Rebecca Luker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rebecca Luker
Luker at the NYS ARTS Fall Gala 2008
Born	(1961-04-17)April 17, 1961 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Died	December 23, 2020(2020-12-23) (aged 59) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Education	University of Montevallo, 1984
Occupation	Actress, singer, recording artist
Years active	1983–2020
Spouse(s)	Danny Burstein ​ (m. 2000)​

Rebecca Luker (born April 17, 1961 – died December 23, 2020) was an American actress and singer. She was known for her clear, beautiful singing voice and for starring in many Broadway musicals for over 30 years. People often compared her to famous actresses like Barbara Cook and Julie Andrews.

Rebecca started acting in local theater shows in the early 1980s. She first played the role of Lily in The Secret Garden on Broadway in 1991. She was nominated for three special awards called Tony Awards. These nominations were for her roles as Magnolia in Show Boat (1994), Marian in The Music Man (2000), and Winifred in Mary Poppins (2006). She also performed in concerts and on TV shows and movies. Rebecca continued acting until she passed away at age 59. She had a disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). You can hear her singing on more than 20 musical albums.

Her Life and Career

Rebecca Luker was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Her mother, Martha, was a school treasurer, and her father, Norse, worked in construction. Rebecca grew up in a town called Helena. She went to the University of Montevallo and earned a degree in music in 1984. During her studies, she took a year off to perform in a musical called Sweeney Todd.

Starting on Broadway

Rebecca first appeared on Broadway in The Phantom of the Opera in 1988. She played the role of Christine. At first, she was an understudy, which means she learned the main role and was ready to perform if the main actress couldn't. Later, she took over the role completely.

Famous Broadway Roles

Rebecca starred in many other popular Broadway shows:

• Lily in The Secret Garden (1991–1993)
• Magnolia in Show Boat (1994–1997). She was the first actress to be nominated for a Tony Award for this role.
• Maria in The Sound of Music (1998–1999)
• Marian in The Music Man (2000–2001)
• Claudia in Nine (2003)
• Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins (2006–2010)

She also played Marie in Cinderella from 2013 to 2014. In 2016, she temporarily joined the cast of Fun Home as Helen Bechdel.

Other Performances

Rebecca also performed in many shows Off-Broadway (smaller theaters not on Broadway). She sang with symphony orchestras around the world and gave solo concerts. In 2005, she performed a special concert at Lincoln Center in New York City. Her first solo show at Feinstein's at the Regency in 2006 received great reviews.

In 2001, Rebecca Luker was honored and added to the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame. She also received an honorary doctorate degree from her old university in 2010.

Her Personal Life

Rebecca Luker married Gregory Jbara in 1993, but they divorced in 1996. In June 2000, she married actor Danny Burstein. She became a stepmother to his two sons, Zachary and Alexander.

In February 2020, Rebecca shared that she had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in late 2019. ALS is a disease that affects how the body moves. Even with ALS, she was able to host a live online concert in June 2020 to raise money for ALS research. By October, she needed a wheelchair and found it hard to speak loudly.

In April 2020, her husband, Danny Burstein, got COVID-19. He was in the hospital but recovered. Rebecca also got a milder version of the virus.

Rebecca Luker passed away from ALS in a hospital in Manhattan on December 23, 2020, when she was 59 years old.

Stage Credits

Broadway

Other Stage Shows

Film and Television Roles

Television

Film

Awards and Nominations

Music Recordings

Solo Albums

• I Got Love - Songs of Jerome Kern (2013, PS Classics)
• Greenwich Time (2009, PS Classics)
• Leaving Home (2004, PS Classics)
• Anything Goes: Rebecca Luker Sings Cole Porter (1996, Varèse Sarabande)

Cast Recordings (from Musicals)

