Bethel Leslie, 70, Stage and Screen Actress
Bethel Leslie, the stage and screen actress who earned a Tony nomination in 1986 for her portrayal of the doomed mother in O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night," died of cancer, Nov. 28, at her home in Manhattan. She was 70. The private-school educated Leslie was discovered at age 15 by producer George Abbott who cast her as the girl next door in the 1944 Broadway comedy "Snafu." Also on Broadway, she appeared with Fredric March ("Years Ago"), Sam Wanamaker ("Goodbye, My Fancy"), and Helen Hayes ("The Wisteria Trees"), finally gaining Hollywood's attention with her performance in "Inherit the Wind." She made her film debut in 1964 opposite Robert Duvall in "Captain Newman, M.D." Returning to New York to pursue theatre, Leslie found soap opera work to support her passion. She later turned to writing, becoming a head writer for the soap opera "The Secret Storm." Most recently, the actress worked with the Off-Broadway Signature Theatre and the Women's Project, where she won praise this past spring for her work in "The Exact Center of the Universe."
Patrick Bedford, Tony-Nominated Actor
Irish-born actor Patrick Bedford, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in Brian Friel's "Philadelphia, Here I Come," died Nov. 20. Bedford also appeared in "Equus" with Anthony Perkins and was last seen in Hal Prince's Off-Broadway production of "Grandchild of Kings." He appeared opposite Sandy Dennis in the film "Up the Down Staircase," as well as in TV and radio commercials. A memorial service was held at the Actors Chapel of St. Malachy's Church, on Nov. 29.
Elsie F. Samuelson, 72, Stagedoor Manor Co-Founder
Elsie F. Samuelson, the director and co-founder of Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in the Catskills, died Nov. 26, in New Rochelle. She was 72. The New York native co-produced more than 641 shows at her Catskills training center, featuring such actors as Natalie Portman, Robert Downey, Jr., Mary Stuart Masterson, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Samuelson was also past president of the Bronx chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women.
William Benedict, 82, Original Bowery Boy
William Benedict, a character actor best known for his portrayal of Whitey in the Bowery Boys comedies, died Nov. 25, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 82. Although he was a native of Haskell, Okla., Benedict seemed to have been typecast as a tough, scrappy New Yorker. Before his Bowery Boys credits in the 1940s and "50s, he played a character named Skinny in the 1930s low-budget East Side Kids films. Other major motion picture credits include "My Little Chickadee" with Mae West, "The Sting" with Newman and Redford, and "Farewell, My Lovely."
Eufrosina Raileanu, 39,
City Opera Violist
Eufrosina Raileanu, the principal violist of the New York City Opera Orchestra since 1988, died Nov. 17, of complications from breast cancer. She was 39. She also freelanced with such troupes as the Juilliard Quartet, and was a substitute violist for the New York Philharmonic The Romanian-born musician came to the U.S. in 1960 with a group of award-winning teen musicians.