Edmund Lyndeck

Edmund Lyndeck
Born	(1925-10-04)October 4, 1925 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	December 14, 2015(2015-12-14) (aged 90) Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor, Singer
Years active	1970-2015

Edmund Lyndeck (October 4, 1925 – December 14, 2015) was an American actor and musical theatre performer. He is best known for originating the roles of Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd and Cinderella’s father in Into The Woods. His other Broadway credits include 1776, Mrs. Warren's Profession, A Doll's Life, and Merlin, and he also played Sir Danvers Carew in the 1990 world premiere of Jekyll & Hyde.

Stage

Lyndeck, a former college professor, spent well over a dozen years in stock and regional theater roles before making his Broadway debut in the original production of 1776. After originating the role of John Witherspoon, Lyndeck went on to play Stephen Hopkins, Dr. Lyman Hall, and Charles Thomson before ending up on tour as John Dickinson.

His best-known role is the evil Judge Turpin in the original production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, which he also repeated for the first national tour, the 1980 television broadcast, and a 1994 production at the North Shore Music Theatre. He earned a Drama-Logue Award for his performance in the tour's Los Angeles berth. He followed up Sweeney Todd with another Stephen Sondheim musical, Into The Woods, originating the role of Cinderella's Father. His other Broadway credits include Mrs. Warren's Profession, A Doll's Life, and Merlin.

Lyndeck worked frequently in Pennsylvania regional theater. For many years he was a fixture at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera — most notably as Scrooge in their annual musical version of A Christmas Carol, a role he performed almost every year from 1992 to 2007.

Film and television

Lyndeck appeared occasionally on film and television. He was a contract player on a now-defunct soap opera, The Doctors, and has had guest roles in series like Ed, The Cosby Show, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. His best-known film role is as the marijuana-smoking grandfather in Road Trip; he is also known for his appearance in Adam Sandler's Big Daddy as Mr. Herlihy, You Don't Mess with the Zohan as the Pharmacist and his most recent appearance in The Notorious Bettie Page. He also did voiceovers for numerous television and film documentaries.

Death

Lyndeck died December 14, 2015, aged 90.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	Judge Turpin	TV Movie Musical
1999	Big Daddy	Mr. Herlihy
2000	Road Trip	Barry's Grandpa
2005	The Notorious Bettie Page	Father Egan
2006	The Ex	Mr. Hordhaus
2007	Enchanted	Derelict Old Man
2008	You Don't Mess with the Zohan	Pharmacist
2009	The Good Heart	Barber
2009	Splinterheads	Albert
2010	Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps	Patient
2013	The Big Wedding	Elderly Husband

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970-73	The Doctors	Dr. Carl Hendryx	69 Episodes (uncredited and credit only)
1990	The Cosby Show	Mr. Bingham	Episode: What It's All About
1991	American Playhouse	Cinderella's Father	Episode: Into the Woods
2000	Ed	Charlie Hudson/Molly's Grandfather	2 Episodes
2001	Law & Order	Howard Eastman	Episode: Armed Forces
2004	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Mr. Zelman	Episode: Bound
2005	Third Watch	Priest	Episode: How Do You Spell Belief?
2011	The Onion News Network	Old Gilgoff	Episode: Enter the Factzone

Further reading

• Brown, Dennis. Actors Talk: Profiles and Stories from the Acting Trade. New York: Limelight, 1999. (Lyndeck is one of the actors interviewed.)

External links

• Edmund Lyndeck at IMDb
• Edmund Lyndeck at the Internet Broadway Database
• Brief interview with Lyndeck about Stephen Sondheim
• Obituary - Playbill'