Feb. 22--Len Stuart, the co-owner and co-chairman of The Second City since 1978, died on Sunday night, the theater confirmed. He was 73.
"He died peacefully while surrounded by his family and friends after a short illness," his business partner Andrew Alexander wrote in a post on Second City's website. Stuart tended to work behind the scenes whereas Alexander, who is CEO and executive producer, is frequently the public face of the theater.
Importantly, Stuart helped secure financing in 1976 for the first seven episodes of "SCTV," the seminal Canadian sketch comedy series that starred John Candy, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Robin Duke and Harold Ramis, among others.
A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Stuart's main business focus was in the gaming and bingo world.
"He was a straight shooter," Alexander said by phone Monday, "and everything we did was on a handshake. He had a great head for business and was very helpful during our early negotiations to buy Second City from (original founder) Bernie Sahlins," who died in 2013. Stuart was also involved in expanding the Second City Training Center in recent years.
"He was a real force of nature and a no-nonsense kind of guy," Alexander said. Though Stuart was not a comedy person, the business sense he brought to the table was an asset. "It can be a very upsy-downsy business, so it was very important to me to have his input and knowledge."
Alexander noted that both he and Stuart have sons who are the same age (Tyler Alexander and D'Arcy Stuart) who both currently work at Second City, continuing on a path forged by their fathers.
nmetz@tribpub.com
