James Colby, Star of Broadway's Sweat & Alum of Hartford Stage, Dies at 56

James Colby, a talented actor of stage and screen who recently appeared on Broadway in Sweat, has died at age 56. Colby's agent Don Birge confirmed his death.

A regular at Connecticut's Hartford Stage, Colby's docket of credits at the esteemed theater included an acclaimed turn as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (1998), during which he met his wife, Alyssa Bresnahan, who played Stella. Other roles included Kilroy in Camino Real (1999) and Reverand Shannon in Night of the Iguana (2003).

Colby made his Broadway debut as Bernardo in a revival of Shakespeare's Hamlet (1992). His extensive off-Broadway résumé included roles in Blade to the Heat (1994), The Food Chain (1995), The Devils (1997), Labor Day (1998), The Butterfly Collection (2000), The Day Emily Married (2004) and Dividing the Estate (2007). He originated the role of Stan in the off-Broadway production of Lynn Nottage's Sweat (2016), later reprising his turn in the Pulitzer-winning play's Tony-nominated 2017 Broadway premiere.

Colby made many screen appearances throughout his career, taking on long-running roles as Sergeant Ray Dwyer on Chicago P.D. and Burleson on Empire. Screen turns also included The Peacemaker (1997), Safe (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014).

Colby is survived by Bresnahan and their daughter, Shannon.