The Lloyd Family

Christopher and Sam Lloyd, Sr.

One of the longest-standing connections the Weston Playhouse has is with the Lloyd family.  We first learned about them when we got to our first rehearsal in the Lloyd Rehearsal Hall and read the plaque on the wall (the text of which is included below.)  Their story shows how the Playhouse is truly an integral part of the community up here - and a family affair!

Sam Lloyd, Sr. first appeared on the Weston stage 60 years ago.  Through that time, he's shared the stage with his wife, Barbara (a wonderful Grandma Tzeitel in the current production of Fiddler on the Roof), his son Sam (who went on to appear on Scrubs), and his brother Christopher (who rose to fame on Taxi and went on to star in the Back to the Future series and, of course, Clue.)  Most recently, Christopher Lloyd was seen at Weston in Death of a Salesman in 2010.

Read all about Sam, Sr. after the jump!



Sam Lloyd was born in New York City in 1925 and raised in the suburban communities of Stamford and New Canaan, Connecticut.  After graduating from Lawrenceville School in 1942, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving with distinction in the Pacific.  After the war, Sam trained at the Feagin School of Drama and Radio and played summer stock in Ridgefield, Connecticut and Chatauqua, New York.  He then joined the acting company at the famed Cleveland Playhouse in Ohio, where - interrupted by a return to duty with the Marines during the Korean War - he spent many productive seasons.

Sam first came to the Weston Playhouse in the summer of 1952, and he has subsequently appeared in more than 1000 Playhouse productions, including Sherlock Holmes (1990) with his wife Barbara, brother Christopher, and son Sam.  During the late 1950's, he moved to New York City where he studied with Uta Hagen, understudied Walter Matthau in the Broadway production of A Shot in the Dark and appeared in A Cook for Mr. General with a young Dustin Hoffman.

Sam and his family moved to Weston in 1960, where he combined acting, business and community service into a life of extraordinary breadth.  He owned and operated the Weston Bowl Mill for more than three decades while finding time to serve in the Vermont State Legislature, moderate the Weston Town Meeting and serve repeated terms on the State Environmental Board and as President of the Weston Community Club.

Sam was elected to the Board of Directors of the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company in 1996, further gracing the theatre with his vision and generosity.  On the Opening Night of his performance in An Ideal Husband (July 13, 2001), the company commemorated his fifty years on the Playhouse stage by naming its rehearsal hall in his honor.

Sam Lloyd could have played on any stage.  The Weston Playhouse is fortunate indeed that he chose to play on ours.

Presented at the Dedication of the Lloyd Rehearsal Hall
August 12, 2001