Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last bona fide leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television"[1] and a "versatile stage and film actor".[2]
Jerry Orbach | |
---|---|
Orbach in a 1965 publicity photo | |
Born | Jerome Bernard Orbach October 20, 1935 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
Died | December 28, 2004 69) Manhattan, New York, U.S. | (aged
Resting place | Trinity Church Cemetery, Manhattan |
Occupation | Actor, singer |
Years active | 1955–2004 |
Spouse(s) |
|
Children | 2, including Chris Orbach |
Orbach's professional career began on the New York stage, both on and off-Broadway, where he created roles such as El Gallo in the original off-Broadway run of The Fantasticks (1960) and became the first performer to sing that show's standard "Try to Remember",[3] Billy Flynn in the original Chicago (1975–1977), and Julian Marsh in 42nd Street (1980–1985). Nominated for multiple Tony Awards, Orbach won for his performance as Chuck Baxter in Promises, Promises (1968–1972).[4]
Later in his career, Orbach played supporting roles in films such as Prince of the City (1981), Dirty Dancing (1987), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), and Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991).[3] He also made frequent guest appearances on television, including a recurring role on Murder, She Wrote as private detective Harry McGraw between 1985 and 1991, and was the voice of Zachary Foxx in The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers in 1986. However, he gained worldwide fame for his starring role as NYPD Detective Lennie Briscoe on the original Law & Order series from 1992 to 2004.[5]
Early life
Orbach was born on October 20, 1935, in the Bronx, the only child of Emily (née Olexy), a greeting card manufacturer and radio singer, and Leon Orbach, a restaurant manager and vaudeville performer.[6] His father was a Jewish emigrant from Hamburg, Germany. Orbach stated that his father was descended from Sephardic refugees from the Spanish Inquisition.[6][7] His mother, a native of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, was a Roman Catholic of Polish-Lithuanian descent, and Orbach was raised in her faith (a religious background later replicated in his character on Law & Order).[8][9][10] Throughout his childhood, the Orbach family moved frequently, living in Mount Vernon, New York; Wilkes-Barre, Nanticoke, and Scranton, Pennsylvania; Springfield, Massachusetts; and Waukegan, Illinois. Orbach attended Waukegan High School in Illinois and graduated in 1952 (having skipped two grades in elementary school due to his high IQ of 163[3]).[11][1] He played on the football team and began learning acting in a speech class.[12]
The summer after graduating from high school, Orbach worked at the theatre of Chevy Chase Country Club of Wheeling, Illinois, and enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the fall. In 1953, Orbach returned to the Chicago area and enrolled at Northwestern University. Orbach left Northwestern before his senior year and moved to New York City in 1955 to pursue acting and to study at the Actors Studio, where one of his instructors was the studio's founder, Lee Strasberg.[12]
Career
Orbach would go on to become an accomplished Broadway and off-Broadway actor. His first major role was El Gallo in the original 1960 cast of the decades-running hit The Fantasticks, and Orbach became the first to perform the show's signature song and pop standard "Try To Remember".[13] He also starred in The Threepenny Opera, Carnival!, the musical version of the movie Lili (his Broadway debut), in a revival of Guys and Dolls (as Sky Masterson, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical), Promises, Promises (as Chuck Baxter, winning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical), the original productions of Chicago (as Billy Flynn, receiving another Tony Award nomination), 42nd Street, and a revival of The Cradle Will Rock. Orbach made occasional film and TV appearances into the 1970s and appeared as a celebrity panelist on both What's My Line? and Super Password.
In the 1980s, Orbach shifted to film and TV work full-time. Prominent roles included tough, corrupt NYPD narcotics detective Gus Levy in Sidney Lumet's Prince of the City; he was the 1981 runner-up for the NSFC Best Supporting Actor award. He also portrayed gangsters in both the action-thriller F/X and the Woody Allen drama Crimes and Misdemeanors (the latter of which also featured his future Law & Order co-star Sam Waterston). In 1985, Orbach became a regular guest star on Murder, She Wrote as private detective Harry McGraw, which led to him starring in the short-lived spin-off series The Law & Harry McGraw. In 1987, he was featured in the hit film Dirty Dancing as Dr. Jake Houseman, the father of Jennifer Grey's character "Baby". He made further TV appearances on popular shows such as The Golden Girls (for which he received his first Emmy nomination[3]), Who's the Boss?, and Frasier (as a guest caller).
