Lee Moore

Lee Moore – Manhattan, New York
Feb. 19, 1929 -Aug. 16, 2018

Lee Moore, a true gentleman of the theater whose distinctive deep
voice and commanding demeanor made him a constant and familiar
presence on stage, screen, radio and
television since the 1950's, died on Aug. 16, 2018, in Manhattan. He
was 89 years old and had homes in Manhattan and Cornwall, CT.

His death was announced by his wife, the opera singer and actress
Leslie Middlebrook.

At the day and hour of his death, Thursday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m., he was
to appear at an Episcopal Actors' Guild event at the Little Church
Around the Corner. He had recently completed work on a Marvel
superhero film production as well as several independent films.

Lee moved seamlessly from the stage to radio to movies and TV and back
again. A member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA, he appeared in principal roles
on every one of the daytime television dramas in their golden age,
culminating in seven years as Glenn Taggart in "The Guiding Light";
helped save a foundering Pennsylvania radio station and earned a
lasting local fame as a radio personality; and won a permanent place in the
hearts of his fellow members of The Players, Episcopal Actors' Guild
and Lambs, both as committee member and performer.

Born in Brooklyn to Julia Gunther Ingelbord and Joseph Moore, both
professional singers, he was educated at Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn and
Litchfield High School. His training as a competitive debater in high
school and his distinctive deep voice paved the way for his acting
career, beginning in Air Force acting troupes while he served during
the Korean conflict. He was stationed for four years in Frankfurt,
Germany.

Upon his return to the states, he became a professional actor, drawing
notice first as a leading man at the Litchfield Summer Playhouse in
Connecticut and the Arden Playhouse in Arden, Del., both directed by
Leonard Altobell, then in many Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway
productions. Later in life he studied with Wynn Handman of the
American Place Theatre and took singing lessons with Dan Merriman and
Beverly Myers to polish his baritone voice.

Among his noted New York appearances were several roles at the Mint
Theater, including "Allison's House" and "The Return of the Prodigal", as well
as at the John Houseman Theatre, the American Place Theatre and the
Quaigh Theatre, where he starred in the only New York revival of Moss Hart's "Christopher Blake".

He also appeared at regional theaters, including the
Allentown Playhouse; Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Va.; the Buffalo Arena
Stage; the Cleveland Playhouse; the Arizona Theater Company; and the
Geva Theatre in Rochester, N.Y.

In the mid-1970s, he drew listeners and advertisers to a daily radio
show on the struggling WWPA-AM in Williamsport, Pa. As the "Tom Cat,"
he presented music, poetry and conversation, becoming so popular that
he sometimes had to flee waiting fans by way of the fire escape. The
station returned to financial health and survives today,

In the 80s and 90s, he shuttled between New York and Los Angeles to
act in movies as well as in TV pilots and successful series, including
"Falcon Crest" and the mini-series "War and Remembrance." He also
appeared in the United States premiere of the stage version of "Breaker
Morant."

Later in his career, he was in "Hope and Faith" and "The Lion of the
Desert," which was filmed in Italy. He was featured in the movie "Mr.
Popper's Penguins" and in the award-winning short film "Christ in the
City," among others.

He met his wife Leslie in 1978 at a New York casting workshop. They
married in 1990 and made many joint appearances, touring together in
"How Love Endures, 100 Years of Broadway Melodies" and "A Victorian
Evening of Romance, Poetry and Song, or the Tale of Dolly Gray." For
more than a quarter of a century, he worked at Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts in the education/marketing department, introducing
young people to the opera and classical music he loved.

He had been a member of the E.A.G. since 2007 and of The Lambs and The
Players since 2001.

He had a special relationship with The Players, the famous club for
theatricals and their professional friends on Gramercy Park South,
becoming known as "The Voice" of the club. He was a stalwart of many
dramatic, cabaret and variety shows there, often appearing with his
wife, and he served on several committees, including the finance and
admissions committees. He was famous for the speech from "Hamlet" that
nearly every prospective member heard during the admissions process:

“Good my lord, will you see the players well bestowed? Do you hear, let
them be well used; for they are the abstract and brief chronicles of
the time...”

He wrote a screenplay, "Edwin, the Actor King," about Edwin Booth, the
most famous American actor of the 19th century and the founder of The
Players. The script has had several readings and showcases at The
Players and remains in development.

His survivors include his wife; his son from a previous marriage, Andre W. K Moore-Roupp and his wife, Ellie Moore-Roupp of Mifflinburg, PA; and their daughter, Monroe Anna Kuhl Moore-Roupp; as well as his sister-in-law, Julia Forbes of Boston; and his niece, Heather Forbes.

Contributions in his memory are suggested to the The Players
Preservation Fund, the Lambs Foundation, or the Episcopal Actors'
Guild.

A memorial service will be held on September 22 at 2 P.M. at the
Little Church Around the Corner (The Church of the Transfiguration),
at 1 East 29th Street, in Manhattan.
A private tribute will take place at The Players on October 25.
Funeral arrangements are by Roupp Funeral Home, Inc., 8594 Old Turnpike Rd., Mifflinburg.