Leonard Frey

Leonard Frey (September 4, 1938 – August 24, 1988) was an American actor. Frey received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1971 musical film Fiddler on the Roof. He made his stage debut in an Off-Broadway production of Little Mary Sunshine and received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for The National Health.

Life and career

Frey was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family.<ref name=NYT/> After attending James Madison High School,<ref name=NYT/> he studied art at Cooper Union, with designs on becoming a painter, then switched to acting at New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse<ref name=NYT/> under acting coach Sanford Meisner, and pursued a career in theater.

Frey received critical acclaim in 1968 for his performance as Harold in off-Broadway's The Boys in the Band.<ref name=NYT/> He appeared with the rest of the original cast in the 1970 film version, directed by William Friedkin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Frey was nominated for a 1975 Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in The National Health. Other stage credits included revivals of The Time of Your Life (1969), Beggar on Horseback (1970), Twelfth Night (1972) and The Man Who Came to Dinner (1980). He also played Clare Quilty in the Alan Jay Lerner musical Lolita, My Love which closed, before reaching Broadway, in 1971.

Frey was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Motel the tailor in Norman Jewison's 1971 film Fiddler on the Roof (he had appeared in the original Broadway musical production as Mendel, the rabbi's son). Other film credits included roles in The Magic Christian (1969), Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970), Where the Buffalo Roam (1980),<ref name=NYT2/> Up the Academy (1980),<ref name=NYT2/> and Tattoo (1981).<ref name=NYT2/>

Frey's television credits included appearances on Hallmark Hall of Fame; Medical Center; Mission Impossible; Eight Is Enough; Quincy, M.E.; Hart to Hart; Barney Miller (1975 episode: 'The Escape Artist' & 1980 episode: 'Vanished', part 2); Moonlighting; Murder, She Wrote; and the miniseries Testimony of Two Men, as well as a co-starring role as the villainous Parker Tillman on the short-lived ABC western comedy Best of the West,<ref name=NYT2>Template:Cite news</ref> and Raymond Holyoke on Mr. Smith, which ran for 13 episodes on NBC in fall 1983. He also appeared as a panelist on the game shows Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, Body Language and Super Password.

On The Mary Tyler Moore Show episode titled "Ted Baxter's Famous Broadcaster's School," airing February 22, 1975,<ref name=TVG/> Frey played the role of “The Student.”<ref name=TVG>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Frey's final role was Walter Witherspoon in the television movie Bride of Boogedy.

Death

Frey, who was gay, died at age 49 from complications of AIDS in New York on August 24, 1988, 11 days before his 50th birthday.<ref name=NYT>Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1963	The Fat Black Pussycat
1966	Passages from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake	Celebrant
1969	The Magic Christian	Laurence Faggot
1970	The Boys in the Band	Harold
1970	Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon	Guiles
1971	Fiddler on the Roof	Motel
1980	Where the Buffalo Roam	Desk Clerk
1980	Up the Academy	Keck
1981	Tattoo	Halsey
1982	The Sound of Murder

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
1971	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Fiddler on the Roof	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1970	Laurel Awards	Star of Tomorrow – Male	The Boys in the Band	Template:Draw
1975	Tony Awards	Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Play	The National Health	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

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