Actor Patinkin Reflects on Career

The Associated Press

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - When Mandy Patinkin was a student at the University of Kansas 31 years ago, he appeared in a number of plays - but was enrolled for only three hours of classes.

"The dean called me and said, 'We have a problem. We're an academic institution, and you're not taking any courses,'" Patinkin told students and faculty members during a visit last week.

He said he was encouraged to enroll in a professional acting school - and that's just what he did - spending two years at the Juilliard School in New York.

But Patinkin, who's won both Tony and Emmy awards, hasn't forgotten his days at the university.

"This is where I started," he said. "This is the last place my father saw me perform." Patinkin said his father died of cancer shortly after seeing him play Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof."

While at the University of Kansas, Patinkin, now 48, also appeared in "Man of La Mancha" and "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead." He won an Emmy for best actor in 1995 for "Chicago Hope." His films include "Ragtime," "The Princess Bride" and "Dick Tracy."