Andre De Shields

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André De Shields (born January 12, 1946 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American actor, singer, dancer, director, and choreographer.

Warp!, Ain't Misbehavin', Play On!, The Full Monty, Impressionism, and The Wiz's title role are among his Broadway credits.

He is currently on Broadway, portraying Hermes in the musical Hadestown.

On his third nomination for the Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Hadestown, he was named.

He has appeared on television and received an Primetime Emmy Award for his role in the 1982 NBC broadcast of Ain't Misbehavin'.

Early life and education

André Robin De Shields was born in Dundalk, Maryland, on January 12, 1946, to Mary Gunther and John De Shields. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the ninth of eleven children; his father died at the age of 50 when André was 17. In 1964, De Shields earned his high school diploma at Baltimore City College and then went to Wilmington College, where he appeared in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun's production. He then attended colleges and earned his B.A. In 1970, an English literature degree was obtained from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. De Shields earned his M.A. in 1991. The Gallatin School of Individualized Study of New York University has an African American study.

He works at Gallatin as an adjunct professor.

Personal life

De Shields is gay, but he prefers to be described as "a Black man who is queer" or "a Black man who loves other men." He is also a "long-liver" of HIV, having been diagnosed early in the disease epidemic after shaving before a Los Angeles appearance on Ain't Misbehavin's 1980 national tour and being officially diagnosed in 1991. Chico Kasinoir, his 17-year-old brother, died of AIDS-related lymphoma in June 1992. In 1995, De Shields' other half, a man named John, who was with him for two years, died of AIDS-related meningitis.

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Career

De Shields began his professional career in Chicago, which culminated in his appearance in The Me Nobody Knows and his involvement in the Chicago Organic Theater Company. During the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s, he appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village of Manhattan. These included Ken Rubenstein's Sacred Guard (1973), Lamar Alford's Thoughts (1974), and the Cotton Club Gala with music by Aaron Bell and directed by Ellen Stewart (1985). In Midnight in Manhattan, he co-wrote (with Judith Cohen) and directed an evening of songs called Judith and the Cohen Sisters. In 1985, he directed The Adventures of Rhubarb: The Rock and Roll Rabbit, along with a La MaMa production to celebrate Black History Month.

In Stuart Gordon's 1973 Warp, he made his Broadway debut as Xander. And then appeared in Paul Jabara's 1973 Rachael Rosenbloom (And Don't Forget It), which ended during previews. He then appeared in Geoffrey Holder's 1975 musical directing of The Wiz, Charlie Smalls, and William F. Brown.

De Shields returned to Broadway to appear in the Broadway revue Ain't Misbehavin' in 1978 after choreographing two Bette Midler musicals. The original production lasted for over 1,600 shows, and De Shields received a 1978 Drama Desk Award for his role. He returned to Broadway to appear in Stardust: The Mitchell Parrish Musical, a musical revue starring the lyricist's appearances with Hoagy Carmichael, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Leroy Anderson.

De Shields wrote, choreographed, directed, and appeared in André De Shields' Haarlem Nocturne, a Broadway musical revue that showcased hits from the American songbook, pop hits from the early 1960s, and De Shields' own songs. The revue was staged at the Latin Quarter and La MaMa (with music by Marc Shaiman). He appeared in a revival of Ain't Misbehavin' in 1988, and he appeared on Broadway in 1997 as the Jester in Play On!, a musical based on Ellington's songs. De Shields received Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his work.

In the Terrence McNally/ David Yazbek musical adaptation of the film The Full Monty, De Shields performed Noah "Horse" T. Simmons. De Shields received both Tony and Drama Desk accolades for this role, as with Play On! In 2004, he appeared in Prymate, Mark Medoff's Broadway performance at the Longacre Theatre. He received a Drama Desk Award for his role in Langston Hughes' Black Nativity's off-Broadway production in 2008. In 2009, he appeared in Impressionism opposite Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons. The performance ran at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater in May 2009.

Play On!, The Full Monty, Waiting For Godot, The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Death of a Salesman, Dusyanta: A Debute To King Lear, Acting According to James, Camino Real and King Lear, De Shields' regional theatre credits include Play On!, Waiting For Godot, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Dead of a Salesman, The Man Who Camin In 2013, he played Akela and King Louie in the world premiere of Mary Zimmerman's version of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, a co-production of the Goodman Theatre and Huntington Theatre Company. De Shields received his 3rd Jeff Award (Outstanding Achievement in the category of Actor in a Support Role) for his role as King Louie, as well as an IRNE Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Musical.

Since its inception at Vassar College in 2012, De Shields has portrayed Barrett Rude Sr. In spring 2014, the Fortress of Solitude premiered at the Dallas Theatre Center, and The Fortress of Solitude, co-produced with The Public Theater, ran through November 2014. In the latest musical Gotta Dance, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, De Shields, Lillias White, Stefanie Powers, and Georgia Engel appeared. The musical debuted at Bank of America Theatre in Chicago on December 13, 2015, and it ran through January 17, 2016.

In the Broadway musical Hadestown, which opened in previews on March 22, 2019, at the Walter Kerr Theatre, he played Hermes. On his third nomination, he received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Hadestown. On May 29, 2022, he appeared in his last game. In Live From Mount Olympus, a narrative podcast for tweens produced by Rachel Chavkin and Zhailon Levingston, it was announced on January 26, 2021. The Onassis Foundation and TRAX from PRX produced the series. Amber Gray, Divine Garland, Vinie Burrows, Kristen Sieh, and others appear in De Shields' co-stars.

De Shields has appeared on television on Another World, Cosby, Sex, and the City. Great Performances, Lipstick Jungle, Law & Order, Special Victims Unit, and Special Victim Unit. He received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in 1982's NBC broadcast of Ain't Misbehavin', and starred Tweedledum in a 1983 televised production of Alice in Wonderland that also starred Eve Arden, Richard Burton, Colleen Dewhurst, Kaye Ballard, and Nathan Lane. De Shields performed in John Mulaney's "Algebra Song" album, his most recent appearance. On December 24, 2019, Netflix's comedy/musical/variety special was released. In the television series Katy Keene on The CW, he played Chubby, a recurring character.

It was announced on December 28, 2020, Anton Ego would appear in a benefit concert performance of Ratatouille the Musical, an internet meme based on TikTok's 2007 Disney/Pixar film. On January 1, 2021, the concert was exclusively on TodayTix. De Shields appeared in Lin-Manuel Miranda's debut film, tick, tick... BOOM!, a Netflix exclusive, was born on November 12, 2021, as a patron of the Moondance Diner on "Sunday" as well as other Broadway stars such as Chita Rivera, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, and others. He appeared in the Netflix comedy Uncoupled, which was released in July 2022. He also played a key supporting role.

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