By Joyce Kryszak
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-954691.mp3
Buffalo, NY – Buffalo theatre icon and union champion Manny Fried died yesterday at the age of 97.
Fried was known best in the theatre community as a playwright. His plays, The Dodo Bird and Drop Hammer received wide acclaim. Fried's work on the stage and in life reflected his fierce dedication to the rights of the working class.
Fried was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee. But he refused to name names. In a 2006 WBFO interview, Fried seemed to be reflecting on the worth his own life when he talked about his role as a dying man in the play, The Memory Garden.
Friends and colleagues soundly answered that question with a flood of comments and memories posted on Fried's facebook page. He was called an inspiration, courageous and invincible. Longtime friend and fellow actor Neil Garvey said Fried's death is a tremendous loss.
Fried's unrelenting dedication to workers rights earned him the infamous title, "the most dangerous man in Western New York." He bore the title with pride. Garvey said that right up to the end, Fried spoke out strongly on the current state of political affairs. Garvey said the lively conversations were a regular feature of their weekly lunch get-togethers over the last couple years with many of Fried's friends.
They were called "Mondays with Manny."
The name is an homage to one of Fried's most memorable roles in Tuesdays with Morrie when he was 91. Dear friend and theatre critic Anthony Chase said the Studio Arena production was a sort of belated triumph for Fried.
Chase said back in the days of Fried's political turmoil, Studio Arena refused to produce even his most important plays. Chase said a piece of poetic justice played out recently in the nursing home when he met and realized he was living in the same facility with the man responsible for black-balling his plays.
Chase recounted other memories and productions that marked Fried as a theatre icon. But Chase said Fried did not stay on a pedestal. he mentored many budding playwrights.
Fried was not only a legendary actor, playwright and union organizer, he was also a college professor. From a working class background, Fried married into a prominent, upper-class Buffalo family.
One of his oldest and closest friends, actress Rosalind Cramer said he found balance walking in different worlds.
Cramer said her walk with Fried over three decades of work and friendship will be with her always.
One of the last times Cramer and Fried worked together was on the play, The Memory Garden in 2006. In the WBFO interview, Fried talked about why he remained a working actor into his nineties.
"I keep saying this is my last harrah. And then there's another harrah, and another harrah. And, if I possibly can, I'll keep harrahing until I die," said Fried.
Fried would have turned 98 on Tuesday.