In 1991, Orbach starred in Disney's Oscar-winning animated musical Beauty and the Beast as the voice (both singing and speaking) of the French-accented candelabrum Lumière, which he played "halfway between Maurice Chevalier and Pepé Le Pew".[3] At the 64th Academy Awards, Orbach performed a live-action stage rendition of the Oscar-nominated song, "Be Our Guest", that he sang in Beauty and the Beast.[14][15] He later reprised his voice role of Lumière for the film's direct-to-video sequels, multiple episodes of Disney's House of Mouse, and the previously-deleted song ("Human Again") that was added to the Beauty and the Beast 2002 IMAX re-release.[16][17]
In 1992, Orbach joined the main cast of Law & Order during its third season as the world-weary, wisecracking NYPD homicide detective Lennie Briscoe. He had previously guest-starred as a defense attorney on the series, and was subsequently cast as the new "senior detective" following Paul Sorvino's departure.[5] Orbach's portrayal of Briscoe was based on his similar role from Prince of the City years before, which Law & Order creator Dick Wolf had personally suggested to him at the time of his casting.[3] Orbach starred on Law & Order for 11-and-a-half seasons, ultimately becoming the third longest-serving main cast member (behind S. Epatha Merkerson and Sam Waterston) in the show's 20-year-run history, as well as one of its most popular.[18] During Orbach's tenure on Law & Order, the series won the 1997 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series among other accolades, made multiple crossover episodes with fellow NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street, and spawned a franchise that included the TV film Exiled: A Law & Order Movie, the spin-off series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (both of which featured Orbach in guest appearances), and three video games. Orbach himself was nominated for a 2000 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (losing to James Gandolfini for The Sopranos). TV Guide named Lennie Briscoe one of their top-25 greatest television detectives of all time.[19]
Also during his time on Law & Order, Orbach co-starred with Al Pacino in the independent film Chinese Coffee, which was filmed in the summer of 1997 and released three years later.[3]
Personal life
Orbach was married in 1958 to Marta Curro, with whom he had two sons, Anthony Nicholas and Christopher Benjamin.[1] They divorced in 1975.[1] Elder son Tony is a construction manager and an accomplished crossword puzzle constructor who has published more than 25 puzzles in The New York Times.[20] Younger son Chris Orbach is an actor and a singer; he played Lennie Briscoe's nephew Ken Briscoe during the first season of Special Victims Unit.
In 1979, Jerry Orbach married Broadway dancer Elaine Cancilla, whom he met while starring in Chicago.[21][22]
Orbach lived in a high-rise on 53rd Street off Eighth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen and was a fixture in that neighborhood's restaurants and shops.[1] His glossy publicity photo hangs in Ms. Buffy's French Cleaners, and he was a regular at some of the Italian restaurants nearby. As of 2007, the intersection of 8th Avenue and 53rd Street was renamed in honor of Orbach. The plans met with some resistance by local planning boards, but were overcome thanks to his popularity and his love of the Big Apple.[23]
Illness and death
In January 1994, less than two years into his stint on Law & Order, Orbach was diagnosed with prostate cancer.[3] He initially received radiation therapy as treatment, but by December 1994, the cancer had returned and metastasized. At that point, he went on hormone therapy, on which he remained over the next decade while he continued to star on Law & Order.[3] Following his departure from the series at the end of the 2003/04 season, Orbach underwent chemotherapy, but he ultimately succumbed to his cancer on December 28, 2004, at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York at age 69.[2] Despite being diagnosed with the cancer more than a decade before his death, Orbach's illness was not revealed to the general public until just weeks before he died.[24] Prior to his death, Orbach was signed to continue in the role of Lennie Briscoe on the new spin-off Law & Order: Trial by Jury, which was to accommodate his illness by giving him a lighter schedule than he had had on the original series, but he was only featured in the first two episodes, both of which aired following his death.[3]
The day after Orbach's death, the marquees on Broadway were dimmed in mourning, one of the highest honors of the American theatre world,[3] while NBC re-aired the Law & Order episode "C.O.D." (the last episode of the original series to feature Orbach) in honor of him. The Criminal Intent episode "View from Up Here" and the Trial by Jury episode "Baby Boom"[3] were dedicated to Orbach, and the Law & Order episode "Mammon" featured a pictorial memorial of him.
