Larry Keith

Larry Keith, born Lawrence Jay Korn on March 4, 1931, in Brooklyn, New York, was an American actor whose career spanned Broadway, television, and theater. He adopted his stage name when he began acting professionally. His foundational training was in music: he earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Brooklyn College and was pursuing graduate studies in music at Indiana University Bloomington when he was drafted into the United States Army. During his military service, he performed in shows for troops stationed in South Korea.

Keith's Broadway career extended from 1956 to 2004 and encompassed productions including High Spirits, I Had a Ball, Cabaret, Titanic, and Caroline, or Change. Among his most notable stage achievements was his work in the 1961 Broadway production of My Fair Lady, where he served as understudy to Michael Allinson in the role of Henry Higgins, ultimately performing the part approximately 50 times. This made him the first American to play Higgins on Broadway. Prior to his debut in the role, Keith told the New York Herald Tribune that while he doubted a plummy British accent would pass muster in England, he believed it would work for New York audiences. In Titanic, which opened in 1997, he played Isidor Straus, the owner of Macy's, performing the song "Still" to his wife Ida as the ship sank. His final Broadway credit, Caroline, or Change in 2004, cast him as Mr. Stopnick.

Beyond Broadway, Keith was a co-founder in 1992 of TACT, The Actors Company Theatre, an organization dedicated to presenting neglected or rarely produced plays of literary merit. He appeared in TACT productions of Eccentricities of a Nightingale and Bedroom Farce.

On television, Keith was best known for his long association with the ABC daytime drama All My Children, on which he played restaurateur Nick Davis from the show's debut in 1970 through 1978, with recurring guest appearances in the role continuing into 2005. He also appeared on Another World from 1967 to 1969, The Baxters, the miniseries Kennedy, and multiple episodes of Law & Order across several decades, as well as the series Damages in 2010.

A longtime Manhattan resident, Keith died in New York City on July 17, 2010, from complications of lung cancer, at the age of 79. He was survived by his former wife, Mina Wagman, a daughter, and a grandchild.