Broadway Veteran Christopher Evan Welch Has Died

Broadway and film veteran Christopher Evan Welch has died, friends and family of the actor have confirmed. Believed to be 48 years old, Welch had been suffering from lung cancer, according to published reports, and was in Los Angeles, shooting a role in the upcoming HBO series Silicon Valley.

Welch made his Broadway debut in Roundabout Theatre Company’s 1997 revival of the comedy London Assurance. He played Reverend Samuel Parris opposite Liam Neeson and Laura Linney in the 2002 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and appeared in the short-lived 2006 drama Festen.

An Obie Award winner for his performance as Mitch in Ivo van Hove’s 1999 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire at New York Theatre Workshop, his long list of off-Broadway credits included three of The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park revivals, Measure for Measure (Pompey), Othello (Roderigo), and Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio). Other off-Broadway appearances included Theresa Rebeck’s The Scene and Our House; Bruce Norris' The Pain and the Itch; van Hove's 2010 revival of The Little Foxes; and Liz Flahive's The Madrid at Manhattan Theatre Club earlier this year.

On screen, Welch has been seen in the films Lincoln, The Master, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Synechdoche, New York, as well as TV’s Rubicon, Nurse Jackie, and The Good Wife.

Welch is survived by his parents, a sister, his wife, Emma, and their daughter, June. Donations can be made to his daughter's education fund at Emma Roberts Welch c/o the Law Offices of Michael W. Hubbard P.O. Box 180656 Dallas, TX. 75218, or via Paypal.com to christopherevanwelchmemorial@yahoo.com.