Frederick Combs (October 11, 1935 – September 19, 1992) was an American film, theater and television actor, playwright and director.

Combs is best known for originating the role of Donald in the play The Boys in the Band and then later in the 1970 film of the same name.

He performed extensively in theater including Franco Zeffirelli's 1963 production of The Lady of the Camellias.

He died in Los Angeles in 1992 of an AIDS-related illness at the age of 56.


The cast of ‘Boys in the Band’ with playwright Mart Crowley, left. Next to him are Laurence Luckinbill as Hank, the late Frederick Combs as Donald, the late Robert La Tourneaux as 'Cowboy,' the late Kenneth Nelson as Michael, the late Leonard Frey as Harold, the late Cliff Gorman as Emory, the late Keith Prentice as Larry, Peter White as Alan and Reuben Greene as Bernard. (Photo courtesy of the Karpel Group)


AIDS Quilt

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Combs

Further Readings:

The Boys in the Band: 40th Anniversary Edition by Mart Crowley
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Alyson Books; 40 Anv edition (April 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1593500750
Amazon: The Boys in the Band: 40th Anniversary Edition

“Boys can still hold its own . . . [Mart] Crowley’s point is about how the humor is shaped and defined by the pain.”—The New York Times

The Boys in the Band was the first commercially successful play to reveal gay life to mainstream America. Alyson is proud to release a special fortieth anniversary edition of the play, which includes an original preface by acclaimed writer Tony Kushner (Angels in America), along with previously unpublished photographs of Mart Crowley and the cast of the play/film.

Mart Crowley’s other plays include the autobiographical A Breeze from the Gulf (1973) and The Men from the Boys (2002).


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