“Virginia Woolf” star and acting teacher was 86

Rochelle Oliver on Broadway in “Harold” in 1962.

Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Rochelle Oliver, who starred in Lillian Hellman’s lead role on Broadway Toys in the attic and Edward Albees Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf? and taught acting at New York’s prestigious HB Studio since the 1970s, has died. She was 86.

Oliver died on April 13, HB Studio announced. “Anyone who knew Rochelle will know what a luminous artist, compassionate and passionate teacher she was,” an Instagram post said. She died two days before her birthday.

For the big screen, Oliver starred in the film written by Horton Foote 1918 (1985) and Advertising (1987) and appeared in other films such as The lucky whore (1975), Paul Mazursky Next stop: Greenwich Village (1976), John Sayles’ Lianna (1983), An inconspicuous life (1989), Martin Brest Scent of a woman (1992) and Woody Allen’s Hollywood ending (2002).

She also appeared again as Judge Grace Larkin law and order from 1993-03.

As a protégé of Uta Hagen – who also taught at the HB for decades and was married to the founder Herbert Berghof – Oliver made her Broadway debut in 1960 Toys in the attic as Lily Berniers, the young, selfish bride of Jason Robards’ character.

She received the Clarence Derwent Award for her performance in the Arthur Penn-directed production, which also starred Maureen Stapleton and Anna Revere, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play (she lost to The miracle worker).

After Tony nominee Melinda Dillon gave up intensive training Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf? After nine months – she spent some time in a psychiatric hospital – Oliver took on the role of Honey in the original Broadway production in 1963 with Hagen, Arthur Hill and George Grizzard.

Oliver was born in New York City on April 15, 1937, began studying with Hagen at age 17, and appeared in a 1957 off-Broadway production of The Brothers Karamazov. Two years later she landed in episodes of the TV dramas Naked city And deadline.

Later she worked on other shows like the defenders, The doctors and the nurses, Best of all And Ryan’s hope.

Oliver also appeared on Broadway Harold (with Anthony Perkins and Don Adams) in 1962 and in Bernard Slades Happy never after in 1966 and represented Ellen Burstyn in the year Same time, next yearwhich premiered in 1975, and for Polly Holliday as Big Mama in Cat on a hot tin roof in 1990.

She worked with Foote on his three resulting one-act plays The Orphan Home Cycle and were filmed for public television.

Oliver taught in HB’s Hagen Core Program and acted and directed on the HB Playwrights stage. Her goal as a drama teacher, she said in her teaching statement on the HB website, is to “guide students to find their own voice as theater artists.” I insist that students take the time to ask questions, do the necessary research, understand the importance of process in our work, and not abandon their imagination in this culture of instant answers. The joy for me is our collaboration in discovering and learning.”

She was a key member of the transition committee assembled by Richard Mawe to lead the school after Hagen’s death in 2004 and remained an active member of the HB board and on HB’s artistic advisory board until 2022, according to HB.

Oliver was married to actor James Patterson (In the Heat of the Night) from 1959 until his death in 1972 and to Fritz Weaver (Failsafe, The Day of the Dolphin) from 1997 until his death in 2016.

Survivors include her son John.

“Acting classes meant everything to Rochelle; and HB gave her the opportunity and freedom she needed to teach in her own way. “Thank you to the Oliver/Patterson family HB Studio community,” he said.