Thommie Walsh

Thomas Joseph “Thommie” Walsh III (March 15, 1950 – June 16, 2007) was an American Dancer, Choreographer ,Director, Author

Biography

Thommie Walsh was born in Auburn, New York, and began to study dancing at age five at the Irma Baker School of Dance. After high school, he went to the Boston Conservatory of Music, but left during his junior year to tour with Disney on Parade. He joined the national tour of Applause, starring Lauren Bacall, and the company of The Ann-Margaret Las Vegas Show.He was in the film version of Jesus Christ Superstar as the apostle Thaddeus. Walsh made his Broadway debut in the chorus of Seesaw in 1973, the same year in which he appeared in the disastrous Broadway flop Rachael Lily Rosenbloom (And Don't You Ever Forget It), which starred Ellen Greene and Anita Morris.

A Chorus Line

In 1975 Walsh was invited by choreographer Tony Stevens to participate in a series of frank conversations among Broadway dancers, known as "gypsies," about their experiences, hopes, and dreams. The result was Michael Bennett's A Chorus Line (1976), in which he originated the role of Bobby. The role of Bobby was in large part based on his life and also used material from a comedy stand-up routine he used at the time. (Samples: "I thought about killing myself, but then I realized to commit suicide in Buffalo is redundant." and "I used to break into people's houses. I didn't steal anything; I'd just rearrange their furniture.") He co-wrote a book with Baayork Lee, another Chorus Line cast member, about the musical's origins and evolution, entitled On the Line, which was published by William Morrow in 1990.