In addition to his sons, wife, and former wife, Orbach was survived by his mother and two grandchildren, Peter and Sarah Kate Orbach, children of his older son Tony. His mother died on July 28, 2012, at the age of 101.[25] His wife Elaine died in 2009 at age 69, and his former wife Marta died in 2012 at age 79. Having had perfect 20/20 vision his whole life, Jerry Orbach requested that his eyes be donated after his death.[3] His wish was granted when two individuals – one who needed correction for a nearsighted eye and another who needed correction for a farsighted eye – received Orbach's corneas. His likeness has been used in an ad campaign for Eye Bank for Sight Restoration in Manhattan. Orbach was interred at Trinity Church Cemetery in Manhattan.[3]
Honors
In addition to his Tony Award and nominations, Jerry Orbach is also a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1999.[26] In 2002, Orbach was named a "Living Landmark" by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, along with his Law & Order co-star Sam Waterston.[27] Orbach quipped that the honor meant "that they can't tear me down."[9]
On February 5, 2005, he was posthumously awarded a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for his longtime role on Law & Order.[28] His wife Elaine accepted the award on his behalf.
On September 18, 2007, a portion of New York City's 53rd Street near Eighth Avenue was renamed 'Jerry Orbach Way' in his honor.[29]
Also in 2007, the Jerry Orbach Theatre was named for him in the Snapple Theater Center at 50th Street and Broadway in New York City. The naming occurred as a tribute to him during a revival of The Fantasticks at the theatre.
From others
After Law & Order was cancelled in 2010, executive producer René Balcer was quoted by The Wall Street Journal: "I always think about the show as before Jerry and after Jerry... You saw the weariness of 25 years of crime-fighting in New York written on his face."[30]
Author Kurt Vonnegut was a fan of Orbach, and during an Australian radio interview in 2005, he said, "People have asked me, you know, 'Who would you rather be, than yourself?'," and he replied "Jerry Orbach, without a question... I talked to him one time, and he's adorable."[31]
New York Times writers Ben Brantley and Richard Servero analyzed the breadth and scope of Orbach's career:
Whether singing "Try to Remember" as the dashing narrator of "The Fantasticks" in 1960 or trading barbs with fellow detectives and reluctant witnesses on television in recent years, Mr. Orbach exuded a wry, ragged masculinity that was all his own. As a star of musicals, he created a new kind of hero who was leagues away from suave, swaggering Adonises like John Raitt, Howard Keel, and Alfred Drake... And he flourished at a time when the Broadway musical hero was fast becoming an endangered species... His rough-edged individuality may account for his endurance on the Broadway stage in an era when other promising musical actors - including Larry Kert, Robert Goulet, and Robert Morse - proved unable to follow through on their breakthrough successes. Mr. Orbach may have been the last of a breed: no male star since has matched the breadth and continuity of his career in musicals... It wasn't until the 1990s, when he started appearing as Lennie Briscoe in "Law & Order," that Mr. Orbach became a familiar name throughout the country. The rough edge that distinguished him on Broadway eased his transition to character roles like Briscoe, the recovered alcoholic who seemed to greet the discovery of each episode's crime with a world-weary shrug.[1]
Dirty Dancing co-star Patrick Swayze memorialized Orbach after his death:
Jerry Orbach has been one of the most successful actors who ever lived to make that transition from musical theatre into real, organic, break-your-heart kinds of reality in his work as a film actor, but transition back and forth seamlessly... it was a very interesting time for me, when I was shooting Dirty Dancing, I think probably the eyes I trusted if I was real, and it worked, and I had nailed it, [were] Jerry Orbach's eyes. I would go over to him and under my breath "What did you think?" and he goes "No, go there further, I think there's more you can get." He would say little things like "courage", and it gives me goosebumps to say that. I really, really respected that man. I watched his career from the time I was little. I think it was a great loss when he passed.[32]
Filmography
Stage
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1955–1961 | The Threepenny Opera | Streetsinger, Smith and Macheath | |
1960 | The Fantasticks | El Gallo | |
1961–1963 | Carnival! | Paul the Puppeteer | |
1964 | The Cradle Will Rock | Larry Foreman | |
1965 | Guys and Dolls | Sky Masterson | Nominated—Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical |
1965 | Carousel | Jigger Craigin | |
1966 | Annie Get Your Gun | Charlie Davenport | |
1967 | The Natural Look | Malcolm | |
1967 | Scuba Duba | Harold Wonder | |
1968–1972 | Promises, Promises | Chuck Baxter | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical |
1972–1973 | 6 Rms Riv Vu | Paul Friedman | |
1975–1977 | Chicago | Billy Flynn | Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical Nominated—Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical |
1980–1985 | 42nd Street | Julian Marsh |
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1955 | Guys and Dolls | Barbershop extra | uncredited |
1955 | Marty | Ballroom extra | uncredited |
1958 | Cop Hater | Gang Leader- "Mumzer" | |
1961 | Mad Dog Coll | Joe Clegg | |
1963 | Bye Bye Birdie | Bob - Ed Sullivan Show Producer | uncredited |
1964 | Ensign Pulver | Unknown | |
1965 | John Goldfarb, Please Come Home | Pinkerton | |
1971 | The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight | Kid Sally | |
1972 | A Fan's Notes | Frederick Earl Exley | |
1975 | Fore Play | Jerry Lorsey | |
1977 | The Sentinel | Michael Dayton | |
1981 | Underground Aces | Herbert Penlittle | |
1981 | Prince of the City | Det. Gus Levy | nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (2nd place) nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor (3rd place) |
1985 | Brewster's Millions | Charlie Pegler | |
1986 | The Imagemaker | Byron Caine | |
1986 | F/X | Nicolas DeFranco | |
1987 | I Love N.Y. | Leo | |
1987 | Dirty Dancing | Dr. Jake Houseman | |
1987 | Someone to Watch Over Me | Lt. Garber | |
1989 | Last Exit to Brooklyn | Boyce | |
1989 | Crimes and Misdemeanors | Jack Rosenthal | |
1991 | A Gnome Named Gnorm | Stan Walton | |
1991 | Out for Justice | Capt. Ronnie Dozinger | |
1991 | Toy Soldiers | Albert Trotta | uncredited |
1991 | Delusion | Larry | |
1991 | Delirious | Lou Sherwood | |
1991 | California Casanova | Constantin Rominoffski | |
1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Lumière | voice |
1991 | Dead Women in Lingerie | Bartoli | |
1992 | Straight Talk | Milo Jacoby | |
1992 | Universal Soldier | Dr. Christopher Gregor | |
1992 | Mr. Saturday Night | Phil Gussman | |
1993 | The Cemetery Club | Unknown | uncredited |
1996 | Aladdin and the King of Thieves | Sa'luk | voice, direct-to-video |
1997 | Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas | Lumière | voice, direct-to-video, nominated-Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production |
1998 | Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World | voice, direct-to-video | |
1999 | Temps | Announcer | |
2000 | The Acting Class | Unknown | |
2000 | Chinese Coffee | Jake Manheim | |
2000 | Prince of Central Park | Businessmes | |
2002 | Manna from Heaven | Waltz Contest Announcer | |
2003 | Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There | Himself | |
2003 | Try to Remember: The Fantasticks | Himself | |
2004 | Protesters | Police Investigator |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1961 | Twenty-Four Hours in a Woman's Life | Cristoff | TV movie |
1967 | Annie Get Your Gun | Charles Davenport | TV movie |
1973 | Love, American Style | Homer | Episode: "Love and the Hoodwinked Honey" |
1975 | Medical Center | Josh | Episode: "The Captives" |
1975 | Kojak | Brubaker | Episode: "A Question of Answers" |
1980 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | Lars Mangros | Episode: "Space Rockers" |
1983 | Ryan's Hope | Mr. Brahm | Airdate: March 17, 1983 |
1983 | The Magic of Herself the Elf | King Thorn | Voice, TV movie |
1983 | An Invasion of Privacy | Sam Bianchi | TV movie |
1985 | Our Family Honor | Brian Merrick | 2 episodes |
1985–1991 | Murder, She Wrote | Harry McGraw | 6 episodes |
1986 | Dream West | Capt. John Stutter | Television mini-series |
1986 | The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers | Zachary Foxx | Voice |
1987 | Tales from the Darkside | Robert | Episode: "Everybody Needs a Little Love" |
1987 | Out on a Limb | Mort Viner | TV movie |
1987 | Love Among Thieves | Spicer | TV movie |
1987–1988 | The Law & Harry McGraw | Harry McGraw | 16 episodes |
1988 | Simon & Simon | Harrison / Malcolm Stanley III | Episode: "Ain't Gonna Get It From Me, Jack" |
1989 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder | Blaine Counter | TV movie |
1989 | The Flamingo Kid | Phil Brody | |
1990 | Hunter | Sal Scarlatti | Episode: "Son and Heir" |
1990 | The Golden Girls | Glen O'Brien | Episode: "Cheaters" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series |
1990 | Who's the Boss? | Nick | Episode: "Starlight Memories" |
1990 | Kojak: None So Blind | Tony Salducci | TV movie |
1990 | In Defense of a Married Man | Alan Michaelson | TV movie |
1991 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Ruthless Reporter | Vic St. John | TV movie |
1991 | Law & Order | Frank Lehrmann | Episode: "The Wages of Love" |
1992 | Empty Nest | Arthur | 2 episodes |
1992 | Neil Simon's Broadway Bound | Jack Jerome | TV movie Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie |
1992 | Mastergate | Clifton Byers | TV movie |
1992–2004 | Law & Order | Detective Leonard W. "Lennie" Briscoe | 273 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (posthumously) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (1995–2004) Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series (1998–2000) |
1996 | Frasier | Mitch | Episode: "High Crane Drifter" |
1996–1999 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Det. Lennie Briscoe | 3 episodes |
1998 | Exiled: A Law & Order Movie | TV movie | |
1999–2000 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | 3 episodes | |
2000 | Pokemon Camp | Simon the Hermit | Episode: "The Ghost of Blue Cove" |
2000-2002 | Encounters with the Unexplained | Himself, Host | TV Documentary |
2001 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Det. Lennie Briscoe | Episode: "Poison" |
2001–2002 | Disney's House of Mouse | Lumière | Voice, 8 episodes |
2003 | Mickeypalooza | Lumière | Voice, Television special |
2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | D.A. Investigator Lennie Briscoe | 2 episodes; Posthumous release, (final appearance) |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Disney's Beauty and the Beast Magical Ballroom | Lumière | Voice |
2002 | Law & Order: Dead on the Money | Det. Lennie Briscoe | Voice |
2003 | Law & Order: Double or Nothing | Voice | |
2004 | Law & Order: Justice Is Served | Senior Homicide Detective Lennie Briscoe | Voice |
Theme park attractions
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2003 | Mickey's PhilharMagic | Lumière |
Other works
Books
His love poems to his wife Elaine were published in Remember How I Love You: Love Letters from an Extraordinary Marriage (Touchstone, 2009).[33] Another biography, Jerry Orbach, Prince of the City: His Way from the Fantasticks to Law & Order by John Anthony Gilvey, was published on May 1, 2011.[3]
Discography
In 1963, Orbach released an album with MGM Records titled Jerry Orbach: Off Broadway, which included works from musicals such as The Fantasticks and The Threepenny Opera.[34] The album was reissued in 2000 by Decca Records for its "Stars on Decca Broadway" series.[35]
References
- Brantley, Ben; Severo, Richard (December 29, 2004). "Jerry Orbach, Star of 'Law & Order', Dies at 69". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
- Bernstein, Adam (December 30, 2004). "'Law & Order' Star Jerry Orbach Dies at 69". The Washington Post. Washington DC: Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- Gilvey, John Anthony (May 1, 2011). Jerry Orbach: Prince of the City - His Way From The Fantastiks to Law & Order. Milwaukee, Wisc.: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. ISBN 978-1-42348-845-3.
- Jones, Kenneth (2004). "Tony-Winner Jerry Orbach Is Dead at 69". Playbill. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- "'Law & Order' Star Jerry Orbach Dies". Today - Pop Culture newsletter. Associated Press. December 29, 2004. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- "Jerry Orbach – Biography". filmreference.com. Advameg. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- Brady, James (February 27, 1994). "In Step With...Jerry Orbach". Parade. p. 26.
