Lazaro Olveira

Lazaro “Dino” Olveira, a longtime member of the Broadway theater community, passed away on March 8, 2026, at Englewood Hospital in Englewood, New Jersey, after suffering an aneurysm earlier that day. He was 84.

Born in Cuba, Lazaro fled communism in 1964 after defecting to West Germany. After living there for four years, he moved to New York City. In Cuba, he had worked as an actor and model, appearing on television, in theater productions, and in advertisements, including one for the famed Tropicana Club.

After settling in New York, Lazaro returned to the theater, eventually working on Broadway as a dresser and wardrobe professional. In 1968, he met his lifelong partner, Gayle Ross Patton. Together they worked on several Broadway productions, including La Cage Aux Folles, Gypsy, Woman of the Year, Carrie, and Amadeus. Their careers in the theater community spanned more than three decades until Gayle’s passing in 1999.

During the height of the AIDS crisis and in the years that followed, Lazaro was a dedicated supporter of Broadway Cares and regularly volunteered at fundraising events such as the Broadway Cares Flea Market, the Easter Bonnet Competition, and Broadway Bares.

Later in life, he continued to give back by mentoring young actors and working as a caregiver to Alzheimer’s patients.

Lazaro is survived by Onesis Castillo, whom he regarded as a son, and by his close friends Alina and Daisy Duchesne, Gilberto Gonzales, Angel Gardner, Sharon Allen, and Enrique Ortiz.

His cremated remains will be laid to rest beside his partner Gayle R. Patton later this spring at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.