John Cunningham, Veteran Broadway Character Actor, Dies at 93

John Cunningham, a character actor who originated roles on Broadway and was known for playing blue-bloods and authority figures, died on Jan. 6 at his home in Rye, N.Y. He was 93, and his son-in-law, Kevin Barrett, confirmed the death. Over a six-decade career Mr. Cunningham appeared in Broadway productions including Company, The Sisters Rosensweig and Six Degrees of Separation, and under the director Harold Prince in shows such as Cabaret and Zorba.

He also played the ship captain E.J. Smith in the Tony-winning musical Titanic and appeared in film and television roles in Mystic Pizza, Dead Poets Society, soap operas and series like Miami Vice, Law & Order and Blue Bloods. Playwright John Guare wrote that “no one else embodies such authority, intelligence, curiosity and mischief as John.” Born John Waldo Cunningham on June 22, 1932, in Auburn, N.Y., he grew up in New Paltz, graduated from Dartmouth in 1954, served in the Army and earned an M.F.A.

from the Yale School of Drama in 1959. His Broadway debut came in 1963 in the ensemble of Hot Spot, and he worked regionally and in summer festivals before becoming a regular on Broadway. Mr. Cunningham was largely retired from the stage by 2012 but continued to accept roles, replacing Richard Easton in an Off Broadway revival of Painting Churches that year.

Key Topics

Culture, John Cunningham, Broadway, Company, Titanic Musical, Dead Poets Society