Gary Beach

Gary Beach (October 10, 1947 – July 17, 2018) was an American actor, of stage, film and television best known for the role of Roger De Bris in both the stage and film productions of The Producers.

Personal life

Beach was born in Alexandria, Virginia and graduated from Groveton High School, he later went on to graduate from the North Carolina School of the Arts, the same school as his Beauty and the Beast co-star Terrence Mann. Beach and his husband, Jeffrey Barnett, resided in Palm Springs, California. It was announced on July 18, 2018, that Beach had died the previous day.

Career

Beach's television credits included both the 2003 and 2009 Kennedy Center Honors, Queer as Folk, Murder, She Wrote, Cheers, Sisters, Arli$$, and Saved by the Bell, as well as "Recording the Producers", a documentary for PBS. Beach also lent his voice to FOX's Family Guy where he played Dale, in the now infamous 'banned from television' episode, "Partial Terms of Endearment" (available on DVD).

In 1994, Beach originated the comical role of Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, a performance that earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. In 2001, he originated the stage role of Roger DeBris in The Producers for which he won the Tony Award for Featured Actor in a Musical. In 2004, he starred as Albin in the Broadway revival of La Cage aux Folles, earning him his third Tony nomination, this time for Leading Actor. After starring in the 2005 film version of The Producers, Beach returned to his stage role as Roger De Bris while the movie was in release, becoming the first artist to play the same part on Broadway and in movie theaters at the same time. In 2006, Beach played the role of Thénardier in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables, a role he had originated in the Los Angeles production. Previously, he performed in the chorus for the 1989 Les Misérables: Complete Symphonic Recording. In March 2008, Beach joined the United States national tour cast of Monty Python's Spamalot in the lead role of King Arthur.

Beach's other Broadway credits included Annie, Doonesbury, The Moony Shapiro Songbook, Broadway Bash, Sweet Adeline (Encores), Something's Afoot and 1776. He toured nationally with the James Kirkwood comedy Legends! starring Mary Martin and Carol Channing. In addition to his Broadway credits, Beach was well known for his Summer stock theatre performances. Before his death, he frequently returned to Sacramento as a Music Circus favorite in shows such as Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and Spamalot.

Awards and nominations

Stage productions

• Les Misérables (revival) (2006–2008)
• La Cage aux Folles (revival) (2004)
• Funny Girl (benefit concert) (2002)
• The Producers (2001)
• Beauty and the Beast (1994)
• Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy (1983)
• The Moony Shapiro Songbook (1981)
• Annie (1977–1983)
• Something's Afoot (1976)
• 1776 (1969–1972)

National tours

• Annie
• Beauty and the Beast
• Les Misérables
• Legends (with Mary Martin and Carol Channing)
• Spamalot