Broadway Veteran Actor Arthur French Has Died at Age 89

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that actor Arthur French has died at age 89. French was best known for his work with the Negro Ensemble Company.

Throughout his fifty-year career, French has worked with many theatres, including Provincetown Playhouse, St. Mark's Playhouse, Theatre de Lys, Crossroads Theater Company, Plymouth Theatre, Urban Stages, 59E59, La MaMa, Hartford Stage, and more.

French's many Broadway credits include The Trip To Bountiful, Dividing The Estate, Mule Bone, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Design For Living, You Can't Take It With You, Death Of A Salesman, The Iceman Cometh, The River Niger, Ain't Supposed To Die A Natural Death, and All God's Chillun Got Wings.

He won an Obie Award (Sustained Excellence of Performance), Lucille Lortel Award (Outstanding Featured Actor, TWO TRAINS RUNNING), and 5 AUDELCO Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre (Acting & Directing).

In addition to his work on stage, French appeared in several films, including Car Wash (1976), 'Round Midnight (1986), Crooklyn (1994), Where is Joel Baum? (2012), 2 Days in New York (2013), and Movie 43 (2013).