8 actors from 'Lord of the Rings,' hit TV shows and Broadway have been on this Indy stage
If you saw "Romeo and Juliet" in 1986 at Indiana Repertory Theatre, then you have bragging rights. A future "Lord of the Rings" icon squared off against a future two-time Tony winner on the downtown stage.
The former was Viggo Mortensen as the conflict-seeking Tybalt. His foe? None other than Romeo, played by Broadway star Michael Cerveris.
Over 50 seasons, the theater has hired several actors before, during and after their highly visible performances in movies and on TV and Broadway. Some are famous as long-running characters on mega-hits like "Lost." Others turned guest spots on "Seinfeld" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" into iconic moments in pop culture.
Through their combination of performances at Indiana Repertory Theatre and across multiple media over the last several decades, these eight actors offer the factoids of Indianapolis trivia dreams.
Henry Woronicz
On the screen: Woronicz played Father Curtis on "Seinfeld," listed as one of Entertainment Weekly's 25 best minor characters of the show. The well-meaning priest is remembered for telling Jerry Seinfeld how to use the kneeler in a confessional and dispensing advice that dissolved into irreverent religious jokes.
Other screen credits include "Star Trek's" Voyager and The Next Generation, "Frasier," "Ally McBeal" and "Cheers."
At Indiana Repertory Theatre: Woronicz is currently starring as Col. Mustard in "Clue." Past roles there for the actor, who's performed in theaters across the country, include "Holmes and Watson," "Fahrenheit 451" and "Tuesdays with Morrie."
Viggo Mortensen
On the screen: As Aragorn in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Mortensen's balance of scruffiness, gentleness and wicked sword-fighting ability is beloved by fans. He also starred in 2004's "Hidalgo" as the fate-tempting cowboy who competes in a cross-desert horse race.
At Indiana Repertory Theatre: Mortensen played Tybalt, Juliet's cousin and Romeo's rival, in the 1986 production of "Romeo and Juliet."
André De Shields
On the screen and on Broadway: De Shields is entrenched in the stratosphere of Broadway, as recently evidenced in his appearance with other icons in Netflix's "tick, tick... Boom!" For the song "Sunday," eventual "Rent" composer Jonathan Larson (actor Andrew Garfield) sings among his idols in the diner where he works.
De Shields originated the powerful title character of "The Wiz" in 1975. His long career also includes a 2019 Tony Award for playing Hermes, the messenger god and narrator, in "Hadestown."
At Indiana Repertory Theatre: In 2011's "The Gospel According to James," De Shields played James Cameron, based on the man who survived the 1930 lynchings in Marion, Indiana.
Michael Cerveris
On the screen and on Broadway: On the stage, Cerveris has often played characters that make audiences shudder. As the Abraham Lincoln-murdering John Wilkes Booth in "Assassins," he won a Tony Award in 2004. Just two years later, Cerveris received a Tony nomination for his performance as Sweeney Todd, the vengeful barber who recycles his clients into meat pies.
In 2015, Cerveris won a Tony Award for playing Bruce, the closeted gay father of a woman exploring her identity in "Fun Home."
On the screen, Cerveris portrayed Watson on the first season of HBO series "The Gilded Age" in 2022.
At Indiana Repertory Theatre: Cerveris played Romeo in the same 1986 production of "Romeo and Juliet" in which Mortensen performed.
5 times the play went wrong: Mishaps and laughs over 50 years at Indiana Repertory Theatre
Mira Furlan
On the screen: Furlan, who died in 2021, was a star in former Yugoslavia who made her name in the U.S. on the 1990s sci-fi series "Babylon 5." She played Ambassador Delenn, the strong and peacemaking alien.
More recently, Furlan appeared throughout the drama series "Lost" as Danielle Rousseau, who is tragically separated from her daughter before they reunite years later.
At Indiana Repertory Theatre: Furlan played the title role in 1992's "Yerma," a young woman struggling with the social stigma of being married without children.
Natalie Venetia Belcon
On the screen and on Broadway: In a cast of people and puppets chasing New York City dreams, Belcon played Gary Coleman — a superintendent in Broadway's "Avenue Q" based on the former TV child star.
As a guest on the TV series "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," Belcon portrayed the unsympathetic Joann Morgan, who seduces Carlton Banks without telling him she's married. The actress also has had spots on "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Living Single" and "The Sinbad Show."
At Indiana Repertory Theatre: Belcon performed as "The Girl with a Date" — one of three main women characters who deal with the harsh realities of love and life in 1930s Chicago in the 1997 production of "Blues in the Night."
Cora Vander Broek
On the screen and on Broadway: In 2020, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Jules, the optimistic life coach who dates the self-sabotaging leading man in Broadway's "Linda Vista."
On Netflix's "Grace and Frankie," Vander Broek played the recurring character of FBI Agent Karin Fenmore opposite stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
At Indiana Repertory Theatre: Vander Broek portrayed the young na?ve Sister James in 2008's "Doubt" and the sinister Hyde's lover Elizabeth Jelkes in 2012's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The actress also has performed in several productions of "A Christmas Carol."
Lex Lumpkin
On the screen: On the Freeform channel's "The Watchful Eye," the actor portrays Elliott, a teen who befriends the new nanny with a questionable past in an elite apartment building. Lumpkin has been in the cast of Nickelodeon's reboot of '90s sketch show "All That" and has guessed mystery celebrities on the game show "Unfiltered."
At Indiana Repertory Theatre: Lumpkin played the title character in 2017's "Stuart Little" and Travis, the grandson in the central family depicted in "A Raisin in the Sun" in 2018.
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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Actors on hit movies, TV, Broadway have been on an Indianapolis stage
