It was only a few years ago, I was at a Nutz-n-Boltz Theater Co. play for a review and I had attended alone. At intermission, I ran into Tobias Andersen, who I'd met and had the pleasure of interviewing on numerous occasions.
He asked why I was at the show alone. I told him my friend was otherwise engaged and my boyfriend at the time wasn't really “into theater.”
“Not into theater?!” Andersen responded. “How can he not be into theater?!”
While I was admittedly a bit embarrassed as a lover of theater to be so called out, I admired and understood his fervor.
Unfortunately, the next time I go out to take in a show, I won't get to chat with Andersen over intermission.
To the dismay of many a thespian and theater lover, the world-renowned and well-loved actor, director, playwright and friend — Tobias Andersen — died on Tuesday, Oct. 8, in his home in Gresham. He was 87 years old.
He survived a bout of cancer a few years ago, but it assuredly had an impact and in recent times he was reliant on a cane for balance when out and about.
“Tobias had nothing but praise for theater,” said Kelly Lazenby, co-founder of Nutz-n-Boltz and Andersen’s longtime friend.
Many local theaters in Portland, Boring and Sandy posted tributes to Andersen to social media on Tuesday.
“It is with sadness that I report the passing of our beloved Director Emiritus and friend, Tobias Andersen,” Lazenby wrote on Nutz-n-Boltz’s Facebook page. “He had such love for the theater. Sweet dreams, sweet man.”
“When you were with him, you were the most important person in the world,” wrote Michael Streeter, longtime friend and artistic/producing director of Readers Theatre Gresham. “That's how he made you feel. He lived a full life and his artistic soul was creating theater up until the last. We were working together just the other day. He didn’t make it last night complaining of his toe, so I wasn’t too concerned. Co-directing with him this year was an honor and a blast. A raconteur of the highest order, once we finished business about the show, the drives home were filled with amusing stories. He was a mentor, a colleague, and my friend, faithful and just to me. I will miss him. So long Toby, my old friend; say 'Hello' to Sam for me.”
Streeter informed his friends via social media that there will be a memorial service in November and a tribute performance in February.
Andersen actually founded Readers Theatre, and he was scheduled to direct “The Kavanaugh Company” by James Kavanaugh there on Feb. 3, 2025. Now, in his stead, Streeter will direct the show as a tribute to his dear friend.
“He and I were also working on a play called ‘The Italian Straw Hat’ for Lakewood,” Streeter said, explaining that he and others who were working on the piece still plan to move forward on the project as Andersen would’ve wanted.
Lots of TV action
Andersen was born as Robert Henry Andersen. According to an article by Bob Hicks for Oregon Arts Watch, “He chose the name 'Tobias' when he joined the the actors’ union because there was already a Robert Anderson (most likely with the ‘son’ spelling), adopting ‘Tobias’ as an homage to Shakespeare’s character Sir Toby Belch.”
According to Streeter’s knowledge, Andersen was originally from Oklahoma and his first job was selling shoes in his father’s shoe store.
After attending acting school at the University of Denver in Colorado, Andersen moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s.
Andersen acted in many different commercials and a slew of well-loved TV shows over the years, including "Little House on the Prairie," "Newhart," "Bonanza," "Bill Nye the Science Guy," among others. This was aside from treading the boards of many a theater in the Pacific Northwest (and also Pakistan).
According to an article for the Drammy Awards (in Portland) from 2015 when Andersen was honored with a lifetime achievement award, “Tobias’ professional career began in 1965 in the Colorado Rockies where he was 'discovered' (while playing dastardly villains and true-hearted heroes in one of the many area melodrama theaters) by Randy Sparks of the famed New Christy Minstrels. Sparks reasoned that 'mellers' (i.e. melodramas) would be a perfect fit on the stage of Ledbetter’s, his Westwood night club. He brought Tobias to California to both act in and direct 'mellers,' sharing the stage with folk-singing acts.”
For decades to follow, Andersen balanced his numerous TV appearances with roles on local stages. Then, in the early '90s, Andersen moved to Portland.
For the past 30-plus years, Andersen made his chosen family in the Portland, Gresham, Sandy and Boring area while acting with several area theaters, including Portland Center Stage, Profile Theatre, Artists Repertory Theatre, Clackamas Rep, Northwest Children’s Theatre, Portland Repertory Theatre, Portland Shakespeare Project, Sandy Actors Theatre and Nutz-n-Boltz Theater Co. (to name a few).
He also founded Mt. Hood Repertory Theatre Company in 1995, and produced 12 seasons of shows before handing over the reins in 2008.
“We lost a great one in Tobias Andersen, but his memory will make us smile for years to come,” wrote members of the Sandy Actors Theatre on social media on Oct. 8. “He had a knack for bringing out the best in actors and his productions at SAT were always a highlight of the season. (Let's raise a glass and toast to a life well-lived on and off the stage).”
Likewise, his friends at Artists Rep called Andersen “a pillar of Portland theater and dear friend to many, here at Artists Rep and beyond.”
“We honor his incredible legacy with gratitude,” they posted.
Remembering Tobias
Andersen will be remembered by many — even those who saw him act and never had the pleasure of speaking with him.
Sandra Vincent, who met Andersen in the mid/late 1990s at a Gresham Chamber meeting, said she will miss just “sitting and talking with him and hearing all of his stories.”
At that chamber meeting years ago, Vincent reminisced that Andersen had performed a snippet of his theater’s upcoming show of “Our Town,” and afterward Vincent introduced herself and told him she’d love to volunteer with the theater and do makeup for productions.
Vincent went on to volunteer with Mt. Hood Rep Theatre for many years, and became a close friend of Andersen's.
Andersen loved being in community with people, often enlisting a friend for lunch or to go take in a play.
“I went to see a lot of theater with Tobias,” Lazenby said. “He always wanted a buddy.”
Lazenby jokingly added that if Andersen ever didn’t like a show, he would never say he didn’t like it, he’d say: “well, that was a long evening.”
Andersen met Kelly and her then boyfriend (now husband) Justin Lazenby in 2004 when Kelly Lazenby called him to request his expertise on a melodrama they were producing.
Andersen was involved in eight shows at the Boring-based nonprofit theater, and served on the board for six years.
Streeter said what he will remember most, and miss, about Andersen is his laughter. Streeter also lived just down the street from Andersen, so when they worked at the theater together, they would often carpool.
The first part of the drive home they’d talk about the show they were co-directing, Streeter explained, and Andersen would spend the rest of the time regaling Streeter with stories from his career.
“There was lots of laughter,” Streeter said. “Lots of fun.”
In his post online, Streeter also offered this quote from Shakespeare's “King Lear” — a play which Tobias was very well-acquainted with:
"The weight of this sad time we must obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest hath borne most: we that are young Shall never see so much, nor live so long.”
Andersen is survived by his two daughters and his sister and brother-in-law, as well as many chosen family members.
While his memorial service will not be open to the public, anyone unable to attend who’d like to share a memory they have of Andersen can send them via email to readerstheatregresham@gmail.com.
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