Drake, Alfred (real name, Alfredo Capurro)

Drake, Alfred (real name, Alfredo Capurro) esteemed American baritone, actor, and director; b. N.Y., Oct. 7,1914; d. there, July 25, 1992. He sang in a Brooklyn church choir and then in the glee club at Brooklyn Coll., from which he graduated in 1935. He began his career as a chorus singer. His rich baritone voice caught the attention of Rodgers and Hart, who cast him in a supporting role in their Broadway musical Babes in Arms (1937). After further stage appearances, he was chosen by Rodgers and Hammerstein to create the role of Curly in the award-winning musical Oklahoma! in 1943, which made Drake a star on Broadway and also winner of the Drama Critics’ Circle Award. Following appearances on stage in Sing Out, Sweet Land (1944), The Beggar’s Holiday (1946), and The Cradle Will Rock, and in the film Tars and Spars (1946), he again won critical accolades when he created the role of Fred Graham in Cole Porter’s Broadway musical Kiss Me, Kate in 1948. In 1953 he scored another Broadway triumph when he created the role of Haji in the musical Kismet, for which he won a second Drama Critics’ Circle Award as well as a Tony Award. In later years, he pursued a career mainly as a fine dramatic actor and director. In 1973 he again won accolades as Honore Lachalles in the revival of Gigi. In 1981 he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame. In 1990 he was awarded the Tony Honor of Excellence for his contributions to the American theater.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire