Elaine Cancilla Orbach
Elaine Cancilla Orbach | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elaine Cancilla January 19, 1940 |
| Died | April 1, 2009 (aged 69) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupations | Actress, dancer |
| Years active | 1959–2000s |
| Spouse | |
Elaine Cancilla Orbach (January 19, 1940 – April 1, 2009) was an American stage and musical theatre actress and dancer.
Career
Orbach, known professionally as Elaine Cancilla, appeared on Broadway and Off Broadway in productions including: Fiorello!, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Here's Love, Flora the Red Menace, Sweet Charity and Cry for Us All.
Private life
In 1979 she married actor Jerry Orbach, a star on stage and later of film and television (Law & Order).[1] They met several years earlier while appearing together in the original Broadway theatre production of the Kander & Ebb musical, Chicago. They also co-starred in a touring production of Neil Simon's play, Chapter Two.
The couple lived in a high-rise on 53rd Street off Eighth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, an intersection shared with the Theater District, where Orbach was a fixture in that neighborhood's restaurants and shops.[2] His glossy publicity photo hangs in Ms. Buffy's French Cleaners, and he was a regular at some of the Italian restaurants nearby. Following his death in 2004, she petitioned to have a portion of 53rd and 8th renamed in honor of Orbach; the plans met with some resistance by local planning boards,[3] but were overcome thanks to his popularity and his love of the Big Apple.[4]
Death
She died on April 1, 2009, at age 69, from pneumonia in a hospital in New York City.[1][5] She was survived by her stepsons Tony Orbach and Chris Orbach, from whom she was estranged due to disagreements over Jerry's will.
References
- 1 2 Simonson, Robert (Apr 2, 2009). "Elaine Cancilla Orbach, Actor Jerry Orbach's Widow, Dies at 69". Playbill. Retrieved Jun 10, 2019.
- ↑ Brantley, Ben; Severo, Richard (2004-12-31) [December 29, 2004]. "Jerry Orbach, Star of 'Law & Order', Dies at 69". Arts. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2025-08-15. Retrieved 2026-07-09.
- ↑ McGeehan, Patrick (March 7, 2007). "Jerry Orbach Was a Marquee Name, but a Street Sign's Another Story". The New York Times. p. B1. Archived from the original on 2025-07-26. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
- ↑ McGeehan, Patrick (September 18, 2007). "Manhattan: Street Naming". The New York Times. p. B8. Archived from the original on 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
- ↑ BWW News Desk. "Elaine Cancilla Orbach, Widow of Jerry Orbach Passes Away at 69". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved Jun 10, 2019.
External links
- American female dancers
- American musical theatre actresses
- American stage actresses
- Entertainers from Manhattan
- Deaths from pneumonia in New York City
- 1940 births
- 2009 deaths
- Dancers from New York (state)
- Dancers from Massachusetts
- 20th-century American women singers
- 20th-century American dancers
- 21st-century American women