Lawrence (“Larry”) McCauley (1938-2022)
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Lawrence “Larry” Bernard McCauley, a critically acclaimed Chicago stage actor, passed away peacefully after a prolonged illness on December 17, 2022.
He was a truly natural and gifted actor with a beautiful Irish tenor singing voice - and a Jeff Award winner for his performances in "The Crucible" at Wisdom Bridge Theatre, "Camelot" at Marriott Theatre, Wisdom Bridge’s "The Idiots Karamozov" (as Dame Constance Garnett), and "It Runs in the Family" at Candlelight Forum Theatre. He made his Broadway debut in a revival of “The Night of the Iguana” as Jonathan Coffin/Nonno. Other notable performances include: Sheftl the Tailor and the Rabbi in “Yentl”, Thomas Dunne in “The Steward of Christendom”, Jimmy Tomorrow in “The Iceman Cometh”, Kolenkhov in “You Can’t Take It With You”, George Bernard Shaw in “Shaw vs. Chesterton: The Debate”, Noah in “Two by Two”, Wisdom Bridge’s 1975 “The Fantasticks”, Nicely Nicely in Loyola University’s 1966 production of “Guys and Dolls” (directed by his good friend Jean Moran), Oberon in in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Court Theater, Merlin and King Pellinore in “Camelot”, Goodman Theatre’s "Red Noses" (as Pope Clement VI) and "The Night of the Iguana" (alongside William Petersen and Cherry Jones) and - one of his last performances - Dennis Zacek’s "Waiting for Godot" at Victory Gardens in 2019. During his expansive career, he performed for audiences across Chicago, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Santa Maria, and Puerto Barrio. Larry was a devoted Catholic, supporting his parish church, St. Gertrude's, on Granville. When not performing, Larry capitalized on his love of the theater as well as British and Irish history. He was a much-adored history and drama teacher at St. Scholastica Academy and Sacred Heart in Chicago. Larry was born in Evanston and was a proud son, devoted brother, faithful nephew, endearing quirky uncle, and passionate friend. He was preceded in death by his parents Bernard, Joanne Hayes McCauley and sisters: Kathleen Anthony, Mary Margaret McCauley, Bernardine Kolman, and Eileen Schmalkuche, and is is survived by his 12 nieces and nephews along with countless friends, who will all miss his wonderfully curious and optimistic view of life. |