Alfred Drake

Biography

Alfred Drake's early leading roles included Marshall Blackstone in the original production of Babes in Arms, in which he sang the title song. He later played Hajj in Kismet, winning a Tony Award. Drake was mostly a stage and television actor; he starred in only one film, Tars and Spars (1946), but played several roles on television, including providing the voice for the Great Ak in the Rankin-Bass stop-motion animated adaptation of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. He appeared in a minor film role as president of the commodities exchange in the classic comedy Trading Places (1983), with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd. His first musical television appearance was as Captain Dick Warrington in the January 15, 1955 live telecast of the operetta Naughty Marietta, followed by his portrayal of Marco Polo in Neil Simon's The Adventures of Marco Polo on NBC Television's musical anthology series Max Liebman Presents in 1956. Drake headlined the musical stage version of Jean-Paul Sartre's Kean on Broadway in 1961 with a score by Forrest and Wright, although it was a major flop. His 1964 stage performance as Claudius in the Richard Burton Hamlet was filmed live on the stage of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, using a process called Electronovision, and shown in movie theatres in a very limited engagement; it was also recorded on LP. His final appearance in a Broadway musical was in 1973–74 as Honoré Lachaille in Lerner and Loewe's Gigi. Two years later he starred in a revival of The Skin of Our Teeth. As a director he staged the 1974 premiere of The Royal Rape of Ruari Macasmunde at the Virginia Museum Theater. He was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981. Drake was also a published author, writing at least a few plays: Dr. Willy Nilly, an adaptation of Molière's The Doctor in Spite of Himself, an adaptation of Goldoni's The Liar, and even at least one book on cards (specifically Gin rummy). He was president of The Players from 1970 to 1978.