Robert LuPone

Robert LuPone Headshot

Actor

Birth Date: July 29, 1946

Death Date: August 27, 2022

Birth Place: Brooklyn, New York

One of Patti LuPone's twin older brothers, Robert LuPone performed with siblings William and Patti as The LuPone Trio during the 1960s. He made his Broadway debut in "Minnie's Boys" in 1970 and later acted onstage in "Jesus Christ Superstar" (1971), as well as appearing in the 1973 film version. His role as the choreographer-director Zach in the original Broadway production of "A Chorus Line" (1975) earned him a Tony nomination as Featured Actor in a Musical, and his subsequent Broadway parts included the Dauphin in a revival of George Bernard Shaw's "Saint Joan" (1977) and David in "Late Night Comic" (1987). Off-Broadway he appeared as John Lennon (and other parts) in "Lennon" (1982), and he acted in Joseph Abady's world premiere of "On the Waterfront" at the Cleveland Playhouse in 1989. Like many NYC-based performers, LuPone amassed extensive credits in daytime serials but he is perhaps best recalled for his Emmy-nominated portrayal of relentless extortionist Zach Grayson on ABC's "All My Children" from 1984 to 1985 and as Roger Thorpe's sleazy attorney Leo Flynn on "Guiding Light," a part he's essayed on and off since 1991.

Though primarily a stage actor, LuPone portrayed the stockbroker who falls for Sally Kirkland's hooker with a heart of gold in "High Stakes" (1989) and played Attorney Salvatore Rizzo in "Dead Presidents" (1995), among his feature roles. On primetime TV, he essayed Andre Previn in the Fox miniseries "Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story" (1995), appeared over the years in multiple episodes of the NBC series "Law & Order" and had a recurring role as Tony Soprano's next-door neighbor, Dr. Cusamano, in HBO's popular "The Sopranos." LuPone co-founded the Manhattan Class Company in 1984 and has shared executive director duties with Bernard Telsey since, not to mention helming several productions for the theater company. As for stage acting, he portrayed the puritanically stiff Hermocrates in the regional production of the musical "Triumph of Love" (1997) and on Broadway played the charming world-weary lawyer Alfieri in a revival of Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge" (1998) and appeared as movie producer Saul Kimmer in Sam Shepard's "True West" (2000).

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