A MESSAGE

from David Greenlee

Some of the things that bring Roy to my mind are Mozart and Shakespeare but also Cheech and Chong, for Roy had a long and varied career in which his talents always served the material well.

A long joke well told reminds me of Roy, who could make a terrible joke wonderful by telling it in great style.

These days, now that I have a bad leg of my own, my own leg brings Roy to mind. During our show he had a nagging leg and hip and like my own. It was more bothersome on some days than others. Roy never let that stop him, and I try to pattern after his resolve and continue forward even if that forward motion has a glitch in the gallop.

The first time I met Roy, on the set of ‘Shades of Gray’ on my first day guest starring on ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ I was very nervous, for Roy was legendary among actors. Roy was amazingly welcoming and generous, along with the rest of the cast. He put me at ease as much as anyone could under such pressures. That day was the first time, but sadly not the last, that I in my nervousness stepped on Roy’s foot during rehearsals. The foot next to the cane, the foot attached to the ‘bad leg’. I felt so terrible about it, but Roy was of course entirely sweet in return and made me feel better about treading on the toes of a master of my craft. I don’t think I ever stepped on his lines, but I did step on his toes.

When I think of Roy, I always think of Kay, I think of Roy and Kay, such a team they were. The last time I saw either of them was at a convention in Los Angeles in 2007 where the two of them showed up last minute surprise style, with a burst of energy that rattled the room. Roy and Kay were smartly dressed and full of love and life to share with us all, not to mention a few cases of wine to pour in glasses raised in joyous reunion. James Avery was also with us that day, and I want to remember him here at Winterfest Online as well, for he too has left us, and he too was a great actor and a wonderful man.

And so let us raise a glass to James, and to Kay and to our dear Roy, and let us cherish and savor each blessed moment of our own brief lives.

With Love from David Greenlee