Cris Alexander
Cris Alexander (born Allen Smith, January 14, 1920 – March 7, 2012) was an American actor, singer, dancer, designer, and photographer.
Not to be confused with Chris Alexander.
Cris Alexander
March 7, 2012 (aged 92)
- Actor
- singer
- dancer
- designer
- photographer
1958–1969
Early life and education[edit]
Cris Alexander was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1920. He began using the name Christopher, which he thought more distinguished, in his teens. On the advice of a spiritualist, he removed the "h" and went by Cris from then on.[1]
Alexander attended the University of Oklahoma while working as a radio announcer in Oklahoma City.[2] He moved to New York City in 1938 to study at the Feagin School of Dramatic Art.[3]
Acting[edit]
Alexander was cast as Chip, a naive sailor, in the original Broadway cast of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town in 1944.[1] He performed the song "Come Up to My Place" in a duet with Nancy Walker in the role of Hildy.[2] He returned to Broadway in 1946 in Present Laughter opposite Clifton Webb.[1]
In 1953, Alexander was cast in Wonderful Town, another Bernstein musical, with Rosalind Russell. He played drugstore manager Frank Lippencott, performing the comic song "Conversation Piece." Alexander stayed with the musical for its entire run.[2] He moved next into performances for Mame, again with Russell. He played store manager Mr. Loomis, a role he repeated in the 1958 film version titled Auntie Mame.[1]
Alexander's last acting role was in Lanford Wilson's 1966 play The Madness of Lady Bright. He continued to be involved in theatrical productions and created projection slides for the 1970 production of Richard Rodgers's Two by Two.[2]
Personal life[edit]
Alexander became involved with New York City Ballet dancer Shaun O'Brien in the 1940s, beginning a relationship that would last nearly 60 years.[2] The couple retired to upstate New York in 1993, and married in 2011 when same-sex marriage became legal in New York State. Cris Alexander died in Saratoga Springs in 2012.[1]