Andrea Fishman, actor, and beloved citizen of the East Village in New York City, died at home at the end of June. The cause of her death has not yet been determined.
Andrea was born on January 7, 1951 in Hightstown, New Jersey, the first child of Louis and Rosemary Fishman. Always an insightful and extremely conscientious student with a zany sense of humor, Andrea was known for an almost insatiable interest in the people she met and her great empathy and generosity toward everyone. Friends from childhood remember her as never having said anything unkind about anyone. After graduating from Princeton Day School, she attended Sarah Lawrence College where her studies were concentrated in theater.
After college, Andrea continued studying acting, living briefly in Boston, and for the remainder of her life in the East Village. She was very principled, and she had strong political views. Andrea was active in the anti-nuclear movement in the late 1970s, taking on a leadership role at the protest against the Seabrook, New Hampshire power plant. She later applied her organizing skills to protest her landlord’s refusal to provide adequate heat to his building’s residents, eventually leading a rent strike that resulted in a legal victory against the landlord. Andrea was also a longtime volunteer at WBAI radio, where she served on the Local Station Board.
Andrea is survived by her sister Barbara Fishman of Hopewell, NJ; her brother Douglas Fishman of Cabin John, MD; a nephew, and three nieces.
