All My Children

Background:

Daytime Emmy-nominated and Tony-nominated American actor, choreographer, dancer, teacher and stage director Robert LuPone is perhaps most famous for his performances in a number of daytime soaps, most notably “All My Children” (1984-1985), from which he was handed his Daytime Emmy nomination for his role as revengeful felon Zach Grayson, and “Guiding Light” (1990, 1992-1996, 2000), as Roger Thorpe's sordid attorney Leo Flynn. He has also acted in several prime-time shows like the Fox miniseries “Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story” (1995), the NBC series “Law & Order” and its companion shows, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” and the David Chase-created popular show “The Sopranos,” in which he played the recurring role of Dr. Cusamano, the title character's next-door neighbor, from 1999 to 2007, as well as in several feature films, including “Jesus Christ Superstar” (1973), adapted from the 1971 play of the same name where LuPone also acted in, “High Stakes” (1989), “Dead Presidents” (1995), “Heartbreak Hospital” (2002), “The Door in the Floor” (2004), “Mentor” (2006) and “Funny Games U.S.” (2007).

The co-founder of the theater company Manhattan Class Company (MCC) who kicked off his showbiz career as a part of the family act The Lupone Trio, along with actress-sister Patti LuPone and twin brother William LuPone (now a teacher/librarian), received his Tony nomination for his role as the choreographer/director Zach on “A Chorus Line” (1975) and won acclaimed for his work in the stage production of “The Tooth of Crime” (1973). Other theater credits include “Minnie's Boys” (1970), “Saint Joan” (1977), “Lennon” (1982), “Late Night Comic” (1987), “Triumph of Love” (1997) “A View from the Bridge” (1998), “True West” (2000) and “Change Beds and Dance” (2002). LuPone has also served as an executive director and directed many of MCC productions.

The Lupone Trio

Childhood and Family:

Robert LuPone was born on July 29, 1946, in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Orlando Joseph LuPone, was a school administrator, and his mother, Angela Louise, worked as an administrator at college. They divorced in 1961, when Robert was 15 years old. He graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, where he majored in music.

Robert is the older brother of actress Patti LuPone (born on April 21, 1949), who won a Tony Award for her role as “Evita” on the Broadway musical of the same name (1979), and the twin brother of William LuPone, who pursued a career as a librarian after leaving the family act “The Lupone Trio,” whose members included Robert and Patti.

A Chorus Line

Career:

Robert LuPone and his younger sister, Patti, started performing together when he was 7 years old and she was four. During the 1960s, the twosome went on to perform in a family act called “The Lupone Trio” with the additional member of LuPone's twin brother, William. LuPone appeared as a dancer in “Arabian Nights” at Jones Beach Theatre in Long Island, New York in 1967 and in the following year, he was cast in the role of A-Rab in a NYC revival of “West Side Story.” However, he did not hit Broadway until two years later when he landed a part in the 1970 production of “Minnie's Boys.” It was also in that same year that LuPone received his first taste for appearing in front of the film cameras in the Andrew L. Stone-directed based-on-play “Song of Norway,” where he had an uncredited part as a dancer. From then, the Juilliard graduate tirelessly accumulated stage credits while building up his on screen career.

In 1971, LuPone had a role in the NYC production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and when the play was brought to the big screen by director Norman Jewison two years later, the actor was cast in the role of a believer named James in the movie version, which starred Ted Neeley as Jesus Christ and Carl Anderson as Judas Iscariot. Still in 1973, LuPone gained attention for his stage work in “The Tooth of Crime” at the Chicago Goodman Theatre Center and was handed a Joseph Jefferson Award for his performance in the show. He gathered up even more recognition in 1975 with his role as the director/ choreographer Zach on the original Broadway production of “A Chorus Line,” a bright performance that won him a 1976 Tony nomination in the category of Best Actor (Featured Role-Musical). He followed the success by touring the country as Zach in 1976 and undertaking the role of the Dauphin in the Broadway revival of “Saint Joan” in 1977.

Also in 1977, LuPone made his TV debut in an episode of the drama series “The Feather and Father Gang,” as a choreographer, and continued to have a recurring role as Chester Wallace on two episodes of the ABC soap opera “Ryan's Hope” (1979-1980). He returned to the stage in 1980 to jointly direct “It's Me Marie,” with Myra Turley, at the Actors Studio before spending the next year teaching acting at New York University. He was seen on the stage again in 1982 when he portrayed John Lennon on the Off-Broadway production of “Lennon,” where he also assumed other parts, and on the small screen during 1982-1983 season playing Thomas 'Junior on the NBC daytime drama “Search for Tomorrow.

