Ernest Perry Jr. (1947-2023)
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On November 23, longtime Chicago actor Ernest Perry Jr. died at the age of 76.
Perry played dozens of roles at the Goodman, Victory Gardens, Court Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Northlight, and many other companies. He also worked outside of Chicago at regional theaters, including Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia. Additionally, Perry collected numerous credits in film and television, including ER, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Barbershop 2, Roll Bounce, Liar Liar, Rage in Harlem, Running Scared, and The Color of Money. Early notable work in Chicago included: Lonne Elder III’s Ceremonies in Dark Old Men for Victory Gardens in 1978 and Goodman’s landmark 1979 production of Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman (which finally made it to Broadway in 1987 with Perry in the 32 person cast); and playing Joe Mott in The Iceman Cometh starring Brian Dennehy at (the old) Goodman in 1990. Perry’s turn as Hambone in the Goodman’s 2015 revival of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, directed by Chuck Smith, was particularly memorable. He imbued his character, who is broken yet still somehow visionary (a staple kind of figure in Wilson’s world) with rage and dignity. Perry had been witness to the growth of the Black theater movement in Chicago, as well as some of the problems Black artists encountered with white critics. “I can remember sitting in ’75 on the South Side arguing about, how can we get this together? Meaning, the Black Theatre Movement. Nobody had a space that was large enough to do some of the things we wanted. We was all trying to get together and we was arguing because the Reader had done a really botched-up review of a production of [Athol Fugard’s] Boesman and Lena, which we thought was fine but they didn’t… What we need is to all come together, and that’s what Soyinka did. He brought 32 of us together and put us on the stage together and it was great.” Perry was born and raised in Evanston and lived for several years in Austin, ultimately residing in Beach Park. He was a Vietnam Veteran who served honorably from 1969-1972. Beloved husband of the late Alice Carol (2017). Doting father of Mary (Darrell) Johnson, Jaisy Geans and the late Alison Perry. Loving brother of Diane Perry, Donna "D'Machellee" (Keith) Johnson, the late Deborah Perry-Griffin, the late Stephen Perry, Gayvelle Redmond, Lorraine Williamson, Wilna Geans, Wilbur Redmond and the late Robert Redmond. Adored uncle, cousin, nephew and friend to many. The family notes that, in recognition of Perry’s military service, donations to Vietnam Veterans of America (vva.org) would be welcome. |