Elaine Cancilla Orbach
Encyclopedia
Elaine Cancilla Orbach was an American
stage and musical theatre actress and dancer.
and Off Broadway in productions including: Fiorello!
, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
, Here's Love, Flora the Red Menace
, Sweet Charity
and Cry for Us All.
, a star on stage
and later of film
and television
(Law & Order
). They had met several years earlier while appearing together in the original Broadway theatre production of the Kander & Ebb musical, Chicago
. They also co-starred in a touring production of Neil Simon
's play, Chapter Two
.
Following his death in 2004, she fought to have a portion of 53rd Street
at Eighth Avenue
, in New York City's Theatre District
(and near his long-time home), renamed "Jerry Orbach Way"; it was rechristened in 2007.
in a hospital in New York City.
In addition to her two stepsons from her husband's first marriage, she is survived by her sister, Rita Hubbard; her brother, Robert Cancilla; and several nieces and nephews. She was also survived by two step grandchildren named Peter and Sarah Kate Orbach who are the children of her older stepson, Tony Orbach. Her younger stepson, Chris Orbach
, is married and but has no children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stage and musical theatre actress and dancer.
Career
Orbach, known professionally as Elaine Cancilla, appeared on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and Off Broadway in productions including: Fiorello!
Fiorello!
Fiorello! is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, a reform Republican who took on Tammany Hall. The book is by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott, drawn substantially from the 1955 volume Life With Fiorello by Ernest Cuneo, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock...
, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name....
, Here's Love, Flora the Red Menace
Flora the Red Menace
Flora the Red Menace is a musical with a book by George Abbott and Robert Russell, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The musical starred Liza Minnelli in the title role in her Broadway debut, for which she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical...
, Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
and Cry for Us All.
Private life
In 1979 she married actor Jerry OrbachJerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard "Jerry" Orbach was an American actor and singer. He was well known for his starring role as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Law & Order television series and as the voice of Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As well, Orbach was a noted musical theatre star...
, a star on stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and later of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
(Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
). They had met several years earlier while appearing together in the original Broadway theatre production of the Kander & Ebb musical, Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
. They also co-starred in a touring production of Neil Simon
Neil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
's play, Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Chapter Two is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. The plot focuses on George Schneider, a recently widowed writer who is introduced to soap opera actress Jennie Malone by his press agent brother Leo and her best friend Faye. Jennie's unhappy marriage to a football player has dissolved...
.
Following his death in 2004, she fought to have a portion of 53rd Street
53rd Street (Manhattan)
53rd Street is a midtown cross street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, that contains buildings such as the Citicorp Building. It is 1.83 miles long. The street runs westbound from Sutton Place across most of the island's width, ending at DeWitt Clinton Park at Eleventh Avenue...
at Eighth Avenue
Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)
Eighth Avenue is a north-south avenue on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic. Eighth Avenue begins in the West Village neighborhood at Abingdon Square and runs north for 44 blocks through Chelsea, the Garment District, Hell's Kitchen's east end, Midtown and the...
, in New York City's Theatre District
Theatre District, New York
The Theater District is an area in Midtown Manhattan where most Broadway theaters are located, as well as many other theaters, movie theaters, restaurants, hotels and other places of entertainment. It extends from 40th Street to 54th Street, and from west of Sixth Avenue to east of Eighth Avenue,...
(and near his long-time home), renamed "Jerry Orbach Way"; it was rechristened in 2007.
Death
She died on April 1, 2009, aged 69, from pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in a hospital in New York City.
In addition to her two stepsons from her husband's first marriage, she is survived by her sister, Rita Hubbard; her brother, Robert Cancilla; and several nieces and nephews. She was also survived by two step grandchildren named Peter and Sarah Kate Orbach who are the children of her older stepson, Tony Orbach. Her younger stepson, Chris Orbach
Chris Orbach
Christopher Ben Orbach is an actor-singer/songwriter who is the son of late Law & Order star Jerry Orbach and his first wife Marta Curro...
, is married and but has no children.
External links
- http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=34423 Biography at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
website - http://www.playbill.com/news/article/127940.html Obituary at PlaybillPlaybillPlaybill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
magazine website