Tony Mordente obit

Actor, Dancer, Choreographer, and Director Tony Mordente Dies at Age 88

Mordente appeared in the Broadway, West End, and film adaptations of West Side Story.

 He was not on the list.

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that actor, dancer, director, and choreographer Tony Mordente has died at age 88.

Mordente was born on December 3, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York and began dancing at the age of 13.  His early career would include training at the High School of Performing Arts and American Ballet Theater School which led to the launch of his Broadway career. 

Mordente appeared in the Broadway and West End productions of West Side Story, as well as the film adaptation. While making the film, he met Chita Rivera, to whom he previously was married. The pair had a daughter, actress, singer, and dancer, Lisa Mordente, before they were divorced in 1966.

Mordente's other Broadway credits include L'il Abner and Bye Bye Birdie. Also on Broadway, he choreographed Here's Where I Belong and served as assistant choreographer on  Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Television acting credits include Combat! and The Outer Limits. He also choreographed television variety shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show and The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. His television directing credits include Rhoda, Matlock, Walker, Texas Ranger, The A-Team, The Love Boat, 7th Heaven, The Practice, Busting Loose, Love, Sidney, Family Ties, Day by Day, M*A*S*H, and Burke's Law, among others.

 

Director

Jessica Biel, Beverley Mitchell, Barry Watson, David Gallagher, Catherine Hicks, Mackenzie Rosman, and Happy in 7th Heaven (1996)

7th Heaven

5.3

TV Series

Director

1997–2003

33 episodes

 

Rue McClanahan, Gregory Harrison, Orlando Brown, Christopher Khayman Lee, Chyler Leigh, and Jamie Williams in Safe Harbor (1999)

Safe Harbor

7.5

TV Series

Director

1999

1 episode

 

Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998)

Love Boat: The Next Wave

4.6

TV Series

Director

1998–1999

4 episodes

 

Chuck Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)

Walker, Texas Ranger

5.6

TV Series

Director

1993–1998

36 episodes

 

Gene Barry and Peter Barton in Burke's Law (1994)

Burke's Law

6.6

TV Series

Director

1995

2 episodes

 

Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer in Hunter (1984)

Hunter

6.9

TV Series

Director

1985–1991

14 episodes

 

True Blue (1989)

True Blue

8.7

TV Series

Director

1990

1 episode

 

Andy Griffith in Matlock (1986)

Matlock

7.1

TV Series

Director

1987–1990

10 episodes

 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Linda Kelsey, and Doug Sheehan in Day by Day (1988)

Day by Day

6.9

TV Series

Director

1989

1 episode

 

Coming of Age (1988)

Coming of Age

6.9

TV Series

Director

1988

3 episodes

 

William Conrad and Joe Penny in Jake and the Fatman (1987)

Jake and the Fatman

6.4

TV Series

Director

1987

1 episode

 

James Cromwell, Loni Anderson, Jack Elam, Dana Ivey, and Lee Weaver in Easy Street (1986)

Easy Street

6.9

TV Series

Director

1986–1987

10 episodes

 

Jason Bateman, Dan Ponce, Sandy Duncan, Jeremy Licht, and Josh Taylor in Valerie (1986)

Valerie

6.6

TV Series

Director

1987

1 episode

 

Shadow Chasers (1985)

Shadow Chasers

7.8

TV Series

Director

1986

2 episodes

 

The Greatest American Hero (1981)

The Greatest American Hero

7.3

TV Series

Director

1986

1 episode

 

George Peppard, Mr. T, Dirk Benedict, and Dwight Schultz in The A-Team (1983)

The A-Team

7.5

TV Series

Director

1984–1986

8 episodes

 

Riptide (1984)

Riptide

6.8

TV Series

Director

1984–1986

4 episodes

 

Brian Keith and Daniel Hugh Kelly in Hardcastle and McCormick (1983)

Hardcastle and McCormick

6.6

TV Series

Director

1983–1986

16 episodes

 

Young Hearts

TV Movie

Director

1984

 

Michael J. Fox, Justine Bateman, Meredith Baxter, Tina Yothers, and Michael Gross in Family Ties (1982)

Family Ties

7.3

TV Series

Director

1982–1983

6 episodes

 

Private Benjamin (1981)

Private Benjamin

6.2

TV Series

Director

1982–1983

3 episodes

 

Romance Theatre (1982)

Romance Theatre

5.9

TV Series

Director

1982–1983

10 episodes

 

Nurse (1981)

Nurse

7.9

TV Series

Director

1982

1 episode

 

Doris Belack, John Del Regno, Sam McMurray, Vic Noto, Thomas Quinn, Ron Silver, Alan Weeks, and Cindy Weintraub in Baker's Dozen (1982)

Baker's Dozen

6.6

TV Series

Director

1982

2 episodes

 

Swoosie Kurtz, Kaleena Kiff, and Tony Randall in Love, Sidney (1981)

Love, Sidney

6.7

TV Series

Director

1981–1982

8 episodes

 

The Brady Brides (1981)

