The actress originated the role of Tzeitel in the classic Broadway musical.
A cause of death was not immediately released.
Best known forFiddlerand her work withStephen Sondheim, Merlin was born Joann Ratner in Chicago in 1931.
Joanna Merlin.United Artists/Archive Photos/Getty
After graduating from UCLA, Merlin studied acting under Michael Chekhov.
Merlin made her Broadway debut as Gwendolyn inBecketstarringLaurence Olivierin 1961.
She portrayed Tzeitel, the oldest daughter in the central family.
Merlin then became a casting director for some of the most prominent Broadway productions of the 1970s and ’80s.
In aninterview with Backstage in 2013, Merlin reflected on the multifaceted work she had done throughout her career.
“What I found is that one thing feeds the other,” she said.
“My acting career helped me coach actors who came in to audition.
The casting and acting helped me learn how to teach…
I felt that there were a lot of good actors who were not giving good auditions.
I tried to figure out why this was happening and what I could do to help.”
She is survived by her two children.
