Film and stage actor Gary Beach has died, at the age of 70.
His agent, Steven Unger, confirmed that Gary died on Tuesday, at his home in Palm Springs, California. No cause of death was offered.
Gary is best known for his role in the big screen adaptation of Roger DeBris in the big screen adaptation of Mel Brooks’ ‘The Producers’, released in 2005.
Four years prior, he won a Tony Award for the same part, having starred in the Broadway production alongside Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, both of whom joined him in the film.
Roger is one of the more memorable characters in ‘The Producers’, leading the musical number ‘Keep It Gay’ as he’s coerced into directing the intended flop ‘Springtime For Hitler’, before eventually giving a show-stopping performance in the lead role of the show-within-a-show.
Gary was nominated for two other Tonys during his career, first for his portrayal of the candelabra Lumière in ‘Beauty And The Beast’ - another role which, like Roger DeBris, he originated on Broadway - in 2001, and later for his role as Albin in a revival of ‘La Cage Aux Folles’.
His other Broadway credits include parts in ‘Annie’, ‘1776’ and the short-lived ‘Something’s Afoot’ as well as a national US tour of the Monty Python musical, ‘Spamalot’.
His final Broadway role was in a new production of ‘Les Misérables’ in 2006, where he played the innkeeper, Monsieur Thénadier.
Gary is survived by his husband, Jeffrey Barnett, who he married in New York in 2013.