Reid Shelton (October 7, 1924 – June 8, 1997) was an American

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and television actor known for appearing in productions of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

'' and ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in SA) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular pl ...

.'' He originated the role of

Oliver Warbucks Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks is a fictional character from the comic strip '' Little Orphan Annie''. He made his first appearance in the New York ''Daily News'' in the ''Annie'' strip on September 27, 1924. In the series he is said to be around 52 ye ...

in '' Annie.''

Early life and education

Shelton was born in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary bet ...

and graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Career

He appeared in over 31 TV shows from 1974 to 1990; and nine

shows from 1952 to 1983. Starting with ''

Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here may refer to: Film, television, and theater Film * ''Wish You Were Here'' (1987 film), a British comedy-drama film by David Leland * ''Wish You Were Here'' (2012 film), an Australian drama/mystery film by Kieran Darcy-Smith ...

'' in 1952, he performed several roles in ''

'' for six years from 1956 to 1962 including Freddy in the first national tour. He was Mr. Snow in the 1965

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

revival of ''Carousel'' produced by

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American ...

."Shelton Credits"
''broadwayworld.com'', retrieved July 14, 2019 His Broadway work culminated in originating the role of

in '' Annie'', which he played for six years from 1977 to 1983.''Annie''
''Playbill'' (vault), retrieved July 14, 2019 Shelton had a lead role in the HBO comedy series '' 1st & 10'' as crusty old football coach Ernie DiNardo, as well as a cameo role in ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'' as a small-time con man. His most famous TV role was Mr. Allen who ran the museum where

Blanche Devereaux Blanche Devereaux is a character from the sitcom television series '' The Golden Girls'', and its spin-off ''The Golden Palace''. Blanche was portrayed by Rue McClanahan for 8 years and 204 episodes across the two series. The charac ...

worked in ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty Wh ...

''.

Personal life

Shelton was married in 1960 to actress Mari McMinn (who also appeared in the original cast of '' Annie''). The marriage ended in divorce four years later. Shelton died of a stroke in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

, survived by his life partner of 24 years, Donovan Baker.

References

External links

* * * American gay actors 1924 births 1997 deaths American male television actors American male stage actors American male musical theatre actors Male actors from Salem, Oregon 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers University of Michigan alumni American gay musicians Grammy Award winners American LGBT singers LGBT people from Oregon Male actors from Oregon 20th-century American male singers 20th-century LGBT people {{US-theat-actor-1920s-stub