In Memoriam Charles Levin Actor
Charles Levin ’74, YC ’71, a prolific actor who appeared in both movies and television, and who was perhaps best known for his role as a mohel in a classic episode of the sitcom Seinfeld, died in July 2019 in Grants Pass, Oregon, where he had made his retirement home. He was 70 years old. 01 Charles Levin ’74, YC ’71
02 Charles Levin as Nick Bottom in the 1975 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Yale Repertory Theatre alongside Rude Mechanicals (left to right) Ralph Redpath ’75, Frederic Warriner, Joseph Grifasi ’75, and Jerome Dempsey.
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Charles Herbert Levin was born in Chicago. He graduated from Yale College in 1971 and received his MFA from the School of Drama in 1974. Charles later taught drama at Harvard’s A.R.T. Institute. A skilled character actor in both dramatic and comedic roles, Charles appeared in many feature films, including The Golden Child, Annie Hall, Manhattan, The Seduction of Joe Tynan, This Is Spinal Tap, and A Civil Action. He also made guest star appearances on a long list of popular TV shows, among them Murphy Brown, thirtysomething, Night Court, Designing Women, and L.A. Law. He had a recurring role as Elliot Novak on the CBS series Alice, and played Eddie Gregg on NBC’s Hill Street Blues from 1982 to 1986. In 1983, Charles married actress and YSD alum Katherine De Hetre ’71, who died in a car accident in 2007. At the time, Charles remembered her in this magazine as “a brilliant actor, a wild and crazy mom, and the gypsy in my soul.” Jesse Levin told the Daily Mail that his father “was as rambunctious in real life as he was on screen and on the stage, and was well known and liked in Grants Pass, where he had retired from his acting career.” Charles is survived by his sons, Jesse Levin and Ben Covette.
Costella Hatcher Former Yale Staff
Every so often, we are reminded that it is not necessarily what we do but how we do it that matters most. This was the case with Costella Hatcher, our former University Theatre building custodian, who passed away at age 86 on September 23, 2019, in Richmond, VA, surrounded by her family. Costella kept our working environment cleaner than we ever expected it to be and did so with a kindness and joyfulness that uplifted all who came in contact with her. “Her presence warmed the space around her,” remembers Bill Reynolds ’77 (Former
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