Kenneth P. Strong, longtime PlayMakers Repertory Company actor and dramatic arts professor at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, died Jan. 12, 2010 after a long battle with cancer.
He had appeared with PlayMakers, UNC’s professional theater company in residence, since 1979, having been in more than 50 productions. Most recently, he was seen in Pericles, Amadeus and as the Aviator in PlayMakers’ 2007 holiday production of The Little Prince. Strong is also remembered for roles in God’s Man in Texas, King Lear, Art and Death of a Salesman, among others.
Ray Dooley, PlayMakers company member and professor in UNC’s department of dramatic art, said Strong “radiated love to everybody that knew him. When the history of PlayMakers is written, he will hold a place of honor.â€
Strong appeared on Broadway in Inherit the Wind with George C. Scott, Off-Broadway in Easter with the New York theater company Naked Angels, as Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird at Syracuse Stage and as Mitch in the Intiman Theatre (Seattle) production of A Streetcar Named Desire.
He also was seen on television shows including “Law & Order,†“Matlock,†“In the Heat of the Night†and “Spin City.†Strong also appeared in films, including Cold Sassy Tree.
Strong earned a bachelor’s degree in 1979 and a master’s in fine arts in 1983, both from UNC. He was a native of Fayetteville, N.C., where Bo Thorp, artistic director of Cape Fear Regional Theatre, asked him to found a theater school in conjunction with Cape Fear. He named it THE STUDIO and set about the business of teaching and shaping young lives, which he went on to do as a faculty member in the UNC department of dramatic art.
He is survived by his wife, Kee Strong, of Durham; his mother, Sara Strong, father, John Strong, and brother, Richard Strong, all of Fayetteville; father-in-law, Jack Fortes, of DeLand, Fla.; and brother-in-law, Scott Fortes, of Talking Rock, Ga.
Out of nostalgia, I decided to go on imdb.com to look up my old acting teacher, Ken Strong. I was heart broken to see the date of his death. In fact, I didn’t want to believe it. That is what led me here.
I know that it is a year too late, but I want to say something about Ken and his wife Kee: they changed my life.
Years ago, at a summer experience known as Firespark in north Georgia, I met Ken and Kee for the first time. Kee opened me to the wonders of improvisation. Ken taught me how to act; to REALLY act. He taught me more than any of my other instructors have ever been able to impart. He taught me truth. He taught me honesty. He taught me the art of acting.
It saddens me to know that he is gone. However, he will live in my memory; he will live in my heart; he will live in every spoken line I perform. Thank you, Ken, for teaching me; for giving me the future.
I am so sorry to learn of Mr. Strong’s death. Like Kami, I attended Firespark in Georgia and was profoundly affected by Ken and Kee’s expertise and wonderfully warm attitude. Over a decade after studying under them, I am still a professional actor… quite an accomplishment in our current economy! I owe so much to them, and I wish all my best to Kee and the rest of Ken’s family.