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His family called him Matthew or Matt. Close friends sometimes called him Matty.
Generations of “A Christmas Carol” fans on the East Coast knew him as Scrooge.
Omaha Community Playhouse patrons knew him as Harry Truman in “Give ’Em Hell, Harry” and in other roles throughout the years.
No matter the role, Matt Kamprath endeared himself to audiences, family and friends.
Matthew Edward Kamprath, 49, died Saturday at Hospice House. The longtime Omahan had battled cancer for about 18 months, said his family and friends.
Kamprath’s most enduring role — for 21 holiday seasons — was Scrooge in the Nebraska Theatre Caravan’s production on the East Coast. The Caravan is the professional touring company of the playhouse.
“He gathered quite a following,” said Lara Marsh of the Caravan. Multiple generations came to see him, and specific families kept in touch all year, she said.
“If you made friends with Matty,” she said, “you made friends for life.”
Kamprath was a co-founder of the Circle Theater in 1983.
His work at the Playhouse earned him Fonda-McGuire Awards as best actor for “Our Country’s Good” in 2001 and “My Fair Lady” in 2000.
For “Pippin,” in 1997, he played a grandmother.
Kamprath’s mother said that even as a young boy, her son did impersonations. He started in theater during his years at Northwest High School, said Shirley Kamprath of Omaha.
He got involved with the Emmy Gifford Children’s Theater, the forerunner of the Rose Theater, she said, then the playhouse and the Caravan.
“He loved anything concerning the Civil War,” she said. In addition, she said, he enjoyed reading and classical music.
Survivors include his parents, Roger and Shirley Kamprath of Omaha; daughter Alicia Crook of Lincoln; two grandchildren; sister Pattie Banner of Omaha; and grandfather Carl Kamprath of Seward, Neb.
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 5020 Grand Ave.
Contact the writer:
444-1165, sue.truax@owh.com
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