‘Blue Bloods’: What Is Len Cariou’s Net Worth?
Blue Bloods star Len Caroiu reportedly walked off the set of his off-Braodway show last year. What caused the actor to pick up and leave? Here’s what Showbiz Cheat Sheet knows.
Len Cariou’s Broadway career
Cariou is not just a movie and television actor. He has also spent some time in stage productions. Before becoming a professional actor, he starred in and directed school plays.
In 1968, Cariou made his Broadway debut in The House of Atreus. He then appeared in the 1969 play Henry V. The following year, he played Bill Sampson in Applause alongside Lauren Bacall.
In 1973, Cariou starred in the Broadway musical A Little Night Music. This performance resulted in a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. As far as his theatre work, Cariou is probably best known for starring in the original production of Sweeney Todd in 1979.
Cariou has received many honors for his acting talent. In 1979, the Blue Bloods actor won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. That same year, he received a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a leading Role in a Musical for his performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In 2004, Cariou was honored with an induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Why did Len Cariou walk off his show?
In 2019, Cariou starred in the stage production Harry Townsend’s Last Stand. However, the production came to a standstill after Cariou reportedly walked off the show. According to Page Six, this resulted in the show almost closing early.
Page Six reports Cariou decided not to continue with the show because he didn’t want to work alongside David Lansbury, the actor who replaced Craig Bierko (he originally played his son). He also reportedly didn’t want to perform with an understudy.
“Cariou is breaking his contractual obligation, refusing to perform past March 3,” a show representative told the publication. “Cariou is refusing to rehearse with a cast replacement or perform with an understudy. His actions are causing [the show] to close prematurely,” the representative continued.
At the time, according to Page Six, this situation put the production in a tight spot because they didn’t have enough time to find a replacement.
A happy ending for the ‘Blue Bloods’ star
Fortunately, the play was able to continue. Cariou decided to return, much to producer Dennis Grimaldi’s relief. He told Page Six that life imitated art in this situation.
“Our show is a comedy about how families sometimes don’t talk to each other, but can love each other, and that’s exactly what happened here,” Grimaldi told the publication in a statement. He continued by saying the backstage drama was due to a “terrible miscommunication about dates” and said everyone was “one big happy family again.”
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