| Show 6— The Herald JournalCache Sunday May 18 1986 s now a household face Linn-Bak- er moved on to otter professonal stage roles and to drama teaching A Boston production of ‘Waiting for Godot” in which be appeared won critical acclaim He also tried his hand at writing — in 1981 he performed in “The Laundry Hour” a stage play he And he has recently begun directing theater “I’m an actor’s director” he says “I allow them the freedom to take the moment on stage and create something because they are the ones doing it In By Monika Guttman for Marilyn Beck Linn-Bak- - HOLLYWOOD Mark is no longer a perfect stranger to television Linn-Bak- er audiences He is currently seen in com- mercials for three different products: Nutrigrain cereal Coca-Col- a and Iifesavers He's appeared in the past year as a guest star on episodes of “Miami Vice” “Moonlighting” and “The Equaliser” and of course he's half of the comedy duo raking in the laughs on the hit new ABC series “Perfect welcomes the exposure of a hit television series although he says “It seems the only way to become a major star is to break the law in some way to get arrested Last year I was pulled over for turning left without a signal But that's a dose as I’ve come” hasn’t moved to television to become a star however “I’ve stayed away from television for a long time" he says “but TV doesn’t have the emus it once had What I would like is to get the theater unlike television exposure and financial stability directing actually removes you that will enable me to do whatl from the final product” want to do — as an artist” But as an actor lMf Tribune Madia Servlets Inc ed Strangers” But the New York actor has until now deliberately avoided television roles to concentrate on his true love: theater He’s appeared in numerous stage reproductions from Broadway to Boston er Linn-Bak- Linn-Bak- er er including “Doonesbury” and Joseph PaflNew York Shakespeare “Don’t get me wrong Pm very happy with 'Perfect Strangers'’ he says sipping his Diet Coke in the MGM commissary during a lunch break “But doing a TV series is one of the greatest risks What worries me is being remembered as the guy who did the r sitcom’ You doit want people to forget that you have a whole body of wort: wT'baK&ain price half-hou- behind you” says his body of work has been primarily mi atage because “in theater there is no one else controlling what ia going out to the audience but yourself You are the image In Mm and TV it’s up to the editor People forget that because It looks like the actor But the actor’s not there In theater you are there” The wry actor (who starred opposite Peter O’Toole in the 1882 feature film “My Favorite Year” and appeared in Woody Allen's “Manhattan") learned to act at an early age Born to a danceractress mother and a directoractor fatlmr he grew Linn-Bak- er m Mark Linn - Baker street perfumers know” he Repertory Theater where his explains while he munches on pefforr included one of his salad “Kids generally love nis favorite roles so far as you and they're good for about Touchstone in “As You Like It” 45 minutes And then they want “The best part was the volto hit you They see a certain ume of experience there” he kind of freedom in you and elaborates “It was just workthere’s nothing you can do to ing show after stew for three counter it When the kids reach years” that point you gotta go” He says he's often asked if he He says mime was good performed with Meryl Streep at training since “I work very Yale “I didn’t but I did ‘Alice physically as an actor” But one in Concert’ with her cm stage in of the most valuable experi- New York" he smiles She ences was his three years as was ‘Alice’ and I was ‘Various part of the professional Yale Rodents’” i CHINESE and AMERICAN FOOD in Connecticut exposed to BREAKFAST theater “My parents got out of the buiness when they realised they had to make a living" he laughs “But they continued to won in community theater and they lent me out for child parts when I was a kid" Then came theater training at Yale — where he earned both a bachelor's and a master’s degree — and four years of mime study He prepared a formal mime show (which included talking and excluded “white face") and one summer received a grant to perform on the streets of Hartford Conn There he learned firsthand about audience interaction “There feUalbial&bBi 51515TST515TS151515T51L51£515 Served Daily SPECIAL LUNCHEON BUFFET - 2 Meats 2 Chinese Dishes "VHKKSSS" Only HOUSE SPECIAL 2E wrosefy restaurant IfisssEsgsg v VU'VV ‘375 CHOICE TOP SIRLOIN STEAK and SEAFOOD PLATTER Served with soup salad garlic bread and akedpotafo 549 Only Served AN Day 4 1179 N Main 752-S55- fAMUVDMNG SANQUETF ACUTES recur to iso ISIS1S1S pm X t AM-SAM-1- 1 PH Mml-T- FMFfLI I TAAMPMSwMay |
