who played the lawyer in chicago

by Dixie Baumbach 10 min read

The connecting factor between Velma & Roxie comes in the form of an unscrupulous high profile defense attorney Billy Flynn (played by Richard Gere), who also knowing when to take advantage of an opportunity, becomes counsel for both women and their respective cases. "Chicago" is fortunate enough to have several things going for it.

In the 2002 film, he was portrayed by Richard Gere, who also played Dennis Peck in Internal Affairs.

Full Answer

Who was the best lawyer for the Chicago Seven?

Jan 24, 2003 · Chicago: Directed by Rob Marshall. With Taye Diggs, Cliff Saunders, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger. Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention.

What was the name of the lawyer in Chicago PD?

Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification. Eddie Redmayne. ... Tom Hayden. Alex Sharp. ... Rennie Davis. Sacha Baron Cohen.

Which celebrities have been in Chicago on Broadway?

May 22, 2021 · Freddy Rodriguez has played lawyer Benny Colón for all five seasons of “Bull.” CBS Freddy Rodriguez, the Chicago-born actor known for his work on “Six Feet Under” and “Ugly Betty,” has departed the hit CBS series “Bull,” the entertainment trades report.

What episode of Law and order was Steven Kunstler in?

Oct 16, 2020 · Judge Julius Hoffman was shown to be heavily antagonistic towards the defendants and the defense team which comprised of attorneys William Kunstler (Mark Rylance) and Leonard Weinglass (Ben Shenkman). While Kunstler is rightly shown to be a just attorney as he defended the Chicago Seven, Weinglass is often relegated to a sidekick role in the movie.

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Oct 16, 2020 · Nevertheless, the defense attorneys, William Kunstler (Mark Rylance) and Leonard Weinglass (Ben Shenkman) went on to become known for the trial and in later years, for defending those who were marginalized.

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Who played lawyer Billy Flynn in Chicago?

Television personality Wayne Brady is set to make his Broadway debut as ruthless lawyer Billy Flynn in the John Kander-Fred Ebb musical, Chicago, starting Sept. 7. The Emmy Award-winning actor, singer and talk-show host is slated to stay with the show through Nov. 28.

Who played the original Billy Flynn?

Henry GoodmanThe show ran at the Adelphi Theatre for nine years until transferring to the Cambridge Theatre in April 2006. The original cast of the production included German jazz singer Ute Lemper as Velma, British actress Ruthie Henshall as Roxie Hart, Nigel Planer as Amos Hart, and Henry Goodman as Billy Flynn.

Who played Billy Flynn on Broadway?

James Monroe Iglehart will join the Broadway company of “Chicago” as Billy Flynn, producers Barry and Fran Weissler announced Tuesday. Iglehart steps into the show Jan. 17, taking over from Tom Hewitt, who has been in the role since Paulo Szot departed the production in late November.Jan 4, 2022

Was Billy Flynn a real person?

Flynn is a composite character based on real-life Chicago attorneys of the era, William Scott Stewart and W. W. O'Brien. In the musical adaptation, his style is based upon Ted Lewis.

Who has played Roxie in Chicago the Musical?

Chicago, the original 1975 Broadway stage musical, featuring Gwen Verdon, and its 1996 revival, which starred Ann Reinking. Chicago, an Oscar-winning 2002 film adapted from the 1975 musical (and its 1996 revival), starring Renée Zellweger as Roxie.

What is the highest grossing musical of all time?

The Lion KingWorldwide revenueRankMusicalGross revenue (US$)1The Lion King$8,251,556,7002The Phantom of the Opera$6,060,000,0003Mamma Mia!$4,000,000,0004Cats$3,565,624,0916 more rows

Did Richard Gere sing in Chicago?

The cast, including Catherine Zeta-Jones (Velma), Richard Gere (Billy Flynn), and Queen Latifah (Mama Morton) did all of their own singing and dancing. Back when the movie came out, Zeta-Jones also admitted how intimidating that was.Oct 25, 2017

Who has played Velma Kelly on Broadway?

