Rebecca Luker, Broadway star named Tony diagnosed with ALS, dies at 59



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Rebecca Luker, the Broadway actor who won Tony nominations for “Mary Poppins,” “The Music Man” and “Show Boat,” died Wednesday in Manhattan, her agent told The New York Times. She was 59.

She had been diagnosed with ALS late last year.

Luker has graced the stage and the screen, although she is best known for her memorable roles on Broadway.

She began her three-decade Broadway career as an understudy for the role of Christine Daaé in “The Phantom of the Opera” from 1988 to 1991. Throughout the 1990s, she played roles in “The Secret Garden ”,“ Show Boat ”and“ The Sound of Music ”.

Luker won his first of three Tony nominations in 1995 for playing Magnolia in “Show Boat.” His subsequent work in “The Music Man” (2000) and “Mary Poppins” (2007) would ultimately lead to his second and third nods.

Through the 2000s, Luker continued to perform on Broadway, but also began playing roles in film and television. Beginning with his gig in the 2000 TV movie “Cupid & Cate”, the actor went on to appear in “The Good Wife”, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “NCIS: New Orleans”. She played Michele Downey in “Bull” this year in her last acting role.

The star had her last performance on stage in the 2019 Kennedy Center production of “Footloose,” in which she played the narrow-minded woman of a small town minister. By this time, she had also appeared in three feature films, including “The Rewrite” in 2014.

In June, Luker hosted a virtual performance for ALS called “At Home with Rebecca Luker”. She sang during the pre-recorded concert, raising funds and raising awareness about the disease.

Luker is survived by her husband, actor Danny Burstein; brother Roger; sister Suzanne; mother Martha Hales; and her stepfather Lamar Hales.

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