In honor of the 60th anniversary of Meadow Brook Theatre, here is a list of the notable actors who have performed on its stage over the years.
Dan Amboyer
This metro Detroiter and Interlochen Arts Academy alum played Prince William in William & Catherine: A Royal Romance.
Curtis Armstrong
Armstrong performed in several plays at Meadow Brook Theatre and graduated from Oakland University in 1975. His acting resume features a wide variety of film and television credits, including Risky Business, the Revenge of the Nerds movies, Better Off Dead, New Girl, and his turn as legendary record executive Ahmet Ertegun in the 2004 Ray Charles biopic Ray.
Jane Badler
Badler played Diana, the evil reptilian Visitor, on the sci-fi television series V.
Dirk Benedict
Benedict appeared as Faceman on The A-Team and Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica.
Deanna Dunagan
Dunagan won a Tony Award for best actress in a play for her portrayal of Violet Weston in August: Osage County.
Robert Englund
Known for playing Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Englund also appeared on the sci-fi series V and Stranger Things.
Raúl Esparza
This four-time Tony nominee returns to Broadway as the lead in Galileo this fall. He also played ADA Rafael Barba on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Polly Holliday
Holliday played wise-cracking waitress Flo on the TV series Alice and received a Tony nomination for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Jayne Houdyshell
The Oakland University alumna and five-time Tony nominee won a Tony for best featured actor in a play for her performance in The Humans. She also played Judge Ruth Linden on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
William Hurt
Five years before he won an Oscar for best actor for his role in Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Hurt starred in Man and Superman at Meadow Brook. The actor went on to win a Tony and receive three more Academy Award nominations.
Celia Keenan-Bolger
The Detroit native won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird opposite Jeff Daniels. In 2025, she received the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her dedication to advocacy work through the arts.
Eddie Mekka
Mekka played Carmine Ragusa on Laverne & Shirley.
Freda Payne
This Grammy-nominated Detroit native sang the 1970 hit “Band of Gold,” written by Motown’s Holland-Dozier-Holland, and appeared on Broadway in Hallelujah, Baby!
Esau Pritchett
The Saginaw native and OU alumnus played Mr. David on the Fox drama Prodigal Son and performed in Thoughts of a Colored Man on Broadway.
Marcia Wallace
Wallace played receptionist Carol Kester on The Bob Newhart Show and won an Emmy for her voice-over performance as Edna Krabappel on The Simpsons.
Terri White
This Broadway belter appeared in the original cast of Barnum and the revival of Finian’s Rainbow.
Cindy Williams
Known for her roles as Shirley Feeney on Laverne & Shirley and as Ron Howard’s character’s girlfriend in American Graffiti, Williams was on Meadow Brook Theatre’s board of directors from 2017 until her passing in 2023. She is now a board member emeritus.
This story originally appeared in the August 2026 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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