Marcus D'Amico, the actor best known
for his role on Tales of the City, died earlier this month in
England at age 55.
D'Amico originated the role of Michael
“Mouse” Tolliver in the 1993 television adaptation of Armistead
Maupin's Tales of the City. D'Amico did not return to the role
in the following three adaptations.
The actor's former manager, Patrick
Baca, said that D'Amico died from bronchial pneumonia. His sister,
Melissa D'Amico, said that he died on December 16 at his home in
Oxfordshire, Deadline reported.
“Not only have I lost my beautiful
brother but the world has lost an incredibly talented actor and
director,” Melissa D'Amico said in a tweet. “Words cannot express
how much I miss him.”
Maupin explained the decision to recast
the role of Mouse with Paul Hopkins in the 1998 and 2001 sequels.
Murray Bartlett (Looking) played the role in Netflix's 2019
adaptation.
(Related: Murray
Bartlett says Tales
of the City
speaks “about family.”)
“Despite the rumors, it is not true
that Marcus D'Amico wasn't invited back because of issues surrounding
his sexuality,” Maupin
said. “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.”
D'Amico also originated the role of
Louis – another gay role – in the National Theatre's 1992
production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America, earning the
actor an Olivier Award acting nomination.
D'Amico was born in Germany but raised
in the UK. He split his time between London and Los Angeles.