Elaine Cancilla

Elaine Cancilla was an American actress, dancer, and musical theatre performer born on January 19, 1940, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She performed professionally under the name Elaine Cancilla and was active on Broadway from 1959 to 1971. She died on April 1, 2009, in a New York City hospital from pneumonia at the age of 69.

Cancilla's Broadway career encompassed a range of musical productions. Her credits included Fiorello!, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Here's Love, Flora the Red Menace, Sweet Charity, and Cry for Us All. In addition to her Broadway work, she also appeared in Off Broadway productions.

Beyond her stage credits, Cancilla is notable for her connection to actor Jerry Orbach, best known for his work on stage and later in film and television, including the series Law and Order. The two met while appearing together in the original Broadway production of Chicago, the musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb. They married in 1979 and also co-starred in a touring production of Neil Simon's play Chapter Two.

Following Jerry Orbach's death in 2004, Cancilla worked to have a portion of 53rd Street at Eighth Avenue in New York City's Theater District renamed in his honor. The street was rechristened Jerry Orbach Way in 2007. At the time of her death, she was survived by her stepsons Tony Orbach and Chris Orbach, from whom she had become estranged following disputes over Jerry Orbach's will.