Michael McGrath (September 25, 1957 – September 14, 2023) was an American actor. Best known for his work on the Broadway stage, he received a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

in 2012 for his performance in the musical '' Nice Work If You Can Get It''.

Career

McGrath was an ensemble member and understudy for many shows, including '' My Favorite Year'', ''

Swinging on a Star "Swinging on a Star" is an American pop standard with music composed by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was introduced by Bing Crosby in the 1944 film '' Going My Way'', winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song that year, ...

'', and '' Little Me''. He appeared in the musicals '' Anything Goes'' (2002) as Moonface Martin and in ''

Wonderful Town ''Wonderful Town'' is a 1953 musical theatre, musical with book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Leonard Bernstein. The musical tells the story of two sisters who aspire to be ...

'' (2003) as Chick Clark. McGrath played the role of Patsy in the Broadway musical ''

Spamalot ''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot: A Musical (Lovingly) Ripped Off from the Motion Picture ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail) is a musical theatre, stage musical with score by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, with lyrics and book ...

'' (2005), for which he received a nomination for a

Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality featured roles in a musi ...

. McGrath starred in the play ''

Is He Dead? ''Is He Dead?'' is a play by Mark Twain based on his earlier 1893 short story. The play, written by Twain in 1898, was first published in print in 2003 after Mark Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin read the manuscript in the archives of the Ma ...

'' on Broadway in December 2007 to February 2008 as Agamemnon Buckner. McGrath originated the role of Mr. Simmons in '' Memphis'' (Broadway, 2009). McGrath played the role of Cookie McGee in the Broadway musical '' Nice Work If You Can Get It'' (2012), for which he won the

. He also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for this performance. In 2014, he was in the A.R.T. pre-Broadway production of '' Finding Neverland'' replacing Roger Bart in the dual role of

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Frohman produced over 700 shows, and among his biggest hits was '' Peter Pan'', both ...

and Captain James Hook. McGrath appeared in a new musical ''The Honeymooners'', based on the television comedy ''

The Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It f ...

''. The musical premiered at the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater containing approximately 1,200 seats located in Millburn, within Essex County, New Jersey, United States, on the banks of the Rahway River. Due to its relative proximity to Manhattan, the theater draw ...

in Milburn, New Jersey on September 28, 2017, and starred McGrath as Ralph Kramden, Michael Mastro as Ed Norton, Leslie Kritzer as Alice Kramden, and

Laura Bell Bundy Laura Ashley Bell Bundy-Hinkle (born April 10, 1981) is an American actress and singer. Her career started as a child, when her mother entered her in beauty pageants, where she would sing as a talent. After recognizing her singing ability, her m ...

as Trixie Norton. McGrath appeared in a workshop of the musical in 2014. On television, McGrath was the announcer/sidekick on '' The Martin Short Show''. While working in the Boston production of '' Forbidden Broadway'', McGrath met his future wife, Toni DiBuono.

Personal life and death

McGrath hailed from

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

, Massachusetts. He was married to actress Toni DiBuono. Michael McGrath died at his home in

Bloomfield, New Jersey Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and an inner-ring suburb of Newark. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 53,105, an increase of 5,790 (+12.2%) from the 2010 census cou ...

, on September 14, 2023, at the age of 65, 11 days shy of his 66th birthday.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGrath, Michael 1957 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors Male actors from Worcester, Massachusetts People from Bloomfield, New Jersey Singers from Massachusetts Theatre World Award winners Tony Award winners