Keith Prentice (February 21, 1940 – September 27, 1992) was an American TV, film and stage actor, whose most famous role was the part of Larry in both the original stage and film version of '' The Boys in the Band''. He also appeared on the TV

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...

'' during the series' final months in 1971. For a number of years, his picture was displayed on the Taster's Choice coffee label. Prentice studied in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

. His stage musical credits include '' Sail Away'', ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

'', '' Paint Your Wagon'', and ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childr ...

''. In 1968, he appeared

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in the play ''The Boys in the Band'', a once controversial play featuring gay characters at a dramatic birthday party the summer before the

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, Stonewall revolution, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous riots and demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of ...

. He also appeared in the 1970 film version of the play. In 1971, Prentice joined the cast of ''Dark Shadows'' playing Morgan Collins in the show's 1841 plot with parallel time. He also appeared as Nils Fowler in the 1972 film ''

The Legend of Nigger Charley ''The Legend of Nigger Charley'' (released as ''The Legend of Black Charley'' for television broadcast) is a 1972 blaxploitation Western film directed by Martin Goldman and starring Fred Williamson in the title role. The story of a trio of esca ...

'' and had a small role in the 1980 film '' Cruising'' which, like ''The Boys in the Band'', was directed by

William Friedkin William David Friedkin (; August 29, 1935 – August 7, 2023) was an American film, television and opera director, producer, and screenwriter who was closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in doc ...

. In 1982, Prentice co-founded Kettering Theatre Under the Stars in

Kettering, Ohio Kettering is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. It is an inner suburb of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton. The city had a population of 57,862 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most populous suburb in the Dayton metr ...

, and directed summer shows there until he died of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

-related cancer on September 27, 1992.Dark Shadows Journal Online: Keith Prentice
Retrieved 18 May 2012

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prentice, Keith 1940 births 1992 deaths American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors American gay actors Male actors from Dayton, Ohio AIDS-related deaths in Ohio 20th-century American male actors Deaths from cancer in Ohio 20th-century American LGBTQ people