However, it was LuPone's next television role that brought the multi-faceted actor real breakthrough. As Zach Grayson, the unforgiving blackmailer, during the 1984-1985 season of the ABC daytime series “All My Children,” he picked up a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series. At the same year he began his regular role on the 1970s drama, LuPone co-formed the NYC-based Manhattan Class Company (MCC), and has since shared executive director responsibilities with Bernard Telsey in addition to sitting on the director's chair for the theater company's productions.

Two years after leaving “All My Children,” LuPone appeared as Jeffery Sinclair on the “CBS Summer Playhouse” episode of “The Saint in Manhattan” and revisited the Broadway in “Late Night Comic” (both 1987), where he was cast as David. He next participated in the Josephine Abady world premiere of “On the Waterfront” at the Cleveland Playhouse in 1989 and portrayed John Stratton, a stockbroker who falls for a gold-hearted hooker (played by Sally Kirkland), on that year's motion picture “High Stakes,” helmed and written by Amos Kollek.

1990 saw LuPone portray the disreputable attorney Leo Flynn on the long-running soap opera “Guiding Light,” but he soon left the CBS show and did not make a comeback until 1992. He departed the series again in 1996. Meanwhile, LuPone kept on busy pursuing other projects. He made his first of several appearances on the NBC series “Law & Order” in 1990, was featured as a music manager in the Oliver Stone drama “The Doors” in 1991, directed MCC production of “D Train” in 1994 and played Andre Previn on the Fox miniseries “Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story” in 1995. Still in 1995, he also acted with Lisa Eichhorn and Stanley Tucci in the independent film “A Modern Affair,” helmed by Vern Oakley, portrayed Ralph on the Alan Taylor comedy “Palookaville,” which starred William Forsythe, and was featured as a lawyer named Salvatore Rizzo on the action “Dead Presidents,” jointly directed by Albert and Allen Hughes and starring Larenz Tate, Keith David and Chris Tucker.

After serving as a choreographer for the Hartford Stage Company production of “Romeo and Juliet” (1996), LuPone gave a memorable stage portrayal as the prudishly strong Hermocrates in the regional production of the musical “Triumph of Love” (1997) in Baltimore and was cast as the pleasing, world-tired attorney Alfieri in a NYC Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's “A View from the Bridge” (1998), a role originated by Stephen Spinella. He closed out the decade by directing the play “The English Teachers” and starting his recurring role as Tony Soprano's next-door neighbor, Dr. Cusamano, on the hit HBO series “The Sopranos” (both 1999).

Entering the new millennium, LuPone found himself reprising his role as Leo Flynn on “Guiding Light” in addition to playing lawyer Robert Kardashian in CBS miniseries “An American Tragedy,” based on a book by Lawrence Schiller and James Willwerth with Schiller also serving as the director, and having guest spots in such episodes of “Sex & the City” and “JAG.” On the stage, he essayed the role of movie producer Saul Kimmer on the Broadway production of Sam Shepard's “True West” (all 2000). He then played Arnold Burns on the Broadway production of “A Thousand Clowns” (2001), opposite Tom Selleck, costarred with Maryanne Plunkett in Off-Off Broadway production of Neil Koenigsberg's “Change Beds and Dance” (2002) and was cast as Il Dottore/Cardinal Antonelli on a play by Alfred Uhry called “Edgardo Mine” (also 2002) at the Hartford Stage in Connecticut. Also in 2002, he had a supporting role as Hal on the comedy/thriller “Heartbreak Hospital,” his first film appearance since 1995.

LuPone appeared as Nelson Broome in a 2003 episode of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and as Brooks Harmon in a 2004 episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” He resumed his film career by taking the role of Mendelssohn on Tod Williams' “The Door in the Floor” (2004), which the director also scripted based on the novel by John Irving. The NBR award-winning drama starred Elle Fanning, Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger and Jon Foster. He went on to appear in writer/director Leonardo Ricagni's “Indocumentados” (2005, as Priest), the Carlo Ventura comedy “Vieni via con me” (2005, as Fred) and the drama “Mentor” (2006, as Franklin Burier), along side Rutger Hauer and Matthew Davis. In 2007, the active performer had the prominent supporting role of Robert in the horror/thriller “Funny Games U.S.,” which was penned and directed by Michael Haneke and starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth and Michael Pitt.

LuPone will appear along side Tom Berenger, Curtiss Cook, Busta Rhymes and Armand Assante for the upcoming action/thriller “Order of Redemption” (2008). The film, which is currently in post-production, is scripted by Vincent Campanella and directed by Jeff Celentano.

Awards:

• Joseph Jefferson: “The Tooth of Crime,” 1973