| | | Celebrated Hill actor dies | | June 22, 2009 |  | | | Voice Correspondent | | Helen Hayes Award winner David Marks, who lived on Capitol Hill, died June 3 following a heart attack. He was 49.
The celebrated actor called many D.C. theaters “home,” but he shined locally at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre and the Arena Stage. He was nominated five times for the Helen Hayes Award, and he won the coveted statue for his 1990 role in “Briar Patch” at Arena. Mr. Marks also provided the voice of Abraham Lincoln for Ken Burns’ “Civil War” series.
“David never wanted to live in any neighborhood but Capitol Hill,” said Marks’ wife, Garland Scott, who is head of public relations for the Folger Shakespeare Library. “He felt that it combined different parts of his life.”
Scott said he liked being able to see friends and neighbors at the park in the morning, in the audience at the Folger during a performance that night, then at Frager's Hardware the next day. She said Mr. Marks was an avid gardener and enjoyed spending time at his plot in the Virginia Avenue Community Garden. “It was solace for him,” she said.
Eastern Market, she added, was his favorite spot to convene with neighbors and get recipes from the vendors. As a coffee drinker, he also appreciated the coffee shops on the Hill. “It was in his DNA to love coffee,” she said.
The couple would have celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary at the end of June.
A native of Seattle, Mr. Marks graduated from the University of Washington and earned a master’s degree in acting from New York University. He moved to Washington shortly after winning roles in productions at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, the Studio Theatre and the Shakespeare Theatre Company. He had walk-on roles in D.C.-based movies such as “Random Hearts” and “The Shadow Conspiracy.”
In addition to his wife, Mr. Marks is survived by the couple’s son, Harris; mother, Joan Marks of Seattle; father, Frank Marks of Sun City, Ariz.; and a brother.
An educational fund has been established for Harris Marks; donations can be made by calling Patrick Long at Wealth Strategies, LLC, at 205-397-3333.
A public memorial service for Mr. David Marks will be held Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
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