Dennis Grimaldi

Dennis Grimaldi is an American theatrical producer, director and choreographer who has worked on Broadway, Off Broadway, television and on London's West End. His work includes Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes and Annie Warbucks.

Grimaldi was born in Melrose Park, Illinois and is a graduate of Proviso East High School, in Maywood, Illinois, school mates included Dennis Franz (Schlacta), Mark Lamos, John Prine, Shelia Johnson (Crump) <Provi Yearbook,1962, 1963, 1964, 1965>. He studied dance at the Stone-Camryn School and Gail Larry School, Ronn Forella, Luigi and with John Aristides, and Jack Cole. Under the tutelage of the Tony Award-winning Russian actress Eugenie Leontovich, Dr. John Reich and Dr. Charles McGaw, he graduated on scholarship from The Theatre School of DePaul University (The Goodman School of Drama), and also studied at Indiana University. As an actor and dancer, he co-starred with Hiram Sherman in the Feydeau farce A Flea in Her Ear, in Caesar and Cleopatra with Carrie Snodgress and Murray Matheson, in The Sound of Music with Dorothy Collins, in Funny Girl with Mimi Hines, the pre-Broadway tour of Wright and Forrest's musical A Song for Cyrano (Cyrano) starring and directed by José Ferrer, and Follies, to name a few. As a dancer, he also appeared in Man of La Mancha, Hello, Dolly!, Promises, Promises, Sugar and other productions.

After a career as a dancer and actor, he began directing and choreographing and in 1989 he formed Dennis Grimaldi Productions, pursuing an active career as a stage producer as well as television. For the stage, he first worked as an Associate to the Producers on the Broadway production of A. R. Gurney's Sweet Sue starring Mary Tyler Moore and Lynn Redgrave. He was Executive Producer for the television film of the Sondheim/Laurents/Styne Musical Gypsy which was filmed live at the Savoy Theatre in London and starred Olivier-winner Imelda Staunton, As a producer for Broadway, productions include The Heidi Chronicles (2015) with Elisabeth Moss, Jason Biggs and Bryce Pinkham, the Bernstein/Comden/Green musical On the Town 2014 revival, and The Realistic Joneses starring Toni Collette, Michael C. Hall, Tracy Letts and Marisa Tomei. In 2014 he won the Grand Slam of theater awards, the Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Awards for "Best Musical" for the Broadway production of A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder starring Tony winner Jefferson Mays.

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