André De Shields

Early life

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.

Career

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.

After providing choreography for two Bette Midler musical shows, De Shields returned to Broadway to perform in the musical revue, Ain't Misbehavin', in 1978. The original production ran for more than 1600 shows, and André De Shields earned a 1978 Drama Desk nomination for his performance.

Three years later, he returned to Broadway to perform in Stardust: The Mitchell Parrish Musical, a musical revue featuring the lyricist's work with Hoagy Carmichael, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Leroy Anderson. In 1984, De Shields wrote, choreographed, directed, and starred in André De Shields’ Haarlem Nocturne at The Latin Quarter, a Broadway musical revue that featured standards from the American songbook, pop hits from the early 1960s and songs by De Shields himself. He appeared in a revival of Ain't Misbehavin' in 1988, and next appeared on Broadway in 1997 as the Jester in Play On!, a musical based on the songs of Duke Ellington. De Shields earned nominations for both a Tony® and a Drama Desk Award for his performance.

In 2000, De Shields originated the role of Noah "Horse" T. Simmons in the McNally / Yazbek musical adaptation of the film, The Full Monty. As with Play On!, De Shields garnered Tony® and Drama Desk nominations for his portrayal.

In 2004, De Shields appeared in the Broadway production of Prymate by Mark Medoff at the Longacre Theatre.

In 2008, De Shields received a Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance in an off-Broadway production of Langston Hughes' popular Black Nativity.

In 2009, De Shields appeared on Broadway opposite Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons in the play Impressionism. The play ran through May 10, 2009 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater.

De Shields' regional theatre credits include Play On!, The Full Monty, Waiting For Godot, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Death of a Salesman, Dusyanta: A Tale of Kalidasa, The Gospel According to James, and Camino Real.

In 2013, De Shields portrayed Akela and King Louie in the world premiere of Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s "The Jungle Book", a co-production of The Goodman Theatre and The Huntington Theatre Company. De Shields received his 3rd Jeff Award, (Outstanding Achievement in the category of Actor in a Supporting Role – Musical) for his role as King Louie and garnered an Elliot Norton Nomination for Outstanding Musical Performance by an Actor and IRNE nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Musical.

De Shields portrayed Barrett Rude Sr. in The Fortress of Solitude, the musical based on Jonathan Lethem's, The Fortress of Solitude (novel), since its inception in 2012 at Vassar College. The Fortress of Solitude premiered at the Dallas Theater Center in Spring 2014. The Off-Broadway production of The Fortress of Solitude, a co-production with The Public Theater, played through November 2014.

De Shields, Lillias White, Stefanie Powers and Georgia Engel starred in the new musical Gotta Dance, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. The musical began performances on December 13, 2015 at Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre, and ran through January 17, 2016.

De Shields has appeared on television on Another World, Cosby, Sex and the City, Great Performances, Lipstick Jungle, Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Achievement for his performance in the 1982 NBC broadcast of Ain't Misbehavin'. De Shields played Tweedledum in a 1983 televised production of Alice in Wonderland that also included Eve Arden, Richard Burton, Colleen Dewhurst, James Coco, Kaye Ballard, and Nathan Lane.

Awards and nominations