Phyllis Somerville, Recently of To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway, Dies at 76

Broadway vet Phyllis Somerville, who most recently originated the role of Mrs. DuBose in To Kill a Mockingbird at the Shubert Theatre, has died of natural causes at the age of 76.

Somerville, who came to New York City to become a Rockette, made her Broadway debut in 1975's Over Here!, co-starred in Once in a Lifetime in 1978, and stood by for the role of Jessie in 'night, Mother in 1983. Her various off-Broadway credits included Edward Albee's The Sandbox (as Grandma in 2016 at Signature Theatre), Too Much, Too Much, Too Many for Roundabout, I Remember Mama for Transport Group, Happiness for Lincoln Center Theater, The Spitfire Grill and several other shows for Playwrights Horizons, and Marisol for the Public Theater, among many others.

Her even longer list of screen appearances include television's The Big C, Daredevil, Castle Rock, The Black List, NYPD Blue, Madam Secretary, and The Good Fight, with screen appearances ranging from Arthur to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

A member of LAByrinth Theater Company, Somerville was born in Iowa City and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1966. She was a longtime resident of New York City.