Peter Johl

Peter Randolph Johl (August 16, 1927 – November 3, 2005) was an American actor and singer born in Scarsdale, New York. His father, Max Gustav Johl, owned a small factory and a large tract of land at Trails Corner on the outskirts of Groton, Connecticut, where the family settled when Peter was young. His mother, Janet, née Lambert Pagter, was a housewife and doll collector. The couple had three children: Peter, John, born in 1930, and Janet, born in 1940. Max Johl was of Jewish descent, though the family observed Christian rituals, while Janet Johl practiced Christian Science. Johl's tombstone records that he served in the United States Marines during both World War II and the Korean War.

Johl demonstrated an early aptitude for performance, taking the lead role of Scrooge in his school's production of A Christmas Carol in the winter of 1940. By 1952 he was studying at Grace Leslie's studio in New York, and that year he performed at a student concert in Amesbury, Massachusetts, singing three pieces as a tenor: Henry Purcell's "The Cares of Lovers," Robert Jones' "Farewell Dear Love," and Leonard Gybson's "Light O' Love." In 1961 he was a junior at East Carolina College, having already built substantial experience in summer stock and with the Grass Roots Opera Company of North Carolina. He also served as tenor soloist for performances of Handel's Messiah on multiple occasions in New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina. His wide vocal range allowed him to perform in opera, sacred music, and musical theatre, and as an actor he worked in both Shakespearean and modern dramatic roles.

Johl's Broadway career spanned from 1961 to 1997. Among his stage credits, he played Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady in 1964 and appeared as a singer in Baker Street: A Musical Adventure of Sherlock Holmes in 1965. He served as standby for the role of Professor George Ritter in Pousse-Café in 1966. In 1969 he took on the role of Tevye as a replacement in Fiddler on the Roof, and in 1974 he played Uncle Ithaca in Rainbow Jones. His work in the play Sly Fox in 1979 cast him as Captain Jethro Crouch. That same year he appeared in Men in White as Dr. Hochberg and in City Sugar as a newscaster. In 1982 he played Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland, in Henry IV, Part 1, and in 1985 he portrayed Gregory Solomon in The Price. He took the role of Egeon in The Comedy of Errors in 1988. In 1993 and 1994 he played Mr. Maraczek as a replacement in She Loves Me, and in 1994 he appeared as Behrman in The Last Leaf. He also narrated the audiobook Ambush at Soda Creek by Lewis B. Patten in 1977.

Johl identified professionally as a character actor, and his most prominent Broadway role came in Jekyll & Hyde, which ran from 1997 to 2001. He played Poole, Jekyll's manservant, and also performed two additional minor roles in the production. Johl was elected to The Lambs in 1991. He died in New York City on November 3, 2005.