Jack Tinker,
58, Critic
Jack Tinker, theatre critic of Britain's Daily Mail, died on Sun., Oct. 27, of a heart attack. He was 58.
Tinker became critic of the Mail in 1972, a year after joining the paper, and was known for his witty style. His last column ran on October 25.
He is survived by two daughters.
Richard Nelson,
58, Lighting Designer
Richard Nelson, the Tony Award-winning lighting designer, died Wed., Nov. 6, at Mount Sinai Hospital of a brain tumor. He was 58.
Nelson won the Tony in 1984 for his lighting of Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George." He was also nominated for a Tony in 1988 for another Sondheim show, "Into the Woods."
Nelson's other Broadway credits included "Morning's at Seven," "Tap Dance Kid," "Precious Sons," "Cafe Crown," and "The Secret Rapture." He recently designed the lighting for David Henry Hwang's "Golden Child," currently playing at the Public Theater.
Born in New York City, Nelson's first production was "The Winslow Boy" in 1955 at the Master Institute in New York City. Nelson soon began a career in modern dance, lighting the work of choreographers such as Martha Graham and Paul Taylor. He was resident lighting designer of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company 1959-62 and 1968-75.
Nelson was lighting designer at Seattle Repertory Theatre 1963-66; Theatre of Living Arts in Los Angeles 1966-67; and Inner City Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles 1967-69. He was an associate professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1988-91.
He is survived by his wife and a son.
William Prince,
83, Actor
William Prince, a stage, screen, and television actor, died at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Tarrytown, N.Y., on Tues., Oct. 8. He was 83.
Prince left Cornell University in his senior year to join a Federal Theater tour of "The Taming of the Shrew," and made his Broadway debut in that company's production of Max Reinhardt's "Eternal Road."
He gained notice in a 1941 production of "Ah, Wilderness!" The next year, he had a breakthrough with his performance as Private Quizz West in Maxwell Anderson's "The Eve of St. Mark." Prince then went to Hollywood, where he appeared in "Destination Tokyo" and "Cyrano de Bergerac."
Returning to Broadway, he appeared in "I Am a Camera" opposite Julie Harris. He went on to play in several Edward Albee works, including the critical disaster "The Man Who Had Three Arms" (1983), Albee's last Broadway effort before his recent revival.
Prince is survived by his wife, a sister, two daughters, and two sons.
Mary Rolfe,
79, Actress
Mary Rolfe, a radio and stage actress, died on Mon., Oct. 28, at Maui Memorial Hospital in Hawaii. She was 79. Born in Brooklyn, Rolfe graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She began her career in a road company of "Brother Rat." Her credits included "Life and Death of an American," "Wallflower," "See My Lawyer," and "The Eve of St. Mark." She is survived by her husband, two sons, and a daughter.
Louis M. Simon
90, Theatre Exec
Louis M. Simon, a theatre executive, died on Mon., Oct. 28, at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, N.H. He was 90. Simon began his career in theatre with German producer Max Reinhardt, whom he met during a trip to Europe. Simon came to New York in 1929, and worked as a stage manager for the Theatre Guild. He was state director of the New Jersey Works Progress Administration Federal Theatre and production director for that program's New York counterpart. Simon was also an executive secretary of Actors' Equity Association (1949-52), and a public relations director for the Actors' Fund of America (1965-82). He is survived by a son.
Correction
In our recent obituary of Leonard Fink, we incorrectly credited the play "Schools of Fish" to producer Stewart Lane. The drama was author