Tony Nominee Charles Brown Dies at 57
(Photo © Carol Rosegg)
Actor Charles Brown, a two-time Tony Award nominee, died on January 8, 2004 at his home in Cleveland, Ohio of complications from prostate cancer. He was 57.
Brown was born in Alabama and raised in Cleveland. He came to New York in the mid ’70s and joined the Negro Ensemble Company, of which he was a member for 15 years. He received a 1980 Tony nomination for Best Actor in Samm-Art William’s Home and a 2001 Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in August Wilson’s King Headley III; for the latter performance, he also received the 2001 Drama Desk Award. He created roles in two Pulitzer Prize winning plays, A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller and Fences by August Wilson, and in Neil Simon’s Rumors. Brown’s Off-Broadway credits include John Guare’s A Few Stout Individuals and Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s The Exonerated.
He is survived by his wife, Renee Lescook Brown; his stepdaughter, Dominique Stewart; three granddaughters; and his longtime friend and companion, Lynda Gravátt. A celebration of Brown’s life will be held at The Signature Theater (555 West 42nd Street) on Monday, February 9, from 1-3pm.