Women who have portrayed Velma on the Broadway stage include: Chita Rivera, Caroline O'Connor, Bebe Neuwirth, Reva Rice, Pia Douwes and Ute Lemper. She was portrayed by Lisa Kelly in the Irish production.

Who was in the original Chicago on Broadway?

Chita Rivera and Gwen Verdon led the cast as Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, respectively, and Jerry Orbach played Billy Flynn. The production received 11 Tony nominations, but won zero; competitor A Chorus Line took home nine awards that year. The show went on to play 936 performances.

What's Spencer Reid's IQ?

187Dr. Spencer Reid is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds, portrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler. Reid is a genius with an IQ of 187 and can read 20,000 words per minute with an eidetic memory.

Is Chad from Days of Our Lives married?

He is known for portraying Chad DiMera on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives....Billy Flynn (actor)Billy FlynnSpouse(s)Gina Comparetto ​ ( m. 2016)​6 more rows

Where is Pete Randall today?

He is now a minimum security inmate at a transitional work center in Concord. Randall's prison sentence was reduced in a court order in 2009, making him eligible for parole this year.Apr 9, 2015

Who plays Benny in Bull?

Jason Bull, played by series lead Michael Weatherly.

Who is Freddy Rodriguez?

Freddy Rodriguez, the Chicago-born actor known for his work on “Six Feet Under” and “Ugly Betty,” has departed the hit CBS series “Bull,” the entertainment trades report. He will not appear on the sixth season of the series, which concluded its fifth season on Monday. From the pilot on, Rodriguez has co-starred on “Bull” as former prosecutor Benny ...

When did Chicago come out on Broadway?

It debuted in the West End in 1979, where it ran for 600 performances. Chicago was revived on Broadway in 1996, and a year later in the West End. The 1996 Broadway production holds the record as the longest-running musical revival and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.

Who played Velma Kelly in Chicago?

The opening night cast starred Chita Rivera as Velma Kelly, Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart, Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn and Barney Martin as Amos Hart. Velma Kelly had been a comparatively minor character in all versions of Chicago prior to the musical rendering. The role was fleshed out to balance Chita Rivera 's role opposite Gwen Verdon's Roxie Hart.

What is Chicago based on?

Awards. 1996 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. 1997 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production. Chicago is an American musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. Set in Chicago in the jazz age, the musical is based on a 1926 play of the same title by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, ...

How many tours of Chicago have there been?

There have been ten North American national tours of Chicago. The first tour started in April 1997 in Cincinnati, Ohio, six months after the revival opened on Broadway. The cast featured Charlotte d'Amboise (Roxie Hart), Jasmine Guy (Velma Kelly), Obba Babatunde (Billy Flynn) and Carol Woods (Matron "Mama" Morton). A second company started in December 1997 in Tampa, Florida. The tour went on hiatus in Fall 1999 and started again in October 1999 in Denver, Colorado, featuring Robert Urich as Billy Flynn, Vicki Lewis (Velma) and Nana Visitor (Roxie). The next tour started in October 2000 in Stamford, Connecticut, with Robert Urich. Chita Rivera joined the tour for several weeks.

What is the second longest running Broadway show?

It is the second longest-running show to ever run on Broadway, behind only The Phantom of the Opera. Chicago surpassed Cats on November 23, 2014, when it played its 7,486th performance. The West End revival became the longest-running American musical in West End history.

When will the revival of Chicago open?

On June 4, 2020, it was announced a revival tour of Chicago will open in March 2021. The show will open at the Birmingham Alexandra Theatre on 12 March 2021 and then tour extensively across the United Kingdom.

What happened in Chicago in the 1920s?

In the early 1920s, Chicago's press and public became riveted by the subject of homicides committed by women. Several high-profile cases arose, which generally involved women killing their lovers or husbands.

How did Kunstler die?

In the fall of 1992, Kunstler returned to New York Law School to teach a seminar on constitutional law. Three years later, he died of a heart attack.

Is the trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix?

