Michael Higgins (actor)
| Michael Higgins | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Michael Patrick Higgins, Jr. January 20, 1920 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died |
November 5, 2008 (aged 88) Manhattan, New York |
| Years active | 1949–2008 |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Lee (Betty) Goodwin (1946–2008) (his death) 3 children |
Michael Patrick Higgins, Jr. (January 20, 1920 – November 5, 2008) was an American actor who appeared in film and on stage, and was best known for his role in the original Broadway production of Equus.
Early life
Higgins was born in Brooklyn on January 20, 1920, the son of Mary Katherine (née McGowan) and Michael Peter Higgins, a poet and grocer who worked in the insurance business.[1] He made efforts as a teenager to rid himself of his Brooklyn accent, hoping for a future career in theater. His father gave him an early a love of Shakespeare. He served in the United States Army in Italy during World War II, where he earned a Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart.[2]
Career
After returning from military service, Higgins made his Broadway debut on February 18, 1946 in a production of Antigone (1946), starring Katharine Cornell and Sir Cedric Hardwicke in a modern-dress adaptation of the Sophocles play based on Jean Anouilh's French version.[2][3] Higgins played the role of the Third Guard.[4]
Higgins appeared in the original Broadway production of Peter Shaffer's Equus in the role of Frank Strang, the father of a youth who blinds horses, alongside Peter Firth as the youth, Frances Sternhagen as Alan’s mother and Anthony Hopkins as his psychiatrist.[2] As part of cast that Clive Barnes called "exemplary", Walter Kerr found Higgins "excellent as a father turned ashen when caught out at a skin flick".[5][6]
Among his Broadway performances are Romeo and Juliet as Benvolio with Olivia de Havilland in 1951, Jean Anouilh's The Lark in 1955 with Julie Harris and Christopher Plummer, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh with James Earl Jones at Circle in the Square Theatre in 1973, and the 1980 production of Mixed Couples, his final Broadway appearance. In 1963, he starred in Antony and Cleopatra opposite Colleen Dewhurst, in Joseph Papp's Shakespeare Festival in Central Park. He won two Obie Awards for his work Off Broadway; for his 1958 performance as John Proctor in The Crucible and in 1980 in David Mamet's play Reunion.[2] He won a Drama Desk Award in 1978 for his role in Molly, earning honors as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play.[4]
He appeared in early live television productions including Kraft Television Theatre, Academy Theatre and Studio One, as well as on Ben Casey, Gunsmoke and The Andy Griffith Show. From 1949 to 1951, he played the role of Johnny Roberts on the NBC television series One Man's Family.[7]
Later in his career he worked primarily on screen, appearing in over 50 films. He co-starred in Coppola's The Conversation, and Barbara Loden's Wanda. He appeared in Angel Heart, The Black Stallion, The Seduction of Joe Tynan, The Stepford Wives, and Mamet's State and Main, as well as the 2008 release Synecdoche, New York, among many others.[4][7]
Higgins died at age 88 on November 5, 2008 at Beth Israel Medical Center of heart failure.[2]
Selected Filmography
- The Arrangement (1969)
- Wanda (1970)
- Desperate Characters (1971)
- The Conversation (1974)
- The Stepford Wives (1975)
- An Enemy of the People (1978)
- The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979)
- The Black Stallion (1979)
- Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981)
- A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982)
- Staying Alive (1983)
- Rumble Fish (1983)
- Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)
- 1918 (1985)
- Seven Minutes in Heaven (1985)
- On Valentine's Day (1986)
- Angel Heart (1987)
- Crusoe (1988)
- New York Stories (1989)
- Dead Bang (1989)
- The Local Stigmatic (1990)
- Death Becomes Her (1992)
- Wind (1992)
- School Ties (1992)
- The Impostors (1998)
- Just the Ticket (1999)
- State and Main (2000)
- Swimfan (2002)
- Off the Black (2006)
- The Savages (2007)
- The Favor (2007)
- Synecdoche, New York (2008)
- An American Carol (2008)
References
- ↑ Michael Higgins Biography (1925-)
- 1 2 3 4 5 Fox, Margalit. "Michael Higgins, an Actor Popular on New York Stages, Dies at 88", The New York Times, November 10, 2008. Accessed November 11, 2008.
- ↑ Zolotow, Sam. "'ANTIGONE' OPENS AT CORT TONIGHT; Katharine Cornell, Sir Cedric Hardwicke to Star in Modern Dress Version of Classic", The New York Times, February 18, 1946. Accessed November 11, 2008.
- 1 2 3 Simonson, Robert. "Michael Higgins, Obie-Winning Actor, Dies at 88", Playbill, November 11, 2008. Accessed November 11, 2008.
- ↑ Barnes, Clive. "Theater Review: Equus", The New York Times, October 25, 1974. Accessed November 11, 2008.
- ↑ Kerr, Walter. "'Equus' Takes Risks and Emerges Victorious; STAGE VIEW", The New York Times, November 3, 1974. Accessed November 11, 2008.
- 1 2 "Michael Higgins at IMDB". IMDb.