Marcus D'Amico (4 December 1965 – 16 December 2020) was a film, television, and stage actor best known for his role as Michael "Mouse" Tolliver in the 1993 Tales of the City miniseries.[1]

Marcus D'Amico
Born(1965-12-04)4 December 1965
Died16 December 2020(2020-12-16) (aged 55)
Oxfordshire, England
OccupationActor
Children2

Born in Germany to an American father and a British mother, D'Amico was raised in the United Kingdom, then later appeared in various theatre productions.

Acting career

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Early in his career, D'Amico had brief roles in Superman II (1980) and Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987). He guest-starred in Jeeves & Wooster (1993), As Time Goes By (1994), and the black comedy Murder Most Horrid (1996). Other appearances included UK police drama The Bill (2002), also had a recurring role in the UK soap opera Family Affairs (2005).

D'Amico had stated a preference for stage acting,[2] and among his various stage performances were a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at London's Young Vic Theatre, and The Boys Next Door at London's Comedy Theatre. He was nominated for the 1992 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Louis in Angels in America.

In 2003, he appeared in The Lisbon Traviata at the King's Head Theatre in London. The following year he joined the cast of Mamma Mia! in London.[3]

Tales of the City

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Despite the success of his performance as Michael "Mouse" Tolliver in Tales of the City, D'Amico did not appear in the 1998 sequel More Tales of the City. (The role was recast with Paul Hopkins, who went on to appear in Further Tales of the City in 2001.) According to author Armistead Maupin:

Despite the rumors, it is not true that Marcus D'Amico wasn't invited back because of issues surrounding his sexuality. The production team met Marcus and he expressed "ambivalence" about returning to the role of Mouse. The director felt it was important to find someone who would enthusiastically embrace the role.[4]

However, he had referred to his past work on the Tales of the City miniseries as "Exhausting, enlightening and challenging."[citation needed]

When asked about fears of typecasting after appearing in the Angels in America stage play and the Tales of the City TV series, D'Amico stated in 2003, "I did get typecast in gay roles but it now no longer worries me."[2]

Death

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On 16 December 2020, D'Amico died of pneumonia at his home in Oxfordshire, England, aged 55.[5] He was survived by his mother, two sisters, a half-brother, and a son and daughter.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1980 Superman II Willie
1987 Full Metal Jacket Hand Job
1989 The Long Weekend (O' Despair) Greg
2010 Tears Sam Short
2010 An Act of Valour D.I. Russell Short

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Square Leopard Bill 6 Episodes
1980 To Serve Them All My Days Boy Episode: "Part Five"
1980 The Professionals Daniel Episode: "Weekend in the Country"
1981 BBC2 Playhouse Col Marriott Episode: "Last Summer's Child"
1982 S.W.A.L.K. Gary 3 Episodes
1984 Scene Andrew Davies Episode: "Just Deserts"
1986 Screen Two Wayne Kennedy Episode: "The Silent Twins"
1990 Boon Peter Sorreno Episode: "A Night at the Ballet"
1991 Drop the Dead Donkey Scott Episode: "Baseball"
1991-92 Trainer David Ware 15 Episodes
1993 Jeeves and Wooster Lucius Pim Episode: "Return to New York"
1993 Tales of the City Michael "Mouse" Tolliver 6 Episodes
1994 In Suspicious Circumstances Al Capone Episode: "No Witness, No Case"
1994 As Time Goes By Cy Lieberman Episode: "A Trip to Los Angeles"
1996 Murder Most Horrid Raul Manendez Episode: "Dying Live"
2002 The Bill James Chandler 4 Episodes
2003 Seven Wonders of the Industrial World Grenville Dodge Episode: "Transcontinental Railway"
2005 Family Affairs Max Lawson 3 Episodes
2018 The Alienist: Angel of Darkness Charlie Delmonico Episode: "A Fruitful Partnership"

References

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  1. ^ "Marcus D'Amico, the original Mouse from Tales of The City, dies aged 55". Queerty. 29 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Marcus D'Amico". 5 November 2003. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  3. ^ "Marcus D'Amico Joins West End Mamma Mia!". Playbill.com. January 2004. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012.
  4. ^ "Armistead Maupin interview". Archived from the original on 24 January 2007.
  5. ^ "Marcus D'Amico, 'Tales of the City' Actor, Dies at 55". Variety. 29 December 2020.
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