Bob LuPone, the actor who helped found and run the Off-Broadway MCC Theater, has died at age 76.

Bob LuPone, who won a Tony nomination for acting in the original series team line And went on to help found and manage the influential off-Broadway theater company MCC Theater for nearly 40 years, he died. He was 76 years old.

LuPone, brother of Broadway icon Patti LuPone, died Saturday after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer, according to PR Matt Ross.

“The MCC theater community mourns the loss of our beloved and inspiring partner, colleague and dear friend, Bob LuPone, who lived a fearless life with great curiosity, good humor, boundless passion for connection and a whole heart. We miss him terribly and always,” the theater said in a statement.

LuPone’s first professional work was in 1966 with the Westbury Music Fair Ensemble. pajama set Liza Minnelli in the title role. He made his Broadway debut in 1968 in Noel Coward’s production. sweet potatoes and appeared later The Crystal Boys, the Rothschilds s magic show.

LuPone was originally chosen as All-In team line, but convinced creator and director Michael Bennett to cast him as Zack after the original cast left. LuPone earned a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Feature Film for this role.

Born in 1946 in Brooklyn, New York, LuPone graduated from The Juilliard School with a BA in Dance in 1968.

He was teaching an acting class at New York University when one of his students was Bernie Telles.

Together they would help form the Manhattan Class Company in 1986, now known as the MCC Theatre.
LuPone, Telsey, along with third co-artistic director Will Cantler, transformed the MCC into a theater center, with Broadway-bound productions such as Frozen, Reasons for Beauty, Hand to God, Schoolgirls; the african mean girls game, Snow geese, another place and Pulitzer Prize winner Vitamin.

While serving as the co-artistic director of MCC, LuPone has also worked as an actress and appeared in films. View from the bridge, true west s thousand clownsEverything on Broadway. He was in Chicago for the Sam Shepard premiere. a guilty tooth And it was on TV The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Guiding Light s all my childrenfor which he received a Daytime Emmy nomination.

From 2005 to 2011, he also served as Director of the Drama MFA Program at the New School of Drama and served as Chair of the ART/New York Board of Directors.

LuPone is survived by his wife, Virginia; his son Orlando; sister Patty; and brother William.