Norman LLoyd
The Mercury Theatre’s “Caesar”
Happy 100th birthday to Norman Lloyd, one of the original members of Orson Welles’ famed Mercury Theatre.
Born on November 8, 1914 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Lloyd has remained active in motion pictures and television. He guest starred on the hit ABC series Modern Family in 2010 and had a role in the recent movie A Place for Heroes with Paul Sorvino and Sally Kellerman. The father of two, he was married for 75 year to the late Peggy Craven Lloyd.
Lloyd co-starred as Cinna the poet in the Mercury’s groundbreaking Caesar on Broadway in 1937. He appeared in Welles’ stage production of The Shoemaker’s Holiday the following year.
He played Launcelot Gobbo to Welles’ Shylock in a 1938 recording of The Merchant of Venice and was to have taken part in the aborted film production of Heart of Darkness. He left the Mercury to find other film work after RKO Pictures nixed Heart of Darkness.
In 2004, Peter Tonguette conducted an informative interview with Lloyd about his work with Welles.
“My memory of Orson – at this instance, which is 67 years later – my memory of him is of a very vital, enormous gift to the theatre. The rehearsals and so forth. The richness of his personality. The energy, the vitality, the bigness, full of ideas, and laughing all the time. I remember him laughing all the time, except when he and (John) Houseman were screaming at each other. They screamed a lot! They screamed so much that you didn’t hear it. You know what I mean? You can hear people screaming and it just goes over your head. We would just sit, reading the newspapers. [Laughs]”
Lloyd has had an impressive post-Mercury career.
As an actor, he has more than 65 film and television appearances to his credit, including roles in Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur and Spellbound, as well as Dead Poet’s Society. For many TV fans, Lloyd is best known for his role as Dr. Daniel Auschlander on St.Elsewhere.
Lloyd has produced nearly three dozen television programs and directed nearly two dozen TV shows.
The Los Angeles City Council recently proclaimed Norman Lloyd Day.
Happy birthday Mr. Lloyd!
_________
[br]
Post your comments on the Wellesnet Message Board.