Broadway Theater Producer Don Gregory Dies at Age 80

The New York Times reports that theater producer Don Gregory, best known for his solo shows on Broadway, passed away yesterday, November 10th at the age of 80 at his home in Boca Raton, FL. According to his son, the cause of death was a stroke.

Gregory produced one-actor shows on Broadway for such luminaries as Henry Fonda, Julie Harris and James Earl Jones. In addition, he brought Richard Burton back to Broadway as King Arthur in the 1980 revival of CAMELOT.

In 1981, Mr. Gregory and his co-producer Mike Merrick were responsible for bringing Rex Harrison back to Broadway in perhaps his most famous role, Henry Higgins in the revival of MY FAIR LADY. Later that year, Richard Harris took over the role for a performance which was taped and aired on HBO.

Gregory was among the producers for Broadway's "Othello" in 1983 starring James Earl Jones in the title role and Christopher Plummer as Iago.

Among his many solo-show productions throughout the 1970s were "Clarence Darrow," a play by David W. Rintels based on Irving Stone's biography "Clarence Darrow for the Defense." The production toured with Henry Fonda, who appeared twice for limited runs on Broadway; and William Luce's "The Belle of Amherst," which earned Julie Harris a Tony Award for her performance as Emily Dickinson. He also produced "Paul Robeson," also starring James Earl Jones as the famous actor, singer and social crusader.

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