Tony Nominee Mark Baker Passes Away at 71

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Mark Baker, a Broadway veteran and Tony nominee, passed away yesterday, August 13. He was 71 years old.

Baker was best known for the title role in Harold Prince's revival of Candide, for which he received an Tony nomination, and his portrayal of Otto Kringelein in the international tour of Grand Hotel.

Mark Baker was born in Cumberland, Maryland on October 2, 1946, to parents Francis Tweedie and Aretta Sue Swayne. Baker attended Carnegie Mellon University and Wittenberg University. He trained for the stage at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City.

Baker made his professional acting debut portraying Linus in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown in a 1970 off-Broadway production. He later made his Broadway theatre debut in November 1972 playing Cook in Via Galactica, now considered one of the worst flops in Broadway history. Baker appeared on Broadway again in 1974 in the title role of Candide, a performance which earned him a Theatre World Award and a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. From 1990 to 1991, Baker appeared as Otto Kringelein in the Broadway international tour of Grand Hotel at venues throughout America, Canada and Japan, and received a Helen Hayes Award for his performance at the Kennedy Center.

In 1976, Mark Baker appeared in the romantic adventure film Swashbuckler. The following year, he supplied the voice acting for Raggedy Andy in the animated film Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. Baker served as assistant director to Ken Russell in the 1977 film Valentino.