Broadway's Marcia Lewis Dies at 72

Two time Tony Award nominee and Broadway favorite Marcia Lewis passed away this morning, December 21 in her home in Nashville, Tennessee.  The beloved, 72 year old character actress lost a battle to both brain and lung cancer.  Lewis is survived by her husband, Fred Bryan.

Lewis made her Broadway debut in the original production of Hello, Dolly!, taking over the role of Ernestina. Additional theater credits included The Time of Your Life (1969), Annie, taking over the role of Miss Hannigan in April 1981, Rags (1986) (nominee, Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical), Roza (1987), Orpheus Descending with Vanessa Redgrave (1989), and the 1990 revival of Fiddler on the Roof as Golde.

Lewis appeared in the 1994 revival of Grease as Miss Lynch, and was nominated for the Tony Award, Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She also starred as the Matron in the 1996 revival of Chicago. For her work, she received nominations for the Tony Award, Best Featured Actress in a Musical and Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.

She appeared in Off-Broadway's An Impudent Wolf (1965), Who's Who Baby? (1968), and Playwrights Horizons' Romance Language (1984) and When She Danced (1990).

Lewis' television credits included guest appearances on The Bob Newhart Show (1975), Baretta (1975), The Bionic Woman (1976), Happy Days (1977, 1979), When She Was Bad (1979) and Kate and Allie (1988).

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos