Acclaimed Broadway actor Harvey Evans dies at 80: 'We lost a great one'
Harvey Evans, an actor, singer and dancer who had a knack for landing roles in the original Broadway productions of such classics as “West Side Story,” “Follies,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “Gypsy,” has died.
Evans died Christmas Eve at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, said Lawrence Leritz, a friend and Broadway actor, dancer, singer, producer and director. He was 80.
“He was dearly loved by the Broadway community," Leritz said. "Very kind, embracing, funny and always had a smile on his face. I can't ever remember not being hugged by this loving man.”
Evans was rarely cast in leading Broadway roles but found a place in timeless shows. He starred opposite Angela Lansbury in “Anyone Can Whistle” and played Barnaby in “Hello, Dolly!” opposite Carol Channing, then Betty Grable and then Eve Arden.
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“When I look back, I think I’ve had some kind of angel on my shoulder, leading me toward the best shows of Broadway’s golden years," Evans told Playbill in 2007. "I didn’t pick and choose them — they just came around that way.”
Members of the Broadway community have been mourning the loss of Evans, including "Torch Song Trilogy" and "Mrs. Doubtfire" star Harvey Fierstein, who called Evans a "pillar of Broadway."
“We lost a great one,” Fierstein tweeted.
“He’s why we love musicals,” playwright and author Paul Rudnick wrote.
"Gypsy" and "Hello Dolly" star Bernadette Peters added: "Harvey Evans was the dearest most talented being one could ever have the privilege of knowing.”
Born Harvey Hohnecker, Evans grew up in Cincinnati and fell in love with musical theater after seeing a touring production of “Song of Norway."
"My entire childhood was spent waiting to graduate from high school, so I could go to New York and be in a Broadway show,” Evans told Playbill.
He made it to New York in 1955 and would become friendly with choreographers Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins. Evans’ first musical as a dancer on Broadway was “New Girl in Town,” which was choreographed by Fosse and starred Gwen Verdon.
Evans changed his name while filming a small role in Blake Edwards' 1962 crime thriller “Experiment in Terror,” starring Glenn Ford and Lee Remick. He and fellow actor Taffy Paul decided to remake themselves — he became Evans, and she became Stefanie Powers.
Evans also was cast by Fosse for “Redhead” with Verdon and the movie of “The Pajama Game.” Other highlights were starring on Broadway with Henry Fonda and Margaret Hamilton in a revival of “Our Town” in 1969 and being a standby for Jim Dale in “Barnum” in the early 1980s. He was a chimney sweep when Julie Andrews immortalized “Mary Poppins” on film in 1964.
“I’ve had my name above the title, and I’ve had it way down low,” Evans told Playbill. “It doesn’t matter to me. It’s just wonderful to be part of this community.”
His later Broadway credits included the mid-1990s revival of “Sunset Boulevard,” “The Scarlet Pimpernel” and an understudy role in “Oklahoma!” in 2002. He also snagged a cameo in the film “Enchanted” with Amy Adams in 2007. He was on Broadway in the original “West Side Story” and later in the 1961 film version.
Evans touched the lives of his fellow performers through his kind, supportive nature.
“Really hard to put into words what Harvey Evans meant to me,” Tony-nominated actor and singer Tony Yazbeck tweeted. “He was kindness personified. So funny and supportive.
"He came to every show I ever did and inspired me to keep going! A true triple threat who’s heart was as big as his incredible career."
"Sweet Charity" and "Cheers" star Bebe Neuwirth added: “One of the kindest, most delightful, loveliest gentlemen I’ve ever had the blessing to know.”
Contributing: Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
