Robert Francis LuPone (July 29, 1946 – August 27, 2022) was an American actor and artistic director. He worked on stage, in film, and in television. He was the brother of actress Patti LuPone.

Early life and training LuPone was born in Brooklyn on July 29, 1946. His father, Orlando Joseph LuPone, worked as a school administrator and English teacher at Walt Whitman High School in Huntington, Long Island; his mother, Angela Louise (Patti), was a library administrator at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. His great-great aunt was 19th-century Spanish-born Italian opera singer Adelina Patti. His father's side came from Abruzzo, while his mother's side is Sicilian. LuPone was raised in Northport, New York, on Long Island. He trained as a dancer and was a graduate of Juilliard School, having studied with Antony Tudor, Jose Limon, and Martha Graham. He also studied theatre at HB Studio under Uta Hagen.

Career After graduating from Juilliard in 1968, LuPone made his Broadway debut that same year as a dancer in "Noël Coward's Sweet Potato". He featured in three more shows in that same capacity before successfully auditioning for A Chorus Line (1976), having convinced Michael Bennett to let him play the role of the director, Zach. LuPone was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, in what proved to be his final dancing role. His later performances included A Thousand Clowns (2001), True West (2000), A View from the Bridge (1997), Late Nite Comic (1987), Saint Joan (1977), and The Magic Show (1974). His numerous off-Broadway performances included Twelfth Night (1980), Black Angel (1982), and Lennon (1982). He also appeared in regional theater. He was the director of the MFA Drama Program at The New School for Drama (New York City) until the spring of 2011.

Together with his former student, Bernie Telsey, LuPone established the Manhattan Class Company in 1986. This eventually became the MCC Theater. As its artistic director, he produced Frozen (2004), Reasons To Be Pretty (2008), and "Hand to God" (2014), all of which were nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play and eventually made their way to Broadway.

On television, LuPone appeared in five episodes of The Sopranos as Dr. Bruce Cusamano, next-door neighbor of the titular Soprano family (1999–2007). He appeared on Law & Order: Criminal Intent for two episodes as Nelson Broome (2003–2009), and on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for one episode in 2004. He also appeared on All My Children in the 1980s and Guiding Light in the 1990s. He appeared in the pilot episode of the NBC musical series Smash as well as the pilot episode of Showtime's drama Billions.

Personal life At the time of his death, LuPone was a resident of Athens, New York. He was married to Virginia Robinson until his death. Together, they had one son. His younger sister is actress-singer Patti LuPone.

LuPone died on August 27, 2022, at a hospice facility in Albany, New York. He was 76 with pancreatic cancer.

Filmography

Film +YearTitleRoleNotes1970Song of NorwayDancerUncredited1973Jesus Christ SuperstarJames the Apostle1989High StakesJohn Stratton1991The DoorsMusic Manager1995A Modern AffairBen1995PalookavilleRalph1995Dead PresidentsAttorney Salvatore Rizzo2002Heartbreak HospitalHal2004The Door in the FloorMendelssohn2004IndocumentadosPriest2005Come Away with MeFred2006MentorFranklin Burier2007Then She Found MeTed2007Funny GamesRobert Thompson2009Breaking PointFrank Donnelly2013Isn't It DeliciousSam Spenser

Television YearTitleRoleNotes1976Rich Man, Poor Man Book IIDick BarnabyEpisode: "Chapter IX"1977The Feather and Father GangChoreographerEpisode: "Flight to Mexico"1979–1980Ryan's HopeChester Wallace9 episodes1983Search for TomorrowTom Bergman #577 episodes1984–1985All My ChildrenZach Grayson4 episodes1985–1986Another WorldNeal Cory7 episodes1987CBS Summer PlayhouseJeffery SinclairEpisode: "The Saint in Manhattan"1990Guiding LightLeo Flynn4 episodes1990, 1994, 1999, 2002Law & OrderKurtz / Marc Bransom / Mark Branson / Bill Wendyll1991–1994LovingLeonard Brill / Charley Nichols24 episodes1995Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow StoryAndré PrevinTelevision film1996Swift JusticeAlan KaufmanEpisode: "Out on a Limb"1999–2006The SopranosDr. Bruce Cusamano6 episodes2000Sex and the CityLen SchniederEpisode: "The Big Time"2000JAGMel HaydenEpisode: "JAG TV"2000American TragedyRobert KardashianTelevision film2001Ally McBealAttorney BjorkEpisode: "The Getaway"2002Crossing JordanDA Curt Schneider2 episodes2003, 2009Law & Order: Criminal IntentNelson Broome2004, 2013, 2019Law & Order: Special Victims UnitParetto / Gabriel Gorromini / Brooks Harmon3 episodes2005StellaBob FeldmanEpisode: "Campaign"2006ConvictionActing TeacherEpisode: "The Wall"2009Royal PainsDr. SilverEpisode: "Pilot"2011A Gifted ManDr. Arnold SoltmanEpisode: "Pilot"2011Gossip GirlDr. KruegerEpisode: "Rhodes to Perdition"2012SmashJerry's AttorneyEpisode: "Pilot"2014The AffairDennis2 episodes2016BillionsSkip WolkowskaEpisode: "Pilot"2016Odd Mom OutTimberly CrispEpisode: "Knock of Shame"

Stage + Year Title Role Notes 1968 Noël Coward's Sweet Potato Performer Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway 1970 Minnie's Boys Acrobat Imperial Theatre, Broadway 1970 The Rothschilds Ensemble (Replacement) Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway 1974 The Magic Show Manny Cort Theatre, Broadway 1975 A Chorus Line Zach Sam S. Shubert Theatre, Broadway 1977 Saint Joan The Dauphin Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway 1982 Lennon Older Lennon Entermedia Theatre, Off-Broadway 1982 Black Angel Bob Hawkins/M.P./Third Hooded Man Circle Repertory Company, Off-Broadway 1987 Late Nite Comic David Ackerman Ritz Theatre, Broadway 1990 Zoya's Apartment Pavel Fyodorovich Abolyaninov Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway 1993 The Able-Bodied Seaman Roy MCC Theater, Off-Broadway 1997 A View From the Bridge Alfieri (Replacement) Criterion Center Stage Right, Broadway 2000 True West Saul Kimmer Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway 2001 A Thousand Clowns Arnold Burns Longacre Theatre, Broadway 2017 The Violin Gio 59E59 Theater, Off-Broadway 2018 Williston Larry Miranda Theatre Company, Off-Broadway

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