in Lawand Order (1990), but originallystage?" Yeah, you did,before they were famous.
Waterston was best known for hisstage roles. HeVery cool.
went to Yale, where he did not study acting, butdid