Friends recall slain actor's talent, versatility, humor

Jeff Norton's close klatch of friends, stunned by news of his violent death last weekend, has sought comfort by sharing tales of the dynamic yet gentle mainstay of local theater.

"This is not how Jeff's life story was supposed to go," said Lisa Powers Tricomi, an associate professor in the theater department at the University of South Florida. She first met the 55-year-old actor/teacher when she was a USF freshman in 1980.

"It's as if there's been a glitch in the universe," she said.

Norton was killed by a neighbor he paid to mow his lawn, according to police, who say robbery was the motive. Thomas Lafoe, 57, told police he used a heavy metal sword from Norton's home to bludgeon him to death.

The actor was an expert in fight-scene choreography for the stage, and had a collection of props that included swords. Police say the murder weapon has not been found.

Lafoe was arrested and confessed Wednesday after police say he used Norton's credit card to buy shoes at a nearby Foot Locker on July 17. He pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge of first-degree murder, and is on suicide watch at the Pinellas County jail.

Norton's body was found in his modest St. Petersburg home July 18 by friends who had been unable to reach him. They said they've known all along that Norton had no complicity in his death.

"Jeff was the most non-materialistic, non-confrontational person ever," Tricomi said. "If someone had wanted his truck, he would have just said, 'Take it. Nothing I have is worth anything, anyway.' "

Norton had been working as theater manager of Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg since 2002. His last project was the spring production of "West Side Story," for which he choreographed knife-work and fight scenes.

"Of course, the boys thought he was the coolest guy ever," said Diana Whittle, spokeswoman for Shorecrest, known for its strong theater department and as a launching pad for young actors. "'West Side Story' was a showpiece for us."

Norton regularly found the spotlight in the 1970s and '80s during the heady days of local theater, when actors with little money but lots of ambition opened up small theaters or improvisational comedy clubs in storefronts and bars with a hip lack of ambiance.

Tricomi remembers seeing Norton for the first time almost 30 years ago at a performance in a rough biker bar on Fletcher Avenue in Tampa. The crowd was so noisy, he left the stage area and jumped on top of the bar, to the amazed stares of those at the pool tables.

"His monologue was about this guy who wanted to be a ballet dancer," she recalled. "The people there were either going to kill him or think he was amazing. Everyone was perfectly quiet. Jeff was transcendent.

"I remember thinking, 'If that's acting - if that's the impact you can have - I want to do that."
She also recalls he beat a hasty retreat after his performance was over.

Norton and friends founded The Alice People, a theater troupe of fellow USF students in 1975, and was a key player in the now-defunct but once-lively School of Night, the Playmakers and Tampa Players.

After graduating with a degree in theater from USF, he and some friends headed for New York City, but all of them returned about a year and a half later, determined to hack out a living in Tampa Bay area theater.

Norton also studied in Tokyo and earned a master's degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

He was raised in South Tampa, and his mother, Valara Norton, lives in St. Petersburg. Norton became interested in theater through dance; his sister, Megan Norton of New York, once performed with the Tampa Ballet. He choreographed sword duels in local ballet productions of "Romeo and Juliet."

Norton taught acting, movement and voice at USF from 1991 to 2005, and continued to act and direct in larger venues throughout the 1990s.

Norton could be goofy, friends say; he once told a Tampa Tribune reporter that his chief hobby was watching Saturday morning cartoons. His acting roles ranged from a swashbuckling Cyrano to a deranged killer to a memorable turn as a 1950s-era Launce -- with a poodle in the role of Crab -- in "The Two Gents" at Shakespeare in the Park.

Tom Block, operations manager of American Stage Theater Company in St. Petersburg, was friends with Norton for about 20 years.

"There was nobody more talented or versatile here," Block said. "I don't think there was a theater he didn't work in. He not only was a great actor, but he was a wonderful comedian, a tap dancer, a musician who played the guitar, the saxophone and the piano.

"But you also couldn't find a sweeter, kinder person."

Whittle said Norton had a gentle way about him that brought out students who might have been intimated by a more critical teacher.

"The students - well, all of us - are just devastated," she said.

Norton's funeral services are private, but the school plans a memorial service in mid-August after children return to class.

Block said Norton had begun acting less often in his 50s, content to help students learn the craft he loved.

"That's the one thing we find comforting," he said. "He was able to spread his talent to them."