Broadway Actress Grace Keagy Dies at 87

Broadway actress Grace Keagy died of ovarian cancer in Rochester, New York on Sunday, October 4, at the age of 87.

Born Grace Stambaugh in Youngstown, Ohio, Keagy trained as both a pianist and singer at the New England Conservatory, where she studied opera with Boris Goldowsky. While still a student she sang in Leonard Bernstein's production of Copland's Second Hurricane. Her performing career was put on hold for two decades after marrying a career army officer and raising five children. After eventually settling in Minneapolis, she returned to the stage in character roles with Center Opera Company, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, and then in 1967 with the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre, where she worked with Sir Guthrie himself.

In 1973, at the age of 51, she moved to New York and immediately landed the Ethel Merman role in the Equity Library Showcase production of Call Me Madam. Keagy made her Broadway debut in 1975 in Goodtime Charley with Joel Grey and Ann Reinking and thereafter worked virtually non-stop for the next fifteen seasons. In 1979 alone she created roles in The Grand Tour and Carmelina (Drama Desk Award nomination) and replaced Delores Wilson in I Remember Mama. That year she also appeared as Aunt Eller on Broadway and on the national tour of Oklahoma!. She played Lauren Bacall's German maid Helga in Woman of the Year (1981) for its entire Broadway run (also working with Raquel Welch and Debbie Reynolds).

She also performed in musicals and straight plays with many major regional theaters, including Yale Repertory Theater, Arena Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Hartford Stage Company, Arizona Theater Company, and the Denver Center Theatre Company.

Keagy made her television debut in 1985 and appeared numerous times on As the World Turns, One Life to Live, The Doctors, Ryan's Hope, and Search for Tomorrow. She came out of retirement in Tucson, Arizona in 1996 at Jerry Herman's request to play a featured part in the Christmas television special Mrs. Santa Claus starring Angela Lansbury.

Keagy made a number of national commercials, including a Cleo-winning one for Dunkin Donuts. In recent years she served as a regional judge for the annual Lotte Lenya Singing Competition.

She was predeceased by her second husband Robert, and leaves behind two sons, a step-son, three daughters, twelve grandchildren, and eleven great grandchildren.