Goodnight. Sweet Prince


from Newsday.com:

Paul Regina, 49, progressive actor, family man

BY DENISE M. BONILLA
STAFF WRITER

February 4, 2006

The warmth of the spotlight can be hard to reject for anyone in show business. But Paul Regina - a movie, television and stage actor who spent more than 20 years in Hollywood - did just that when he left Tinseltown to return to his boyhood home of Medford and be with his family. It was the kind of sacrifice typical of Regina, family and friends said.

Regina, whose portrayal of one of television's first recurring gay characters on the Showtime series "Brothers" broke new ground for gay acting roles, died Tuesday at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown of liver cancer. He was 49.

"He was a thoroughbred as an actor, and he was even better as a person," said Fred Carpenter, a local independent film director who worked with Regina on three movies. "This was a first-class guy."

Born in Brooklyn, Regina was raised in Medford and graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School in 1974. While in school, he already knew the direction he wanted his career to take and sought parts in every school play and musical production.

In 1976, he landed the role of Kenickie in a national touring company of "Grease," appearing briefly on Broadway in the show.

By then, Regina had settled in Los Angeles. He worked steadily, doing spots on various television shows and keeping company in movies with Anthony Hopkins, Shirley MacLaine and Rosanna Arquette.

In 1984 he began a five-year stint as Cliff Waters, one of three brothers living in Philadelphia, in "Brothers."

In the first episode, to the shock of his brothers, Regina's character comes out. The series and Regina's character were hailed as landmarks in the portrayal of gays on television. Regina loved the part, his wife, Nancy, said, and often got letters from fans who viewed Cliff as a positive role model.

Brookhaven resident Frank Pierre said that as a young man coming out, he would race to his cousin's house every week to catch "Brothers."

He said that seeing Regina's character revealed that portrayals of gays on television did not have to rely on stereotypes.

"It was the only gay character on TV that wasn't the flamboyant sidekick," Pierre, 45, said. "He was Everyman USA. It was so important to see that."

In 1990, Regina married Nancy Dye, his teacher in an improv workshop. In 1996 he co-starred with Eric Roberts, George Segal and Margaret Cho in "It's My Party," about a man dying of AIDS.

By 2000, however, Regina was itching to get back to Long Island.

"He really wanted his daughter to grow up here," said Nancy of the couple's 15-year-old, Nicolette. "He wanted to be close to his family, too."

The move was daring, Carpenter said. "No one gives up their careers in Hollywood," he said. "And here's a man who put his wife and daughter first. It's unheard of."

Regina continued to act, joining Carpenter on his independent films. He also wrote scripts and volunteered whenever he could, his wife said, helping out with missing children's charities and starting up "The Actors' Place" workshop to coach aspiring thespians.

In addition to his wife and daughter, Regina is survived by his mother, Irma, of Medford; a brother, Pat, of Manorville; and three sisters, Joyce Regina, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., Julie Schindler, of Syracuse, and Christina Alam, of San Francisco.

A memorial service will be held Saturday at 10:45 a.m. at St. Sylvester's Church in Medford, followed by a celebration of Regina's life at the Brick House Brewery and Restaurant in Patchogue.

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