Peter Jacobson to Star in DEATH OF A SALESMAN at Hartford Stage

Peter Jacobson will star as Willy Loman in Hartford Stage's upcoming production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, one of the most revered and challenging roles in the American theater.

Jacobson is perhaps best known for his work on television's House, Ray Donovan, The Americans, and Law & Order as well as for his acclaimed stage performances in both classical and contemporary plays. His casting signals a major artistic moment for Hartford Stage and underscores the theater's ongoing commitment to presenting world-class artists in essential works.

Willy Loman stands at the center of Miller's Pulitzer Prize–winning masterpiece—a character who continues to speak powerfully to audiences nearly eight decades after the play's premiere. The role has been interpreted by generations of great actors and remains a benchmark of artistic achievement.

Jacobson promises to bring to Willy Loman a combination of emotional intelligence, rigor, humor, and humanity. Over the course of his expansive career on stage, television, and film, he has built a reputation for inhabiting complex men with vulnerability and precision—qualities essential to capturing the fragile inner life of Miller's tragic everyman.

“Willy Loman is a character I've carried with me for years,” says Peter Jacobson. “He's a man who believes deeply in the promise of being seen, of being valued, and of having mattered—and that longing feels as urgent today as ever. Arthur Miller wrote a play that doesn't judge Willy, but instead asks us to sit with him, to understand him, and maybe to recognize parts of ourselves. I'm honored to take on this role at Hartford Stage, a theater with such a deep commitment to great storytelling.”

This announcement marks the first casting news for Death of a Salesman. Additional casting details will be announced later this January.