Michael Jeter: though he was small in stature, Michael Jeter is remembered as an acting giant by his costars. (in memoriam).

Slight of stature and nebbishy in appearance, beloved character actor Michael Jeter faced death numerous times through his work--as a condemned mouse-loving killer in The Green Mile (1999), a show tunes-belting homeless man with AIDS in The Fisher King (1991), and a cancer-stricken Jewish bookkeeper in Broadway's Grand Hotel, a performance that snagged him a 1990 Tony. On March 30, Jeter, 50, met his maker offstage, leaving behind a life partner, Sean Blue, and more teary eyes than ever.

"Michael could, of course, make you laugh, but he could also make you cry," attests Burt Reynolds, Jeter's friend and costar on the hit '90s sitcom Evening Shade. Jeter won a 1992 Emmy for his turn as nerdy assistant coach Herman Stiles on that series. "He was a thrilling dancer, great style, and yet his innocence, his vulnerability, and his magic showed through. I believe in another era he could have been Stan Laurel, recognized more as a genius."

Jeter was certainly recognized for his activism. While accepting his 1990 Tony, he came clean about recovering from substance abuse. He was openly gay throughout his career. ("Who's going to care if Michael Jeter is gay?" he quipped to Poz magazine. "He never gets the girl anyway.") And he revealed his HIV-positive status at a 1997 television symposium and often used the media spotlight to discuss AIDS issues.

Born in 1952, one of six siblings, Jeter grew up in the small town of Lawrenceburg, Tenn. He initially pursued a medical career at Memphis State University, but after tasting theater courses he moved to New York City. He debuted on Broadway in 1978 and the following year landed a role in the movie adaptation of Hair. Numerous stage, screen, and TV parts followed, in projects as diverse as 1993's Tales of the City miniseries, 1997's Mouse Hunt, 1999's True Crime, 2001's Jurassic Park III, and Sesame Street (since 2000, Jeter made recurring appearances as Mr. Noodle).

In 1995, following a failed five-year relationship, he met Blue. Four months into their courtship both were tested for HIV; Jeter came up positive. "I desperately wanted [Sean] to go away," Jeter recalled of the time. "I knew I would never be able to forgive myself if I infected him. But he wouldn't go away."

Jeter was finishing up a role opposite Tom Hanks in Robert Zemeckis's The Polar Express when Blue discovered him dead in their home in Los Angeles's Hollywood hills. At press time, the cause of death had not been determined. Jeter had also just completed a Kevin Costner-directed western, Open Range.

"I'd like him to be remembered as a brilliant light and mind both," proffers Robin Williams, Jeter's costar in The Fisher King, Patch Adams (1998), and Jakob the Liar (1999). "He lit the place up."