{{short description|American actor}} {{Infobox person | name = Larry Keith | image = Joanna Miles Larry Keith All My Children 1972.JPG | image_size = 220px | caption = Keith and Joanna Miles in ''All My Children'', 1972. | birth_name = Lawrence Jay Korn | birth_date = {{Birth date|mf=yes|1931|3|4}} | birth_place = Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|2010|7|17|1931|3|4}} | death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. | other_names = | website = | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1967–2010 }}

'''Larry Keith''' (born '''Lawrence Jay Korn'''; March 4, 1931 &ndash; July 17, 2010<ref name="obituary">{{cite web|url=http://www.soapcentral.com/amc/news/2010/0718-keith_obit.php|title=Larry Keith, AMC's Nick Davis, dead at 79|publisher=AMC News|accessdate=2010-07-20}}</ref>) was an American television actor. He was best known for being a cast member on the ABC soap opera ''All My Children'' and was the first American to play the role of Henry Higgins in the Broadway production of ''My Fair Lady''.<ref name=NYTObit>Fox, Margalit. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/arts/television/22keith.html "Larry Keith, Television and Stage Actor, Dies at 79"], ''The New York Times'', July 21, 2010. Accessed July 21, 2010.</ref>

He was born on March 4, 1931, in Brooklyn and adopted his stage name when he started acting. His early training was as a singer, and he earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Brooklyn College. He was drafted while he was a graduate student in music at Indiana University Bloomington and spent his time in the United States Army performing in shows for troops stationed in South Korea.<ref name=NYTObit/>

In the 1961 Broadway production of ''My Fair Lady'', Keith served as an understudy to Michael Allinson and played the role of Higgins some 50 times. In an interview with the ''New York Herald Tribune'' before his first stage appearance as Higgins, Keith said he doubted that he could get away with a plummy British accent in England, "but I think I can in New York".<ref name=NYTObit/> In 1992, Keith was one of the founders of TACT (The Actors Company Theatre), which has the mission of presenting "neglected or rarely produced plays of literary merit", appearing in its productions of ''Eccentricities of a Nightingale'' and ''Bedroom Farce''.<ref name=NYTObit/><ref name=Playbill/> Keith also appeared on Broadway in ''Titanic'' in 1997 in the role of Macy's owner Isidor Straus who sang the song ''Still'' to his wife Ida as the boat was sinking into the ocean. In ''Caroline, or Change'' in 2004, Keith played the role of Mr. Stopnick.<ref name=Playbill>Simonson, Robert. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/141299-Larry-Keith-Broadway-Actor-Dies-at-79 "Larry Keith, Broadway Actor, Dies at 79"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722171732/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/141299-Larry-Keith-Broadway-Actor-Dies-at-79 |date=2010-07-22 }}, ''Playbill'', July 19, 2010. Accessed July 22, 2010.</ref>

He played the role of restaurateur Nick Davis on ''All My Children'', appearing regularly from its inception in 1970 until 1978 and then made guest appearances in that role in the ensuing years. He appeared in television in ''Damages'' and several times on ''Law & Order''.<ref name=NYTObit/>

A resident of Manhattan, Keith died there on July 17, 2010, due to complications from lung cancer. He was survived by his ex-wife, the former Mina Wagman, as well as by a daughter and a grandchild.<ref name=NYTObit/>

==Television roles== *1967–1969: ''Another World'' *1970–1978, 1983–1984, 1988, 1991–1994, 1997, 2005: ''All My Children'' *1979–1980: ''The Baxters'' *1981: ''The Wave'' *1983: ''Kennedy'' *1986: ''Stingray'' *1990, 1992, 1996, 2008: ''Law & Order'' *2010: ''Damages''

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0445263|Larry Keith}} *{{IBDB name|74729}} *[http://lortel.org/Archives/CreditableEntity/2405 Larry Keith] at Internet Off-Broadway Database {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215225242/http://lortel.org/Archives/CreditableEntity/2405|date=2018-12-15}} *[http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Actor_Larry_Keith_Dies_At_Age_79_20100719 ''Actor Larry Keith Dies At Age 79''] Obituary at ''BroadwayWorld.com''

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Larry}} Category:1931 births Category:2010 deaths Category:American male soap opera actors Category:American male stage actors Category:Brooklyn College alumni Category:Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Category:Indiana University Bloomington alumni Category:United States Army soldiers