When The Boys in the Band [1] first premiered in 1970, it was considered a milestone in queer cinema due to its portrayal of gay life in a major American motion picture. Set in New York City in 1968, the story — which is based on the 1968 Mart Crowley off-Broadway play of the same name — follows what happens when a birthday party goes dramatically awry thanks to high-running emotions and tons of alcohol. The film features the same cast as its initial stage run — a feat that was duplicated by the Netflix adaptation, which features the same cast from the play's 2018 revival [2]. Keep reading to learn more about the original cast, including what they did after The Boys in the Band.
Leonard Frey as Harold
Best known for his role as Motel [4] in the 1971 film adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof, Frey portrayed Harold, a single gay man reluctantly celebrating his birthday in NYC's Upper East Side. Frey died at the age of 49 due to an AIDS-related illness [5] in 1988. His character is portrayed by Zachary Quinto [6] in the Netflix revival.
Kenneth Nelson as Michael
Michael (played by Jim Parsons in the revival), the host of Harold's birthday party and catalyst of the drama, was originally played by Kenneth Nelson. In the late 1940s, Nelson appeared in a number of television series [7], including Captain Video and His Video Rangers and The Aldrich Family. Primarily a stage actor, Nelson died in 1993 of AIDS-related [8] complications in London.
Frederick Combs as Donald
Combs took on the role of Michael's former flame Donald, who recently moved from NYC to the Hamptons in order to turn his life around and undergo psychoanalysis. A stage actor, Combs appeared in productions [9] of The Lady of the Camellias and A Taste of Honey. He later died in 1992 [10] at the age of 56 in Los Angeles of an AIDS-related illness. This role is portrayed by Matt Bomer in the 2020 Netflix adaptation.
Reuben Greene as Bernard
Greene played Bernard, aka the bookstore clerk who often butts heads with Michael. A stage actor who sometimes dabbled in commercials [11], Greene had a role as Dr. James Hudson on the 1969 CBS soap opera Where the Heart Is. Bernard is played by Michael Benjamin Washington in the Netflix version.
Cliff Gorman as Emory
Gorman played the role of Emory — who's played by Robin de Jesús in the 2020 film — the interior decorator whose personality and sense of humour are often grating. In 1972, Gorman won a Tony Award for his role as Lenny Bruce in the play Lenny. When it came to movies, Gorman had roles in Cops and Robbers, Rosebud, Brinks: The Great Robbery, An Unmarried Woman, Night of the Juggler, Hoffa, and Night and the City. In 2002, Gorman died of leukemia [12] at the age of 65.
Keith Prentice as Larry
While in Netflix's version, Larry, the freewheeling fashion photographer who struggles with monogamy, is played by Andrew Rannells, he was originally played by Prentice. A student of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts [13], Prentice had roles in the stage musicals [14] Sail Away, The Sound of Music, Paint Your Wagon, and The King and I. Prentice died of AIDS in 1992 [15].
Laurence Luckinbill as Hank
Larry's live-in boyfriend, Hank, played by Tuc Watkins in the 2020 film, was portrayed by Luckinbill. Best known in the theatre world for writing, directing, and starring in one-man shows, Luckinbill was also Spock's half-brother Sybok in the film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. He's married to Lucie Arnaz [16], daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and is the uncle of directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski [17].
Peter White as Alan McCarthy
After playing Alan (who's played by Brian Hutchison in the Netflix adaptation), Michael's married college friend who shows up unexpectedly at the party, White went on to appear in a number of television shows, including his role as Lincoln "Linc" Tyler on All My Children and Dr. Thomas Reed on Sisters.
Robert La Tourneaux as Cowboy Tex
La Tourneaux was the good-natured but dim hustler Cowboy Tex who's hired for Harold as a birthday present. Sadly, after The Boys in the Band, La Tourneaux's career declined [18], with him blaming it on the movie [19]. La Tourneaux died in 1986 due to an AIDS-related illness and was cared for by Cliff Gorman and his wife in the final months before his death [20]. His role was taken on by Charlie Carver in the 2020 Netflix adaptation.