Actor and professor dies

Dennis Letts, a retired university professor and actor who made his Broadway debut this season in his son's acclaimed production of "August: Osage County," has died of cancer. He was 73.

Letts died Friday, Jeffrey Richards, a producer of the Broadway production, confirmed Sunday.

"August: Osage County," written by Tracy Letts, originated at Chicago' Steppenwolf Theatre Company last summer and opened in New York in December to some of the year's best reviews. In it, Dennis Letts played an Oklahoma patriarch whose disappearance sparks an acrimonious family reunion.

Letts, who was diagnosed with cancer in September, worked as an English professor for 30 years, mostly at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. Throughout his years as a professor, he performed in community and university stage productions. He took up acting as a second career after retiring from teaching.

His acting credits include "Where the Heart Is," the film version of a novel written by his wife, Billie. He also served as an editor for his wife's novels.

Despite his cancer diagnosis, he still chose to go to New York to perform in "August: Osage County," performing eight shows a week, all while receiving cancer treatment, until the end of January.

"You're talking to a fellow who's gone from Tishomingo Community Theater to Broadway. That's quite a step," Letts told the Tulsa World in an interview last November.

Besides his wife and son Tracy, he is survived by sons Dana Letts of Wagoner, Okla., and Shawn Letts of Singapore.