The Aaron Sorkin-written and directed political drama, 'The Trial of the Chicago 7' , is finally on Netflix. The film had been in development by Sorkin for more than a decade and after its theatrical release was hampered by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which is why it has found itself on the streaming platform. The movie focuses on the infamous Chicago conspiracy trial that took place in 1969 in the aftermath of the Chicago protests of the previous year, amid the Democratic National Convention.

When did Chicago come out on Broadway?

Chicago debuted on Broadway in 1975 . The show was nominated for nearly a dozen Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical for Bob Fosse, and ran for two years. Chicago was revived on Broadway in 1996 and took home six Tonys for categories such as Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Choreography.

Who plays Roxie Hart in Chicago?

Erika Jayne. The Bravolebrity announced in September 2019 that she will star as Roxie Hart in Broadway’s production of Chicago for three months in 2020. Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock.

When did Roxie come to Broadway?

The supermodel made her Broadway debut as Roxie in Chicago in 2010. She went on to play the character for two stops on the Chicago national tour in 2019 before returning to Broadway in April of that year to reprise her role.

Who is Mel B in Spice Girls?

Stars from Spice Girls member Mel B to model Christie Brinkley have taken the stage in the musical, which is based on journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins’ 1926 play of the same name and the various murder cases she reported on.

Where is Erika Jayne going?

Erika Jayne is going from Beverly Hills to Chicago. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star announced on Instagram in September 2019 that she will star in Broadway’s production of Chicago in New York City from January 6 to March 29, 2020.

Who played Billy Flynn in Chicago?

Billy Flynn (at right) as portrayed by Jerry Orbach in the Broadway adaptation, 1976. William Flynn is a fictional character from the 1926 play Chicago, written by Maurine Dallas Watkins, and its various derivative works and remakes.

Who is Billy Flynn?

Billy Flynn is one of the city of Chicago's most effective defense attorneys ; he can win any trial and usually represents women who have murdered their lovers. He has never lost a case involving a female defendant in his whole career, but in turn charges high fees for his services ($5,000), demands payment in full up-front, and never takes pro bono work. In rare cases, such as Roxie Hart 's, he will take a discount rate in exchange for a cut of proceeds from selling ephemera and media rights fees related to the case. In the play, he defends Hart and her rival Velma Kelly, winning both cases.

Early life and education

Weigert was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Dionne Laufman and Berlin -born Wolfgang Oscar Weigert, a psychiatrist. She is Jewish. After graduating from Brandeis University in 1991, Weigert attended New York University, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in the Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts.

Career

After a decade as a stage actress based in New York City, she moved to Los Angeles and has appeared in various films, television shows and mini-series.

Who was the defense witness in the Attica Prison riot?

In 1974–1975, Kunstler defended a prisoner charged with killing a guard during the Attica Prison riot. Under cross-examination, Kunstler forced Correction Officer Donald Melven to retract his sworn identification of John Hill, Kunstler's client, and Charles Pernasilice (defended by Richard Miller), admitting he still retained "slight" doubts that he confessed to investigators at the time of the incident. Kunstler focused on pointing out that all the other prosecution witnesses were testifying under reduced-sentencing agreements and called five prison inmates as defense witnesses (Miller called none), who testified that other prisoners hit the guard.

Who was William Kunstler?

Children. 4, including Emily. William Moses Kunstler (July 7, 1919 – September 4, 1995) was an American lawyer and civil rights activist, known for defending the Chicago Seven. Kunstler was an active member of the National Lawyers Guild, a board member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the co-founder of the Law Center ...

How did Kunstler die?

In late 1995, Kunstler died in New York City of heart failure at the age of 76. In his last major public appearance, at the commencement ceremonies for the University at Buffalo 's School of Architecture and Planning, Kunstler lambasted the death penalty, saying, "We have become the charnel house of the Western world with reference to executions; the next closest to us is the Republic of South Africa ." Ron Kuby, in his eulogy of Kunstler, said "While defending the Chicago Seven, [Kunstler] put the war in Vietnam on trial, asking Judy Collins to sing " Where Have All The Flowers Gone? " from the witness stand, placing a Viet Cong flag on the defense table, and wearing a black armband to commemorate the war dead."