- Horwitz, Simi (February 28, 1993). "Jerry Orbach; His 'Law & Order' Role Fits Him Like a Glove". The Washington Post. Washington DC: Nash Holdings LLC.
- Hiltbrand, David (January 4, 2004). "Jerry Orbach Gets His Due on the Sidewalks of New York". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Globe Partners, L.P. Knight Ridder. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
- Gilvey (2011), p. 4.
- Thompson, Lorraine (December 31, 2004). "Local Woman Went to School With Actor". St. Augustine Record. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
- "Jerry Orbach". biography.com. A&E Networks. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
- McLellan, Dennis (December 30, 2004). "Jerry Orbach, 69; Actor Portrayed Det. Briscoe on TV's "Law & Order"". Los Angeles Times.
- "The 64th Annual Academy Awards". Hollywood.com. Hollywood.com, L.L.C. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- "Jerry Orbach — Filmography". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- Ghez, Didier (May 1, 2010). Walt's People: Talking Disney with the Artists Who Knew Him. ISBN 9781450087476.
- Tracy, Joe. "Digital Media FX Review of Beauty and the Beast Special Edition (IMAX)". digitalmediafx.com. Digital Media FX Review of Beauty and the Beast Special Edition. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- "Missing You Already, Punk". Sydney Morning Herald. October 7, 2004.
- TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. p. 218. ISBN 978-0-7624-3007-9.
- "XWI -- Tony Orbach thumbnails".
- Simonson, Robert (April 2, 2009). "Elaine Cancilla Orbach, Actor Jerry Orbach's Widow, Dies at 69". Playbill. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- BWW News Desk. "Elaine Cancilla Orbach, Widow of Jerry Orbach Passes Away at 69". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- McGeehan, Patrick (March 7, 2007). "Jerry Orbach Was a Marquee Name, but a Street Sign's Another Story". The New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- Silverman, Stephen M. (December 2, 2004). "Jerry Orbach Battling Prostate Cancer". People. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- Obituary for Emily Orbach, The New York Times; accessed January 16, 2014 at legacy.com archive online.
- "On Stage: New Class of Theater Hall of Famers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
- "Living Landmarks Celebration - Living Landmarks Honoree List". nylandmarks.org. New York Landmarks Conservancy. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- "Press Release — Screen Actors Guild Honors Outstanding Film and Television Performances in 13 Categories at the 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". sagawards.org/. Screen Actors Guild. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- McGeehan, Patrick (September 18, 2007). "Manhattan: Street Naming". The New York Times. p. B8. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- Chosick, Amy; Gamerman, Ellen (May 21, 2010). "'Law & Order' School of Drama". The Wall Street Journal. New York City: Dow Hones & Company.
- October 6, 2005. Kurt Vonnegut interviewed on ABC Radio National Audio by Phillip Adams. Available on the Slaughterhouse-Five Region 4 DVD, released by Umbrella Entertainment Pty Ltd in 2007.
- You Tube video. Patrick Swayze Talks About Working With Jerry Orbach. American Film Institute.
- Orbach, Jerry; Orbach, Elaine (November 3, 2009). Remember How I Love You: Love Letters from an Extraordinary Marriage. New York, N.Y.: Touchstone. ISBN 978-1-4391-4988-1.
- "Jerry Orbach - Off Broadway". Discogs. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- "Orbach Croons on Reissue of 'Jerry Orbach: Off-Broadway,' In Stores Now | Playbill". Playbill. August 4, 2000. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
External links
- Jerry Orbach at IMDb
- Jerry Orbach at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jerry Orbach at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Jerry Orbach at the TCM Movie Database
- Jerry Orbach at Rotten Tomatoes
- Jerry Orbach at AllMovie
- Jerry Orbach at Emmys.com
- Jerry Orbach at Find a Grave
- Jerry Orbach obituary (The Washington Post)
- Biography and Interview from "Broadway; The American Musical"
- "Law and Order Star Jerry Orbach Dies" (MSNBC)
- Jerry Orbach Memorial, Richard Rodgers Theater, March 24, 2005