The Brady Brides

5.9

TV Series

Director

1981

1 episode

 

I'm a Big Girl Now (1980)

I'm a Big Girl Now

6.8

TV Series

Director

1981

2 episodes

 

Jim Baker, Joyce Bulifant, Leo Burmester, Polly Holliday, Stephen Keep Mills, and Geoffrey Lewis in Flo (1980)

Flo

5.6

TV Series

Director

1981

1 episode

 

The Associates (1979)

The Associates

7.9

TV Series

Director

1979–1980

6 episodes

 

Good Time Harry

6.1

TV Series

Director

1980

1 episode

 

Ron Moody in Nobody's Perfect (1980)

Nobody's Perfect

7.0

TV Series

Director

1980

1 episode

 

Missy Gold, Robert Guillaume, Caroline McWilliams, James Noble, Lewis J. Stadlen, and Inga Swenson in Benson (1979)

Benson

7.1

TV Series

Director

1979–1980

5 episodes

 

Doris Roberts, Donna Pescow, and Debralee Scott in Angie (1979)

Angie

7.0

TV Series

Director

1979–1980

3 episodes

 

Annie Potts, Georgia Engel, and Adrian Zmed in Goodtime Girls (1980)

Goodtime Girls

7.1

TV Series

Director

1980

 

Who's on Call?

TV Series

Director

1979

1 episode

 

Turnabout (1979)

Turnabout

6.3

TV Mini Series

Director

1979

1 episode

 

Brothers and Sisters (1979)

Brothers and Sisters

5.7

TV Series

Director

1979

2 episodes

 

Jack Klugman in Quincy M.E. (1976)

Quincy M.E.

7.3

TV Series

Director

1979

2 episodes

 

Flatbush (1979)

Flatbush

5.2

TV Series

Director

1979

 

Alan Alda, David Ogden Stiers, Gary Burghoff, William Christopher, Jamie Farr, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, and Loretta Swit in M*A*S*H (1972)

M*A*S*H

8.5

TV Series

Director

1978–1979

2 episodes

 

Valerie Harper in Rhoda (1974)

Rhoda

6.8

TV Series

Director

1975–1978

42 episodes

 

Lisa Hartman and Chris Lemmon in Just Tell Me You Love Me (1978)

Just Tell Me You Love Me

6.2

Director

1978

 

The Rita Moreno Show

TV Movie

Director

1978

 

That Second Thing on ABC

TV Special

Director

1978

 

The Tony Randall Show (1976)

The Tony Randall Show

6.9

TV Series

Director

1977–1978

5 episodes

 

We've Got Each Other

6.4

TV Series

Director

1977

1 episode

 

Busting Loose (1977)

Busting Loose

7.7

TV Series

Director

1977

5 episodes

 

Debbie Allen, Ellen Foley, and Mimi Kennedy in 3 Girls 3 (1977)

3 Girls 3

6.6

TV Series

Director

1977

1 episode

 

The Practice (1976)

The Practice

6.6

TV Series

Director

1976

3 episodes

 

Phyllis (1975)

Phyllis

6.4

TV Series

Director

1976

1 episode

 

Barnard Hughes in Doc (1975)

Doc

6.9

TV Series

Director

1975–1976

2 episodes

 

The New Lorenzo Music Show

TV Special

Director

1976

 

Cousins

TV Movie

Director

1976

 

Gailard Sartain in Keep on Truckin' (1975)

Keep on Truckin'

5.7

TV Series

Director

1975

4 episodes

 

The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine (1974)

The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine

7.3

TV Series

Director

1974

1 episode

 

Producer

Jessica Biel, Beverley Mitchell, Barry Watson, David Gallagher, Catherine Hicks, Mackenzie Rosman, and Happy in 7th Heaven (1996)

7th Heaven

5.3

TV Series

producer

2002–2003

22 episodes

 

Don't Call Me Mama Anymore (1973)

Don't Call Me Mama Anymore

8.8

TV Special

producer

1973

 

Additional Crew

Bea Arthur in Maude (1972)

Maude

7.3

TV Series

musical numbers staged by

musical number staged by

1973–1976

3 episodes

 

The 27th Annual Tony Awards (1973)

The 27th Annual Tony Awards

TV Special

choreographer

1973

 

The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1971)

The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour

7.1

TV Series

choreographer

1971–1972

3 episodes

 

Michael Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Tito Jackson, and Jackson 5 in Goin' Back to Indiana (1971)

Goin' Back to Indiana

8.4

TV Special

choreographer

1971

 

The Jim Nabors Hour (1968)

The Jim Nabors Hour

6.7

TV Series

choreographer

1969

2 episodes

 

Robert Morse and E.J. Peaker in That's Life (1968)

That's Life

8.3

TV Series

dances & musical numbers choreographed by

choreographer

1968

4 episodes

 

The Daydreamer (1966)

The Daydreamer

6.1

choreographer

1966

 

"West Side Story" (Saul Bass Poster) 1961

West Side Story

7.6

dance assistant

1961