Robert Herron | November 16, 2023
Biography
Actor, director, creative guru Robert Herron, died in his home on November 16th following a long and stubbornly fought battle with lung disease. His wife was at his side. He was the beloved husband of Mary Tetlow and loving father of Jane, Colin, and Keyan Herron. He is deeply mourned by the Engler, Herron, Dawson, Manion, Clifford, West, Doyle, and Lawless families, and many friends and neighbors. He willed his body to medical science in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and will be celebrated in a "raucous fashion" at "RobertPalooza!" on April 13, 2024 at his home, Stone Cottage, which was his self-made Xanadu. Donations, if desired, to the Habitat for Humanity, "Gift from the Heart" program.
Like many creative souls, Robert was an enchanting enigma. He could be as tough as a walnut but also as sensitive as a newborn...intensely serious but outlandishly goofy.. Robert was the second of five children growing up on the outskirts of the Michigan State University campus where his father was head of the massive food service department. He joined the Navy directly after high school, serving on a destroyer tender in the waning years of the Vietnam war. Upon returning home, he began pursuing his passion, theatre, at a couple of colleges, ultimately receiving his B.A. in theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University. He never stopped. His acting chops were eclipsed only by his talent as a director. His production of "Tom Thumb" attained mythic status at VCU. He performed "Waiting for Godot" in several roles at several different theatres, forever savoring Joyce's language and the blessed absurdity the play offered him.He worked summer stock in Iowa and Shakespeare in the Park in New York, did makeup for Rip Torn on Broadway, coached film actors, played harmonica and was the "other" character touring around the world with her in Fionnula Flanagan's "James Joyce's Women."He built a theatre in Los Angeles where he taught actors, and produced plays for 13 years before moving back to Virginia,where he met the stabilizing love of his life, Mary, with whom he built a life in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
Above all else, Robert was a devoted husband, father, and friend. His wife, Mary, describes him as a "magic man"-he had the creative imagination to hatch ideas along with the skills and craft - electrical, plumbing, carpentry, woodworking, leather tooling, music -- to bring them to life. Together, they raised a delightful and creative daughter, Jane Herron and developed a network of friends from around the world. His creativity allowed him to express love in so many ways, it created bonds with so many people.
Robert was a voracious reader with eclectic tastes - a lover of poetry, scientific journals, historical works, and biographies of great scientists and thinkers. Stories meant everything to him. He devoured documentaries, television shows, and movies, but only if they were substantive. Robert was not a big fan of rom-coms or popular culture. He was bored with anything that was "too easy". For him, entertainment was a source of inspiration - a means of gaining insight into the human condition that would also inform his work.
He could make or fix anything, using little more than and baling wire and spit (a real-life MacGyver.) Robert would frequently turn found objects and discarded junk into architectural wonders and works-of-art that were both practical and whimsical. You can still find the fruits of his labor around Stone Cottage and throughout the neighborhood. Robert could have been a lawyer or an engineer, but theatre was the core of his being. He repeated the advice often given to actors, "if you can do anything else, (other than acting,) you should." His passion was far greater than the desire to "cavort onstage for Uncle Ned." It was a way to understand people and what made them tick, and a channel for him to be his utmost self, wrapped in the safety of a character.
Robert had an innate ability to understand people and their motivations - a skill that he honed through reading, observation, and meaningful conversation. One of Robert's Irish friends expressed it best: he was good craic. When you had a discussion with him, it always went deep. He was genuinely interested in the big issues - those things that drive us as human beings. Conversely, Robert didn't have much patience for folks who wanted to talk about the weather or trivial matters. Robert found it challenging to suffer fools gladly. While this sometimes came across as prickly or impatient, he would be the first person to offer the shirt off his back, freely sharing his time, technical skills, and knowledge with those in need.