Peter Evans; Actor in TV Series ‘9 to 5’

Peter Evans, an accomplished stage actor who was known to a wider audience through his portrayal of Russ Merman in the television comedy series “9 to 5,� died over the weekend of complications of acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Evans, who was acclaimed locally in 1981 when he appeared with the national company of “Children of a Lesser God� at the Huntington Hartford Theatre, was 38 when he died Saturday at Century City Hospital.

Praised for a wide range of roles that included musical comedy and classical theater, Evans made his New York theater debut in 1975 in David Storey’s play “Life Class.�

In 1976, he was hailed for his portrayal of Richie in David Rabe’s “Streamers.� That performance won him that year’s Clarence Derwent Award and a nomination for a Drama Desk Award as outstanding actor.

The next year he starred in David Mamet’s “Life in the Theater,� and in 1979 he played opposite Maggie Smith in Tom Stoppard’s “Night and Day.�

After touring with “Children,� which was produced originally in Los Angeles in 1979, Evans took the show to Broadway for a revival of the drama of the relationship between a hearing teacher and his deaf student. The New York Times wrote of his performance: “Peter Evans now has the male lead in ‘Children of a Lesser God’ . . . and it is now infinitely more moving.�

Evans also appeared in the films “Arthur� and “Imposters� and on television in “A Life in the Theater� and the PBS series, “Best of Families.�

For the last few years, he had lived in Los Angeles while playing the role of the womanizing Merman on “9 to 5.�

A native of Englewood, N.J., Evans graduated from Yale in 1972 and studied three years at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

Survivors include his parents, a brother and a sister.