Larry Vigus

LARRY VIGUS
A stage and film professional since childhood, Larry recently relocated to New England after a 40 year professional career in Los Angeles, both in front of and behind the camera.

Mr. Vigus has been a successful Actor in Film, Television and on Stage, as well as a Casting Director, a Teacher of Acting and Improvisation, and an Acting Coach for celebrities, athletes and young performers. He has also been an Art Director/Production Designer, a Prop Master, and a Set Designer/Decorator/Dresser and Builder, for Independent Films, Television, Music Videos, Theatre and Television Commercials.

Larry began his acting career as a child appearing in a campaign commercial with presidential candidate John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Before attending Carnegie Mellon University and The American Academy of Dramatic Art, Larry studied ballet and modern dance, appeared in a dozen more commercials and industrial films, and worked onstage with such professionals as Dick Van Dyke, Edgar Bergen, Lucille Ball, Paul Lynde, Robert Preston, Dick Shawn, Debbie Reynolds and Chita Rivera. After dozens of roles in Summer Stock and Regional Theatre playing in everything from Tennessee Williams to Harold Pinter and Shakespeare to Musical Comedy he began working in production for the studios in Hollywood while pursuing his acting career in Film and Television.

Working for the studios Larry built sets for television shows such as: "All In The Family," "One Day At A Time," "Days Of Our Lives," "Chico and the Man," Doug Henning's "World of Magic," "Sanford and Son," "The Golden Globe Awards Show," "The Sonny and Cher Show," "Archie Bunker's Place" and many, many others. For independent designers Larry built sets and worked as a prop master for commercials, music videos and stage shows including: Alice Cooper's "Welcome to My Nightmare," Madonna's "Express Yourself," "Party Man" by Prince, and many others including the long form videos for "Too Legit to Quit" and "The Addams Family Groove" by M.C. Hammer, Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation 1814," and Paula Abdul's "Straight Up." Larry also built Museum Exhibits at The California African-American Museum, The California Museum of Science and Industry and The Metropolitan Water District Headquarters in Los Angeles. Concurrent with his acting career Larry worked on dozens of Television Commercials and Films as Art Director, Prop Master or Set Dresser.

Guest starring roles on Television include "Strong Medicine," "Lou Grant," "Hardcastle & McCormick," "New Love American Style," and "Knots Landing." On Film he has appeared most recently in "Underdog," "Catch Me if You Can," "Intolerable Cruelty," "Ali," "Grand Champion," "Sweetwater," "Fleshburn" and HBO's "Carnivale," as well as voice-over and "on camera" performances in over 100 national television commercials. Most recently Larry worked with Danny Aiello and Jon Polito on the yet to be released Boston filmed comedy "Stiffs" and appeared in a number of low budget films shot in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

While In Hollywood, Larry founded LA ARTS Repertory Theatre with the late Broadway and Film actor/director John Megna. Earlier Larry was an original member of The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and studied improvisation with Second City and the Groundlings. Larry was "Mr. Voice," announcing and improvising vocal sound effects at ComedySportz LA for over 15 years.

Larry also has created and presented custom live corporate entertainment of all types including Murder Mysteries, team building events, interactive audience participation, and fresh productions of classic stories as well as "personal appearances" and lectures for over twenty years. His clients have included The Jaguar Owners Association, Anthem, IBM, Smith-Barney, PRI Payroll, South Coast Medical Group, NBC Employees Association, Price-Waterhouse, Raytheon, George Barris "Kustom Kars," Colorado River Water Users Association, Security Pacific Bank and others.

Mr. Vigus was also a volunteer host and escort for many of the celebrity guests and Lifetime Achievement Award winners at the American Film Institute including: Henry Fonda in 1978; Alfred Hitchcock in 1979; James Stewart in 1980; Frank Capra in 1982; and John Huston in 1983. The number and variety of celebrities that Mr. Vigus been fortunate to work with in all the various capacities of his career is amazing and it would take pages to list them. They range from classic stars such as Bob Hope, Danny Thomas, Gene Kelly and Lucille Ball, to Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Jon Voight, Christina Ricci, Jamie Foxx, and musical performers like Michael and Janet Jackson, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Marissa Janet Warneker.

