Actor Mark Blum died on Wednesday from complications related to the coronavirus at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, his wife, Janet Zarish, told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 69.
Blum was best known for his roles in Crocodile Dundee and St. Elsewhere, as well as portraying Madonna’s love interest in the famous New York City movie Desperately Seeking Susan. He also had several TV appearances throughout his career, including stints on The Sopranos, The West Wing, Mozart in the Jungle and NYPD Blue.
Most recently, Blum had film credits on Netflix, where some viewers might remember him as Mr. Mooney on the crime drama You. He also had guest roles on Showtime’s Billions and HBO’s Succession.
Blum got his start in Broadway as an understudy and assistant manager in 1977’s The Merchant. After that, he went on to appear in Lost in Yonkers by Neil Simon in 1991, Twelve Angry Men in 2004 and The Assembled Parties in 2013.
Blum Appeared in the Same Play 12 Years Apart
When Gore Vidal’s The Best Man was revived in 2000 and 2012, Blum appeared in both editions. He told Playbill in 2012 that participating in both plays 12 years apart was like being in a dream.
“It feels a little like a dream where you think it’s supposed to go in a certain way, but you look around and all the people are different. I open a door, and Angela Lansbury walks in instead of Elizabeth Ashley. I open another door, and it’s James Earl Jones, not Charles Durning,” he said. “It feels like I’m hallucinating instead of acting.”
Playwrights Horizons, an off-Broadway theater, confirmed Blum’s death on Twitter Thursday. “With love and heavy hearts, Playwrights Horizons pays tribute to Mark Blum, a dear longtime friend and a consummate artist who passed this week,” they tweeted. “Thank you, Mark, for all you brought to our theater, and to theaters and audiences across the world. We will miss you.”
Rosanna Arquette Calls Blum’s Death a ‘Tragedy’
Blum was a beloved figure in the theater community among actors and critics alike. Writers and actors took to Twitter to mourn Blum’s death. Anika Noni Rose, who is best known for The Princess and the Frog and Dream Girls wrote on Twitter, “Your country owed you better.”
Rosanna Arquette, who worked with Blum on Desperately Seeking Susan, remembered the entertainer as a “wonderful” actor after she found out about his death from writer Sharon Waxman. “Sharon Waxman informed me of this very very hard news today I’m so deeply sad for his family and for his fans. he was a wonderful actor and a very good and kind man. May you Rest In Peace and power mark. God bless you.”
She called his death a “tragedy.”
“I’m sad about this. He was really very kind, was always supportive and funny, a gentleman and a great actor who loved the work,” Arquette added to TheWrap. “I’m so sad for his family and all the people who love him. This is a tragedy on so many levels. Rest in peace and power Mark Blum.
More people from the New York theater scene and Hollywood continued to mourn Blum’s death.
One of my favorite acting professors from undergrad, Mark Blum, died from COVID today. He was a lovely man and a fantastic teacher. I was deep in a depressive episode when I was studying with him and he made me feel seen and understood. Fuck guys, this is awful.
It is with such deep sorrow that I’m writing to share the news that our friend and former board member Mark Blum has passed away as a result of complications from the coronavirus. Mark was a dedicated Screen Actors Guild and SAG-AFTRA board member serving from 2007-2013,
Blum is survived by his wife of 15 years, his mother, Lorraine, and sister, Nancy.
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