Harvey Evans

Harvey Evans (January 7, 1941 – December 24, 2021) was an American stage and film actor whose Broadway career spanned five decades, from 1955 to 2005. Born Harvey Hohnecker in Cincinnati, Ohio, he relocated to New York in 1955 and went on to accumulate an extensive list of credits across theater, film, and television.

Evans's introduction to professional performance came through a national tour of Damn Yankees, where he first worked with choreographer and director Bob Fosse. That connection led directly to his Broadway debut in Fosse's New Girl in Town in 1957. The same year, Evans joined the original Broadway cast of West Side Story, playing the role of Gee-Tar. He later reprised his association with that production in both of its film adaptations, portraying Mouthpiece, a member of the Jets, in the 1961 film and appearing as a Gimbels security guard in Steven Spielberg's 2021 remake. Evans also appeared in another Fosse Broadway production, Redhead, in 1959.

His Broadway work continued steadily through the 1960s. He joined Gypsy as a replacement for the role of Tulsa in 1960, appeared in Anyone Can Whistle in 1964, and later entered the original run of Hello, Dolly! in 1967 as a replacement for Barnaby, performing alongside Carol Channing, Betty Grable, and Eve Arden. He played Sam Harris in George M! in 1968 and took on the role of George Gibbs in a Broadway production of Our Town in 1969.

The following decade brought further notable stage work. Evans played Bobby Van Husen in The Boy Friend in 1970 and originated the role of Young Buddy in the landmark 1971 production of Follies. In 1980, he understudied the title role in Barnum. He also starred in La Cage aux Folles during his Broadway tenure.

Evans remained active on Broadway through the 1990s and into the 2000s. He appeared in Sunset Boulevard in 1995 in the roles of Jonesy, Sammy, and others, played Ozzy in The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1998, and understudied the role of Andrew Carnes in Oklahoma! in 2002. He also appeared in Children and Art and other productions during this period.

His film work included a role as a chimney sweep in the 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins, a part in The Pajama Game, and a cameo in the 2007 film Enchanted. He additionally played the character William in Silver Tongues.

Evans died on December 24, 2021, at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, at the age of 80.