Jonathan K. Farwell

Jonathan Kirkpatrick Farwell was born in Lansing, Michigan, to composer Arthur George Farwell and actress Gertrude Everts Farwell (née Brice) on January 9, 1932. He was preceded in death by his older siblings Brice, Bea, Arthur Bragdon, Sara, and Emerson, as well as his younger half-sister Cynthia Hensch (née Farwell) and his niece and nephew Judy and David Milbert. Jonathan served in the United States Air Force before pursuing his passion for acting. He attended Ithaca College, earning an undergraduate degree in acting, and continued his education with postgraduate studies at Yale University, both made possible through the G.I. Bill. In 1955, Jonathan married his first wife, actress Jo Farwell (née Joerle Anne Gaines). Together, they had two daughters: Alison Beatrice (Garrigan) and Elisabeth Evelyn (Farwell-Moreland). Jonathan began his professional career working with Joseph Papp in The New York Shakespeare Festival (Shakespeare in the Park), Ellis Rabb and Rosemary Harris in the APA, and touring with Eva Le Galliene. He was the first to play El Gallo in the premiere production of The Fantasticks at Barnard College. His career flourished as he performed at regional theaters nationwide, including Seattle Repertory Theatre and The Cleveland Play House, where he joined the company with his wife, Jo. He toured as Salieri in the national tour of Amadeus and appeared on- and off-Broadway in various roles, such as understudying Yul Brenner in The King and I and performing in Mornings at Seven, as well as appearing opposite Maggie Smith in Tom Stoppard’s Night and Day in Washington D.C. His career extended to television and movies, with memorable roles including Judge Marvin Martell on All My Children, George Rawlins on The Young and the Restless, and Captain Walker Keel on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also was a life-long student of the piano, often using practicing as his way to relax between rehearsals and performances. After Jo's passing from cancer in 1990, Jonathan married actress Deb Note (née Debra Notarangelo). The couple moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, where they worked together at Bas Bleu Theatre and OpenStage Theatre. They were celebrated locally for their performances as C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman in Shadowlands and Sylvia at Bas Bleu Theatre, and as the title role and the Fool in King Lear at OpenStage Theatre. Deb passed away from cancer in 2018. Jonathan received critical acclaim for his roles as Judge Francis Biddle in Trying, Gunner in The Outgoing Tide at Bas Bleu Theatre, and Salieri in Amadeus at OpenStage Theatre—with the latter two performances earning him Henry Awards for Outstanding Actor. Before the pandemic, Jonathan met director, writer and kindred soul, Ann Vermel, when she directed him in Under Milkwood. Their professional collaboration soon developed into a close personal partnership. Together, they ran The Reader’s Theatre at Bas Bleu Theatre and taught a popular series of acting classes, sharing their extensive theatre and arts experience. Jonathan passed peacefully in the presence of his daughters, Alison and Elisabeth, following a series of strokes after a fall that resulted in a broken hip. He is survived by his daughters Alison (married to Sean Garrigan) and Elisabeth (married to Gary Moreland), grandchildren Christopher Mitchell (married to Aisling Montague) and Jessica Moreland, great-granddaughter Lorelei Mitchell, beloved nieces and nephews Daniel, Peter and Sharon Fawell, Katherine Kaufman-Glass (née Milbert), Michael Hensch, and Diana Hensch Adkins, as well as numerous grand- and great-grand nieces and nephews and his beloved life-partner, Ann Vermel and her daughter, Valerie Taylor.

Jonathan K. Farwell

November 22, 2025