Where was the poet Kunstler born?

Kunstler was born to a Jewish family in New York City, the son of Frances Mandelbaum and Monroe Bradford Kunstler, a physician. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School. He was educated at Yale College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1941, and Columbia University Law School from which he graduated in 1948. While in school, Kunstler was an avid poet and represented Yale in the Glascock Prize competition at Mount Holyoke College .

Who was the blind sheik in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing?

At the time of Kunstler's death, he was defending Omar Abdel-Rahman ("the Blind Sheik") for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. From 1983 until Kunstler's death in 1995, Ron Kuby was his partner.

Where have all the flowers gone Judy Collins?

While defending the Chicago Seven, he put the war in Vietnam on trial – asking Judy Collins to sing " Where Have All The Flowers Gone " from the witness stand, placing a Viet Cong flag on the defence table, and wearing a black armband to commemorate the war dead.

When did the American Indian Movement start?

American Indian Movement (1973–1976) Kunstler arrived in Pine Ridge, South Dakota on March 4, 1973 to draw up the demands of the American Indian Movement (AIM) members involved in the Wounded Knee incident.

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History

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The musical Chicago is based on a play of the same name by reporter and playwright Maurine Dallas Watkins, who was assigned to cover the 1924 trials of accused murderers Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the Chicago Tribune. In the early 1920s, Chicago's press and public became riveted by the subject of hom…
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Synopsis

  • Act I
    Velma Kelly is a vaudevillian who welcomes the audience to tonight's show ("All That Jazz"). Interplayed with the opening number, the scene cuts to February 14, 1928, in the bedroom of chorus girl Roxie Hart, where she murders Fred Casely as he attempts to break off an affair with …
  • Act II
    Velma returns to introduce the opening act, resentful of Roxie's manipulation of the system ("I Know a Girl") and ability to seduce a doctor into saying Roxie is pregnant; as Roxie emerges, she sings gleefully of the future of her unborn (nonexistent) child ("Me and My Baby"). Amos proudly …
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Cast and Characters

  • Principal
    Source for West End: overthefootlights.co.uk Principal characters (defined as having at least one featured musical number) and performers of notable stage productions:
  • Ensemble
    1. Fred Casely: Roxie's paramour, a furniture salesman. Shot dead at the beginning of the play, he appears in flashbackduring the trial. 2. Katalin Hunyak: One of Roxie and Velma's fellow inmates, who speaks almost no English and is most likely innocent of the crime she is accused of commi…
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Musical and Staging Style

  • According to Fred Ebb, he wrote the book in a vaudeville style because "the characters were performers. Every musical moment in the show was loosely modeled on someone else: Roxie was Helen Morgan, Velma was Texas Guinan, Billy Flynn was Ted Lewis, Mama Morton was Sophie Tucker." Kander elaborates that the reason the show was called a vaudeville "is because many o…
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Productions

  • Original Broadway production
    Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville opened on June 3, 1975 at the 46th Street Theatre, and ran for a total of 936 performances, closing on August 27, 1977. The opening night cast starred Chita Rivera as Velma Kelly, Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart, Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn and Barney Marti…
  • 1979 West End
    The first West End, London production opened at the Cambridge Theatre in April 1979 and ran for around 600 performances (having debuted at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, on 23 November 1978). It commenced in the West End with most of the Sheffield cast, and was directed by Peter …
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Recordings

  • There have been several cast recordings of Chicago: 1. 1975 Original Broadway Cast 2. 1981 Original Australian Cast 3. 1996 Broadway Revival 4. 1998 London Cast 5. 1997 Austrian (German language) Cast – Live Cast Album (with Anna Montanaro) 6. 1999 Dutch Cast – Live Cast Album, 2 discs (with Pia Douwes) 7. 2014 German Cast - Live Cast Album, Stuttgart, 1 disc with Nigel Ca…
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External Links

  1. Chicago at the Internet Broadway Database
  2. Chicago, The Musical, Official Website
  3. Chicago, El Musical, Spanish Production Official Website
  4. Plot summary, character descriptions & licensing info for Chicago
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