• Passion (2013 New York Cast Recording, PS Classics)
• Jerome Kern: The Land Where the Good Songs Go - A New Revue (2012 Studio Cast Recording, 101 Distribution, PS Classics)
• Sweet Little Devil (2012 Studio Cast Recording, PS Classics)
• Death Takes a Holiday (2011 Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording, PS Classics)
• Sweet Bye and Bye (2011 Studio Cast Recording, PS Classics)
• Life Begins at 8:40 (2010 World Premiere Recording, PS Classics)
• Kitty’s Kisses (2009 World Premiere Recording, PS Classics)
• Dear Edwina (2008 World Premiere Recording, PS Classics)
• Brownstone (2003 Studio Cast Recording, Original Cast Record)
• Everybody’s Getting into the Act (2003 Studio Cast Recording, Varèse Sarabande)
• The Music Man (2000 New Broadway Cast Recording, Q Records)
• Wonderful Town (1998 Studio Cast Recording, JAY Records)
• The Sound of Music (1998 New Broadway Cast Recording, RCA Victor)
• The Boys from Syracuse (1997 Encores! Cast Recording, DRG Records)
• Show Boat (1994 Revival Cast Album, Livent Music)
• Brigadoon (1992 Studio Cast Album, EMI Records)
• The Secret Garden (1991 Original Broadway Cast Album, Columbia Records)
• Strike Up the Band (1991 Studio Cast Album, Elektra Nonesuch)
• Annie Get Your Gun (1991 Studio Cast Album, EMI Records)
• Kiss Me, Kate (1990 Studio Cast Album, EMI Records)
• Show Boat (1988 Studio Cast Album, EMI Records)

Other Recordings Featuring Her Voice

• Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project (2012, Over the Moon)
• Victor Herbert: Collected Songs (2012, New World Records)
• Show Some Beauty (2011, Yellow Sound Label)
• Poetic License 100 Poems/100 Performers (2010, GPR Records)
• Tom Herman: Music for Voice (2008, CDBY)
• State of Grace III (2006, Koch Int’l Classics)
• The Real Thing: Jamie deRoy and Friends, Volume 7 (2006, Harbinger Records)
• Jule Styne in Hollywood (2006, PS Classics)
• Philip Chaffin: Warm Spring Night (2005, PS Classics)
• Jeepers Creepers: Great Songs from Horror Films (2003, Red Circle)
• Aria 3: Metamorphosis (2003, Koch Records)
• Believe: The Songs of The Sherman Brothers (2003, Varèse Sarabande)
• Sweet Appreciation: Rusty Magee Live at the West Bank Café (2002, SixFootPlusMusic)
• Peter Buchi: An American Voice (2002, Azica)
• My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs (2001, Hybrid Recordings)
• Aria 2: New Horizon (1999, Astor Place Recordings)
• A Little Bit in Love (1999 Compilation Album, JAY Records)
• Simple Gifts: Carols from the Abbey (1998, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS)
• Bernstein Dances (1998, Deutsche Grammophon)
• A Special Place: Songs from the Heart (1998, Original Cast Records)
• George & Ira Gershwin: Standards & Gems (1998 Compilation Album, Nonesuch Records)
• The Best of the Broadway Divas (1997 Compilation Album, Varèse Sarabande)
• The Best of In Celebration of Life 1-5 (Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS)
• Aria (1997, Astor Place Recordings)
• Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997, Walt Disney Records)
• Unsung Musicals II (1995, Varèse Sarabande)
• Lost in Boston III (1995, Varèse Sarabande)
• Voices of Broadway: Songs of Conscience and Hope (1994, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS)
• Musicals! (1993 Compilation Album, EMI Records)
• Unsung Sondheim (1993, Varèse Sarabande)
• Jerome Kern Treasury (1993, EMI Records)
• Jerome Kern in London and Hollywood (1992, Rialto Records)
• Broadway Showstoppers (1992, EMI Records)
• Sing Before Breakfast (1991, Rialto Records)
• Plácido Domingo: The Broadway I Love (1991, Warner Music)
• Early Kern (1991, Rialto Recordings)
• Keep Your Undershirt On (1990, Rialto Recordings)

See also

In Spanish: Rebecca Luker para niños