Saturday, April 29, 2023

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Leonard Frey

 


Artist:Leonard Frey

Song:Miracle of Miracles

Album:Fiddler on the Roof: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Recording


Leonard Frey was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Motel in the 1971 film Fiddler on the Roof. He was also in the Broadway production. Miracle of Miracles is his big number in the show. Frey was mostly a Broadway performer but he also appeared in films and TV. He was born Sept. 4, 1938 in New York City. After graduating from high school, Frey studied art at Cooper Union and then switched to acting at Neighborhood Playhouse under coach Sanford Meissner. He first appeared off Broadway in 1962. He was an understudy and replacement in the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof. Frey was first noticed when he appeared in the 1968 off Broadway production of The Boys in the Band. He also appeared in the 1970 film version. I'm sure those two things got him the role of Motel in the 1971 film Fiddler on the Roof. And as I said, he was nominated for an Oscar. Frey stayed in New York. So though he did some films and TV, he was mainly a Broadway performer. Frey was nominated for a Tony for the 1975 comedy The National Health. His film credits include Where the Buffalo Roam, Up the Academy and Tattoo. It looks like he may have moved to Hollywood in 1980 as he had more TV credits at that time. He even appeared on some game shows like Super Password. Other TV credits include The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Barney Miller, Moonlighting and Murder She Wrote. He was a regular in the short lived ABC series Best of the West and the short lived NBC series Mr. Smith. Frey died of AIDS on Aug. 24, 1988 at age 49. Here's Leonard Frey performing Miracle of Miracles in the 1971 film Fiddler on the Roof.


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