Lawrence Frederick "Larry" Kert (December , â€" June , ) was an
American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for creating the
role of Tony in the original Broadway version of West Side Story.Kert
was born in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of four children, of
Orthodox Jewish parents, Harry and Lillian (née Pearson; originally
Peretz) Kert (some sources cite the family surname as Kurt). Kert's
eldest sister, Anita, became a vocalist, noted for dubbing Rita
Hayworth and other non-singing stars in their films. The siblings
graduated from Hollywood High School. From a Shubert Theater playbill
for 's 'I Can Get It For You Wholesale', starring Kert: "He attended
Los Angeles City College. As a teenager he worked at breaking wild
horses to saddle-- which led to a teen-age career as a stunt man,
stand-in, and extra in well-nigh films".Kert's first professional
credit was as a member of a theatrical troupe called the "Bill Norvas
and the Upstarts" in the Broadway revue Tickets, Please!. After a
seven-month run, he worked sporadically in Broadway, Off-Broadway and
ballet productions as a dancer until , when he was cast in West Side
Story.In , while dancing in the chorus in the Sammy Davis, Jr. show
Mr. Wonderful, Kert was recommended by his fellow dancer and friend
Chita Rivera, who eventually won the role of Anita in West Side Story,
to audition as a dancer for Gangway during the earliest Broadway
pre-production of the Arthur Laurents-Leonard Bernstein-Stephen
Sondheim musical later titled West Side Story, an adaptation of Romeo
and Juliet set on the west side of mid-town Manhattan in the s. Kert
was the th out of hopefuls to audition, but was the first one to be
cut. A few months later, while he was working for Esquire in an
advertising show, Stephen Sondheim approached him after seeing him
perform and set up an audition for the part of Tony. Kert was
reluctant to accept the offer, but a few weeks later, he was informed
that he had the role.[citation needed]
American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for creating the
role of Tony in the original Broadway version of West Side Story.Kert
was born in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of four children, of
Orthodox Jewish parents, Harry and Lillian (née Pearson; originally
Peretz) Kert (some sources cite the family surname as Kurt). Kert's
eldest sister, Anita, became a vocalist, noted for dubbing Rita
Hayworth and other non-singing stars in their films. The siblings
graduated from Hollywood High School. From a Shubert Theater playbill
for 's 'I Can Get It For You Wholesale', starring Kert: "He attended
Los Angeles City College. As a teenager he worked at breaking wild
horses to saddle-- which led to a teen-age career as a stunt man,
stand-in, and extra in well-nigh films".Kert's first professional
credit was as a member of a theatrical troupe called the "Bill Norvas
and the Upstarts" in the Broadway revue Tickets, Please!. After a
seven-month run, he worked sporadically in Broadway, Off-Broadway and
ballet productions as a dancer until , when he was cast in West Side
Story.In , while dancing in the chorus in the Sammy Davis, Jr. show
Mr. Wonderful, Kert was recommended by his fellow dancer and friend
Chita Rivera, who eventually won the role of Anita in West Side Story,
to audition as a dancer for Gangway during the earliest Broadway
pre-production of the Arthur Laurents-Leonard Bernstein-Stephen
Sondheim musical later titled West Side Story, an adaptation of Romeo
and Juliet set on the west side of mid-town Manhattan in the s. Kert
was the th out of hopefuls to audition, but was the first one to be
cut. A few months later, while he was working for Esquire in an
advertising show, Stephen Sondheim approached him after seeing him
perform and set up an audition for the part of Tony. Kert was
reluctant to accept the offer, but a few weeks later, he was informed
that he had the role.[citation needed]
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