André DeShields
| André De Shields | |
|---|---|
André De Shields at home in New York on February 11, 2009
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| Born |
January 12, 1946 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Occupation | actor, singer, director, dancer, novelist, choreographer, college professor |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Website | www |
André De Shields (born January 12, 1946 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American actor, singer, director, dancer, novelist, choreographer, lyricist, composer and college professor.
De Shields graduated from the Baltimore City College high school in 1964. He then attended Wilmington College where he starred in a well-received production of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. After transferring colleges, De Shields received his BA degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. After Wisconsin, he earned a Master of Arts from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where he serves as an Adjunct Professor.
De Shields began his professional career in the Chicago production of HAIR which led to a role in The Me Nobody Knows and membership in Chicago's Organic Theater Company, where he created the role of Xander, the Unconquerable in Warp!. He made his Broadway debut as Xander in Stuart Gordon's Warp! (1973), and next appeared in Paul Jabara's Rachael Lily Rosenbloom (And Don't You Ever Forget It) (1973), which closed during previews. André De Shields made his mark in the title role of The Wiz, the 1975 Broadway musical by Charlie Smalls and William F. Brown, directed by Geoffrey Holder.
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