George Hearn is an American actor, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.
He was born on June 18, 1934, in St. Louis, Missouri. He studied philosophy at Southwestern University before he embarked on a career in the theater, training for the stage with legendary actress turned acting coach Irene Dailey. Most of Hearn's early performances were in traditional productions at the New York Shakespeare Festival and theaters at Lincoln Center.
He first garnered a notice as John Dickinson in the acclaimed 1969 award-winning musical 1776, and as Liv Ullmann's leading man in the musical version of I Remember Mama (1979). Hearn grabbed headlines later that year, when he replaced Len Cariou in the title role of Stephen Sondheim's dark musical Sweeney Todd on Broadway, opposite (the now-deceased) Dorothy Loudon as a woman who bakes his character's murder victims into pies. Hearn and the original star Angela Lansbury later headed the show's touring company, then reprised their roles for a Showtime production of the musical, which brought him an Emmy Award for his chilling portrayal of the "Demon Barber of Fleet Street".
Hearn and Lansbury remained friends, and the actress invited him to guest star on several episodes of her long-running CBS sleuth series Murder, She Wrote in the early 1990s.
His recordings include Sweeney Todd Live at the New York Philharmonic, Mack & Mabel (1988 London Concert Cast), I Remember Mama (1985 Studio Cast), Follies in Concert (1985 Live Performance), and A Stephen Sondheim Evening (1983 Concert Cast).
Spouse(s)[]
Leslie Simons (1985–present) 2 children (1997, 1999); Betsy Joslyn (1979–1984) (divorced); Dixie Carter (1977–1979) (divorced); Mary Harrell (? - 1962) (divorced), 1 child (1962); Susan Babel (? - ?) (divorced).
With Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd
Major Broadway Credits[]
- Wicked (October 30, 2003 - )
- Putting It Together (November 21, 1999 - February 20, 2000)
- The Diary of Anne Frank (December 4, 1997 - June 14, 1998)
- Sunset Boulevard (November 17, 1994 - March 22, 1997)
- Meet Me in St. Louis (November 2, 1989 - June 10, 1990)
- La Cage aux Folles (August 21, 1983 - November 15, 1987)
- I Remember Mama (May 31, 1979 - September 2, 1979
- Sweeney Todd (March 1, 1979 - June 29, 1980)
- An Almost Perfect Person (October 27, 1977 - January 28, 1978)
- Hamlet (December 17, 1975 - January 25, 1976)
- The Changing Room (March 6, 1973 - August 18, 1973)
- 1776 (March 16, 1969 - February 13, 1972)
- A Time for Singing (May 21, 1966 - June 25, 1966)
Tony Awards and Nominations[]
- 2000 Best Actor in a Musical (Putting It Together) (nominee)
- 1995 Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Sunset Boulevard) (winner)
- 1984 Best Actor in a Musical (La Cage aux Folles) (winner)
- 1983 Best Actor in a Musical (A Doll's Life) (nominee)
- 1980 Best Featured Actor in a Play (Watch on the Rhine) (nominee)
Film Credits[]
- Sarah Plain and Tall: Winter's End (1999)
- Barney's Great Adventure (1998)
- The Devil's Own (1997)
- All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (1996)
- Annie - A Royal Adventure! (1995)
- The Pagemaster (1994)
- The Vanishing (1993)
- Sneakers (1992)
- Fire in the Dark (1991)
- See You in the Morning (1989)
- Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1984)
- A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982)
- Sanctuary of Fear (1979)
- The Silence (1975)
- External Links
George Hearn at the Internet Movie Database
George Hearn at the Internet Broadway Database