I have yet to see a news source confirming this, but I'm seeing lots of tweets from industry people saying that actor, Mark Blum has passed away. And several of the tweets I saw implied that it was from COVID, though again, I haven't seen that confirmed yet.
Blum last appeared on Broadway in The Assembled Parties in 2013, and also played the same role in both the 2000 and 2012 revivals of Gore Vidal's The Best Man. He has performed more consistently Off-Broadway, most recently in "Fern Hill" at 59e59, "Amy and the Orphans" at Roundabout, and "Rancho Viejo" at Playwrights Horizons.
So sad. Looking through his IMDb page, I realized how many of my favorite TV shows/films he has been in, including Desperately Seeking Susan. During quarantine, I’ve been rewatching either some of my favorite movies or discovering classic movies I’ve yet to see. Tonight, I’ll be watching one of my faves, Desperately Seeking Susan.
He was great on Mozart in the Jungle, but I actually remember him best from the 2012 revival of the Best Man. I am pretty sure he had to step in last minute when Michael McKean was injured, and was great.
Union Bob in Mozart in the Jungle was one of those delightful reoccurring characters that left a mark. I last saw him in Amy and the Orphans. COVID-19 sucks more each day.
I first knew of Mark from seeing him in Desperately seeking Susan in the movie theater in New Orleans in the 1980s. Also memorable because it was my first time seeing Laurie Metcalf who played his sister.
I worked with Mark once in the early days of my career. He was a real mensch. When he found out I graduated from Penn (as he did), he took a shine to me. But in my experience, he was kind and generous to everyone who came across his path. We would run into each other occasionally over the years, and he was always warm toward me. The last time I saw him was a few weeks ago. It's shocking to think he's gone. All good wishes to his beloved wife, Janet.
I worked with Mark once in the early days of my career. He was a real mensch. When he found out I graduated from Penn (as he did), he took a shine to me. But in my experience, he was kind and generous to everyone who came across his path. We would run into each other occasionally over the years, and he was always warm toward me. The last time I saw him was a few months ago. It's shocking to think he's gone. All good wishes to his beloved wife, Janet.