# TV/movie actors you've seen live on stage. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 9, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347 "2012-05-09T01:49:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/1 "2012-05-09T01:49:38Z")
I’m thinking about people who are best known for movie or TV roles, but who, you’ve actually seen perform live. In my case, most were back in the 60s and early 70s, when I went to some shows on and off Broadway. Some I saw back then included (asterisks indicate those who were unknown at the time I saw them) Bette Midler\* (_Fiddler on the Roof_) Christopher Lloyd\* (_Red, White, and Maddox_) Linda Lavin\*, Joanne Worley\* (_The Mad Show_) Linda Lavin\*, Jack Cassady (It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman) Valarie Harper\* (_Story Theatre)_ William Daniels\*, Howard DeSilva (_1776_) Yvonne De Carlo (_Follies_) Gilda Radner, Sam Waterston (_Lunch Hour_) Then there was a long gap until: Petula Clark (_Sunset Boulevard_) In the past couple of years: Tony Shaloub, Anthony LaPaglia (_Lend Me a Tenor_) Chris Rock (_The Motherfucker with the Hat_) It’s probably a pretty meager list compared to people who live in LA or New York. Who have you been able to see live on stage? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/2 "2012-05-09T02:00:04Z")
I saw Tim Curry in **Me and my Girl** in Los Angeles Patrick Stewart in **A Christmas Carol** , also in Los Angeles ---
**Author:** ![Anna\_Nimity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Anna\_Nimity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anna_Nimity)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/3 "2012-05-09T02:03:11Z")
I saw Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway in Hello Dolly in New York and Peter O’Toole in Macbeth in London. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/4 "2012-05-09T02:06:41Z")
I saw Charlton Heston in **Love Letters** , and Alan Thicke in **Chicago**. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/5 "2012-05-09T02:07:20Z")
I saw Rip Taylor in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (1997ish). I heard that he had replaced JoAnne Worley in the role of Pseudolus (Myrtle Beach SC). I also happened to see Rip Taylor in a Houlihan’s restaurant in DC in 1988. He was in some play by or about Cole Porter, I think. Oddly, I think he’s the only notable celebrity I’ve ever seen twice in person. I saw Bernadette Peters in “Annie, Get Your Gun” (1999). ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/6 "2012-05-09T02:08:09Z")
Brian Dennehy is a much smaller man than I imagined. He does hulking so well. I can’t recall what I saw him in, but it was at The Goodman, and it was undoubtedly something by an Irish playwright. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/7 "2012-05-09T02:17:12Z")
Saw **Kate Mulgrew** in _Major Barbara_ in Seattle, sometime in the 80’s. Went to a bookstore when **John Lithgow** was reading one of his children’s books (and he sang a couple songs), does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/8 "2012-05-09T02:25:51Z")
**Morgan Freeman** in _Gospel at Colonus_, late 1980s. (He was still “The Electric Company guy” to my wife.) **Ian McKellen** in _Richard III_, early 1990s I think. Awesome. **Michael York** in _Camelot_, 2009 or 2010. Horrid, horrible, unspeakable. **Tom Bosley** in _On Golden Pond_. Not bad. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/9 "2012-05-09T03:03:40Z")
I waited in line on the NYC sidewalk in the rain for 8 hours overnight to get tickets for Shakespeare in the Park’s _The Tempest_, starring Patrick Stewart. Amazing. Worth every moment of waiting. There was a great moment at the end, Stewart signaled to the sound guy to cut his mike, and he delivered Prospero’s final speech un-amplified, filling an open-air amphitheater with just his voice. So awesome. Oh, and I also saw Andre Braugher as Henry V as SitP a year before or after that. He was awesome too. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/10 "2012-05-09T03:12:32Z")
**Lauren Bacall** in Sweet Bird of Youth **Cate Blanchett** in … I forget ! Damn **Tom Conti** , **Hugo Weaving** and **David Wenham** in Art (a French play translated to English) **Rowan Atkinson** in his stage comedy show my partner and her son saw **Kevin Spacey** as Richard III, I missed that ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/11 "2012-05-09T03:37:51Z")
Yul Brynner in _The King and I_ Richard Harris in _Camelot_ (awful) Hal Holbrook in _Mark Twain Tonight_ (several times and a mostly different show each time) Vincent Price in a one man show about Vincent Van Gogh (before I really knew who either was, to be honest) Burt Reynolds in a one man autobiographical show ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/12 "2012-05-09T04:40:35Z")
**Chris Sarandon:** _Two Gentlemen of Verona_ in 1971 or 1972 **Christopher Reeve:** _The Fifth of July_ Early 80s **Leonard Nimoy:** _Equus_ Late 70s **Denzel Washington** and **Paul Winfield** : _Checkmates_ 1988 **Valerie Harper** : _The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife_ in 2002 or 2003 **Julia Sweeney:** Her own one-woman show _Letting Go of God_ in 2006, I think **Malcolm Jamal Warner** and **S. Epatha Merkerson** : _Three Ways Home_ 1988 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/13 "2012-05-09T04:44:37Z")
I saw various cast members of the cult hit movie (and TV series) _Sordid Lives_ at a stage show in Atlanta, but it wasn’t a play so much as a few sketches and comedy bits. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/14 "2012-05-09T05:33:14Z")
Many, many years ago, I saw Robert Sean Leonard as Edmund in _Long Day’s Journey into Night_ ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/15 "2012-05-09T05:48:23Z")
I saw Alan Alda, Alfred Molina and Vincent Garber performing in the Tony-winning \*Art \*on Broadway in 1998. It was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Patience\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@Patience\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patience_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/16 "2012-05-09T08:28:45Z")
I saw **Richard Harris** in _Camelot_ a really long time ago. Recently, I saw **John Malkovich** in _The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer._ ---
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/17 "2012-05-09T09:04:19Z")
Just saw Matthew Brodrick in Nice Work If You Can Get It !!! ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/18 "2012-05-09T10:20:05Z")
I was lucky enough to see Cate Blanchett in last year’s production of “Big and Small” at the Sydney Theatre Company. She was simply spectacular, much more intense than a movie could ever be. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/19 "2012-05-09T10:50:49Z")
I’ve seen both Patrick Stewart and Avery Brooks play Othello at the National Shakespeare Theater. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347/20 "2012-05-09T10:55:40Z")
Tim Curry, Ian McKellan and Jane Seymour in **Amadeus.** James Earl Jones, Colleen Dewhurst and Kelly McGillis in **The Seagull**. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-actors-youve-seen-live-on-stage/621347.md?page=2)