Actor. Born Richard Robert Latessa, he was best known for his Tony Award-winning performance on the Broadway play "Hairspray" where he played the patriarch of the Turnblad clan Wilbur Turnblad. After serving in the Army in the early 1950s, he began performing in Cleveland before moving to New York to pursue acting professionally. After making his Broadway debut in 1968 in the play "The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N", he went on to perform in such plays as "Damn Yankees", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", "Cabaret", and "The Will Rogers Follies". In 2002 he was awarded both the Tony and Drama Desk Award for his performance in the play "Hairspray". He also made many appearances on television with such credits as "Mission: Impossible", "Ironside", "Spenser: For Hire", "True Blue", "C.P.W.", "Law & Order", "The Good Wife", and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". He also appeared in such films as "Stigmata" (1999), "Alfie"(2004), "The Last New Yorker" (2007), and "A Buddy Story" (2010).
Actor. Born Richard Robert Latessa, he was best known for his Tony Award-winning performance on the Broadway play "Hairspray" where he played the patriarch of the Turnblad clan Wilbur Turnblad. After serving in the Army in the early 1950s, he began performing in Cleveland before moving to New York to pursue acting professionally. After making his Broadway debut in 1968 in the play "The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N", he went on to perform in such plays as "Damn Yankees", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", "Cabaret", and "The Will Rogers Follies". In 2002 he was awarded both the Tony and Drama Desk Award for his performance in the play "Hairspray". He also made many appearances on television with such credits as "Mission: Impossible", "Ironside", "Spenser: For Hire", "True Blue", "C.P.W.", "Law & Order", "The Good Wife", and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". He also appeared in such films as "Stigmata" (1999), "Alfie"(2004), "The Last New Yorker" (2007), and "A Buddy Story" (2010).
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
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2003 TONY AWARD
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