Actor of Sopranos, Robert LuPone dies at the age of 76

Robert Lupine a renowned artist who won the “Tony Award” for his film “A Chorus Line” in which he played role of a family physician. He founded MCC Theatre and lead it for 40 long years, has died at the age of 76.

Robert LuPone, who lost his life last saturday to pancraetic cancer. The community of MCC Theatre weeps over the demise of their greatest partner, Bob Lupone a person of great humour, setiments towards his work and who was closest to Robert quoted “We will miss him deeply and he will always be remembered”.

Robert found his first job in 1966, in Westbury Music Fair’s as a ensemble member for the production of “The Pajama Game” starred by Liza Minnelli. Robert’s debut as a broadway was in late 1958 under the production for Noel Coward’s show “Sweet Potato” and later he came to light in many renowned shows such as “The Magic Show” & “Minnie’s Boys” and more shows as such.

LuPone who was born in 1946 in Brooklyn state of New York. He graduated from Juilliard School in New York with a baccalaureate degree in dance in 1968.

He followed a teaching profession further in his career at New York University where one of his student named Bernie Tesley and later on they jointly started a theatre which later was known to be the great “MCC Theatre”.

Both LuPone & Tesley alongside co-director Will Cantler transformed the MCC into a Mega Theatre, direction some of the greatest shows such as “Frozen”, “Hand to God”, “School Girls” going on to win many awards.

LuPone while working as a director at MCC also acted in many shows produced at MCC like “A View from the bridge”, “A Thousand Clowns” appearing on many broadways. He attended the Chicago Premiere for “The Tooth of Crime” and for TV shows “Sex and the City & “”All My Children” for this he even received a Emmy nomination.

He acted in “The Sopranos” as Dr. Bruce nicknamed as “cooze” by his neighbor Tony Soprano. In one of the special episode, Tony said a joke about Cooze being in a closed box and asking him to be there for sometime, and hiding the fact from his neighbor that the box was filled with sand.

Robert also gave his service as the director of drama program at New School from 2005 till 2011 and also as the Board of directors for ART. LuPone’s family is now left with his wife, Virginia and his two children Orlando LuPone & Willaim LuPone.

According to some sources, Robert was attached to his younger sister, in an interview he recalled one of his fond memories with his sister where he performed a Tap dance with her in a show in 1998, and where he lifted her. He even recalled the dress stating he wored silk shirt with satin pants and she was wearing a dress with beady jeweled and she didn’t have a front teeth. Further he said how they became good friends when they were adult.

Among many hidden talents, Robert was a great dancer. When Robert studied in Juilliard School he got a chance to perform with some legends “Jose Limon” and “Martha Graham”. Patti in one of his interview with Page Six quoted “My Brother Bobby was a dancer unparalelled” and it all began when he spotted me in a hula skirt performing a dance recital.

Lupon’s death has been tragic as the Sopranos family had already faced several death this year. Paul Herman, show paid farewell to him who was famed as Neansie Geeta featured in a show for HBO drama, he died at 76 in March this year. Then later in April, Rae Allen who was known was her role as Soprano’s sister died at 65.