Obituaries

Victoria Mallory, Originator of Roles in Sondheim's Follies and A Little Night Music, Has Died

Mallory, who was 64, had been battling pancreatic cancer.

Victoria Mallory (center), with her husband, Mark Lambert (right), and their daughter, Ramona Mallory (left), in 2012.
Victoria Mallory (center), with her husband, Mark Lambert (right), and their daughter, Ramona Mallory (left), in 2012.
(© David Gordon)

Victoria Mallory, a Broadway veteran who originated principal roles in two musicals by Stephen Sondheim, has died at the age of 64 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Born Victoria Morales on September 20, 1949, the actress/singer made her Broadway debut as Maria in the 1968 Lincoln Center revival of West Side Story. She then went on to play Lili in a New York City Center revival of Carnival. In 1971, she originated the role of Young Heidi in Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's musical Follies, performing the song "One More Kiss" alongside Justine Johnson. Her last Broadway appearance came in 1973, when she originated the role of Anne Egerman in Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's A Little Night Music.

Mallory's many regional credits include roles in The Phantom of the Opera, Show Boat, Kiss Me, Kate, The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, and 1776, among others. For six years, she played Leslie Brooks on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, and took on the role of Dr. Denise Foxworthy on NBC's Santa Barbara. She recevied an Emmy nomination for the 1977 television special After Hours: Singin', Swingin', and All That Jazz. For several years, she taught at The Voice Studio in Manhattan and served as a vocal and audition coach.

Mallory's final performance on the New York stage came in 2012, when she starred opposite her West Side Story and Follies costar Kurt Peterson in a concert titled Everything Was Possible at City Center.

She is survived by her husband, Mark Lambert, who was the Henrik to her Anne in A Little Night Music, and their daughter, Ramona, who, 36 years later, played Anne in the 2009 Broadway revival of Night Music, opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones and Alexander Hanson.

Victoria Mallory in the recording session for the original A Little Night Music, in which she created the role of Anne Egerman.
Victoria Mallory in the cast-recording session for the original A Little Night Music, in which she created the role of Anne Egerman.