Shami Chaikin, born April 21, 1931, died March 30, 2020 of pneumonia at home in New York City.
Actor, singer and friend, Shami began her Off-Broaway career in ’63 when her beloved brother Joseph Chaikin formed The Open Theater, directing her in many legendary productions. She toured in Viet Rock, won an Obie for Mutation Show (’73) and the TNC Villager Award for Jean-Claude Van Itallie’s Bag Lady (’79). She wrote Selma which premiered in ’81, then performed in Arthur Miller’s The Last Yankee (’98).
Struck by a New York City sanitation truck in ’09, she made a remarkable recovery and performed annually at Westbeth in Stories Around the Table through 2019.
| Credit Type | Production | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Actor | Mr. Universe | 1987-88 Season |