Ron Vawter (1948–1994) was an American actor, a leading figure in avant-garde theater, and a founding member of the experimental company The Wooster Group, with which he worked for most of his career. Although his work is deeply connected to the group's collective efforts, Vawter is best known for his acclaimed solo performance *Roy Cohn/Jack Smith* (1992), a diptych in which he portrayed two antithetical and controversial gay figures from American culture. His film career includes roles in films by directors such as Jonathan Demme, for whom he acted in *The Silence of the Lambs* (1991) and *Philadelphia* (1993), and Steven Soderbergh in *Sex, Lies, and Videotape* (1989). For his contributions to theater, he received major awards, including a prestigious Obie Award in 1988 for sustained excellence with The Wooster Group.