Larry was a carpenter alongside Harrison Ford remodeling houses in Laurel Canyon, worked in small theatre with Ed Harris, performed as an actor on the soundstage where a young Kevin Costner was working as a stage manager, improvised with Laraine Newman, Elvira, and Gary Austin of The Groundlings while helping Archie Hahn their Theatre, and played the father of Drew Barrymore in her second film appearance. Larry's early carpentry experience came in handy when he designed and built his post and beam home in Topanga Canyon, California. His concept, design and construction won the METROPOLITAN HOME MAGAZINE, Home of the Year Contest in 1992.

Larry's television commercials include the first American made commercial to be shown behind the "Iron Curtain," the first commercial for a law firm to be broadcast nation-wide, the first national commercial campaign for the newly developed Coppertone sunscreen called "SuperShade" and the last appearance of Colonel Sanders in a KFC commercial.

He has also appeared on a cereal box and in commercials for five different automobile companies, three soft drink brands, and several fast food restaurants including five commercials for McDonalds alone. Larry worked on commercials with Bob Hope, Danny Thomas, Don Adams, Rita Rudner, Drew Carey, Shaquille O'Neal, Tommy LaSorda, Don Meredith, Teri Garr, David Robinson, Elayne Boosler, John Madden, Dick Vitale, Father Guido Sarducci, an animated Buddy Rich, and the cast of the TV shows "Alf" and "That 70's Show."

Larry has settled in the Seacoast area of New Hampshire to live with his Princess Elaine, one beautiful dog and two wild cats in their home in the woods. Larry is thrilled to have found a thriving theatre and film community with so many dedicated people working in the performing arts. There are playwrights, directors, performers, filmmakers and designers on the New England Seacoast who work to demanding professional standards and raise the quality of the local performing arts scene to a very high level.

In New England Larry appeared with Sally Struthers in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" at the Ogunquit Playhouse, ME. For the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth he was "The Wizard" in "The Wizard of Oz" and performed in "42nd Street" and "Miracle on 34th Street." He played the Stage Manager in "Our Town" with the Exeter Players and has also greatly enjoyed creating characters in several new works including "Ursus" in a challenging musical version of Victor Hugo's "The Man Who Laughs" for the Gamaliel Theatre, "Bill" in the Award-winning comedy Sharp Dressed Men and the flawed and tortured "E.Z." in the Award-winning drama "The Boys From Lost Nation, New Hampshire." Most recently Larry created an 85 year old WWII veteran "JW Wiccarty" in the premiere production of "The StoryKeeper" for Boston College.

Larry was awarded the 2006 Fourth Annual New Hampshire Theatre Award for "Best Professional Actor in a Drama" for his role as Ed Banner in the "The Car." This production of "The Car" was also been honored with nominations for "Best Production" and "Best Ensemble" in the 12th Annual "Spotlight Awards."

Larry is on staff at Boston College in the Theatre Department where is privileged to work with young student actors and designers. Larry has been an "Artist-In-Residence" with The New Hampshire Theatre Project, a holistic body worker, a film festival judge, and currently teaches acting, film and improvisation privately. As a teacher Larry creates an extremely supportive, friendly (and fun) atmosphere where there are no "wrong" choices, only a series of better, more truthful and funnier alternatives.

In over forty years of professional acting, the greatest joy for Larry has always been working with the words and themes of the great playwrights and creating roles in new works.

On the occasion of winning the 2006 Fourth Annual New Hampshire Theatre Award for "Best Professional Actor in a Drama" Larry said "The role of the artist is not merely to reflect society but to challenge, inspire and lead society. Thank you to all the people who work so hard to keep theatre vibrant and alive."

Larry has a son and two granddaughters who live in Ohio as well as a son who is pursuing a career as an actor in California. Larry always dedicates his performances to his family close and far away, the next generation, and especially to his Princess.

Some professional film and television credits can be found at the International Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0897152/

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