Magic of theater carries actor through decades from Spider-Man to indie films

Jerry Colpitts began acting as a child, when he and his sister created skits in the kitchen, singing, dancing and doing mime.

When the family moved to a new town their mother entered them in a talent contest - and they won. The thrill of the stage created a lifelong love of acting.

As Colpitts nears his 70th birthday, he’s finding continuing work and joy as an extra, or sometimes larger roles, in independent films.

These current roles come after 22 years as Spider-Man, from 1979 to 2001, making personal appearances around the globe as the superhero for Marvel Comics. 

Like anyone who has the good fortune to live through many decades, Colpitts has thrived in good times and survived dark times. 

Just before 8th grade he was diagnosed with Type 1 insulin dependent diabetes. He overheard the doctor tell his parents that by 19 or 20 he’d “probably have major challenges.” He discovered he was able to keep from thinking about diabetes when he was playing someone else on stage.  

In high school and college in Maine he found his place in theater, then headed for New York.

He got a job as a doorman at The Navarro, a hotel on Central Park South frequented by luminaries like Leonard Bernstein, Luciano  Pavarotti and Bruce Springsteen. 

Colpitts found occasional work on the soap operas, including “Ryan’s Hope” and “The Guiding Light.” 

After two years in the city, he landed the amazing gig as Spider-Man and says,
“I felt totally privileged to wear the webs. It was one adventure after  another.” 

After “hanging up the webs” in 2001, Colpitts spent 12 years working in business, earning six figures. But it never gave him a thrill equal to being on stage with a group of creative people.

In 2006 he met his “life partner,” Rita Hamilton, a dancer beloved by students in her Brooklyn studio. Dark times came when Hamilton was diagnosed with cancer. She died in 2020.

Colpitts had to face his own personal darkness. Alcohol. He went to  a rehab facility in South Florida and has been sober for nine years. 

Suffering the grief of losing his life partner, Colpitts took the advice of a friend to audition for “background” work. 

“Directors look over who could be in the background. I tend to get  picked because I’m tall and thin, six-two and 175 pounds,” he says. “And I  still have hair.” 

He's been on the set of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,”  “Succession,” the series “Evil,” and the Netflix comedy “Kinda  Pregnant” with Amy Schumer. 

He recently had a major role in an independent film as an “ornery and funny” retired New York Yankees pitcher who’s dying of cancer. 

“I’m still living my dream. I still have the energy and the ability to do that. I have more passion about it than I ever had,” says Colpitts.  

Does he feel like he was “destined” to be an actor?

“Opportunities kept appearing and if they seemed interesting and worthwhile I’d say ‘yes’ and go forth,” says Colpitts. “I do have a good deal of faith and courage and trust that a Higher Power is looking out for me. Angels have been flying beside me most of my life, I guess.”
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You can read more about Jerry Colpitts in "From Spider-Man to Indie Films, Actor Persists Through Decades" on Next Avenue, an online magazine produced by Twin Cities PBS.

https://www.nextavenue.org/actor-persists-spiderman-indie-films/