Obituaries : Actor Lester Rawlins, Winner of Tony

Lester Rawlins, who won a Tony award in 1978 for his appearance as Drumm, the inflexible businessman in the Broadway play “Da,” died of an apparent heart attack at his home in New York City on March 22. He was 63.

Known for his work in experimental theater, Rawlins was seen in the world premiere of Samuel Beckett’s “Endgame” in 1958 and in Lee Barton’s “Nightride” in 1971.

He was a skilled classicist as well, and had mastered 23 Shakespearean roles, ranging from Gloucester in “King Lear,” with Orson Welles as the besieged monarch, to various roles in productions of “Hamlet.”

He also won three Obie awards for off-Broadway work and had appeared on several television series including “Kojak,” “Banacek,” “The Defenders” and “The Equalizer.”