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Chuck Cooper (actor)
Encyclopedia
This article is about the African-American actor. For the late former pioneering African-American NBA basketball player, see Chuck Cooper (basketball).
Chuck Cooper (born November 8, 1954) is an American actor.
Cooper made his Broadway
debut in 1983 in the musical
Amen Corner
, playing the role of "Brother Boxer". He was an understudy in the original Broadway
casts of his next three shows: Someone Who'll Watch Over Me
(he eventually took over the role of "Adam"), Passion
and Getting Away with Murder. In 1997, his next show The Life
opened on Broadway. Cooper won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
for his role of the pimp "Memphis".
Cooper has also appeared in Chicago
as "Billy Flynn", Caroline, or Change
as the dual role of "The Bus" and "The Dryer", and Finian's Rainbow
as "Bill Rawkins", as well as benefit
performances of Hair
and A Wonderful Life
. He performed also in the role of soloist at the US Premiere of the "Seven Scenes from Hamlet" by the spanish composer Benet Casablancas
at the Miller Theatre New York on February 25th, 2010 (Perspectives Ensemble, cond. Angel Gil-Ordóñez).
Cooper's daughter, Lilli, is also an actress. She recently made her Broadway debut in the musical Spring Awakening.
Deborah Brevoort, a playwright, married Cooper, on Saturday, May 30, 2009 in Carmel, N.Y., at the home of Alice and Dave Walsh, friends of the bride. Their initial meeting and eventual engagement was covered in a New York Times web-site video.
Chuck Cooper (born November 8, 1954) is an American actor.
Cooper made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in 1983 in the musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Amen Corner
Amen Corner
Amen Corner may refer to:*Amen Corner , 1960s British pop group*Amen Corner , 1983 musical*Amen Corner , novel by Rick Shefchik*The Amen Corner, 1954 play by James Baldwin...
, playing the role of "Brother Boxer". He was an understudy in the original Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
casts of his next three shows: Someone Who'll Watch Over Me
Someone Who'll Watch Over Me
Someone Who'll Watch over Me is a play written by Irish dramatist Frank McGuinness. The play focuses on the trials and tribulations of an Irishman, an Englishman and an American who are kidnapped and held hostage by unseen Arabs in Lebanon. As the three men strive for survival they also strive to...
(he eventually took over the role of "Adam"), Passion
Passion (musical)
Passion is a musical adapted from Ettore Scola's film Passione d'Amore . The book is by James Lapine, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Central subjects include obsession, beauty, power, manipulation, passion, illness, and love...
and Getting Away with Murder. In 1997, his next show The Life
The Life (musical)
The Life is a musical with a book by David Newman, Ira Gasman and Cy Coleman, music by Coleman, and lyrics by Gasman.Based on an original idea by Gasman, the show explores the underbelly of Times Square's 42nd Street, inhabited by pimps and prostitutes, druggies and dealers, and runaways and street...
opened on Broadway. Cooper won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The award has been presented since 1947...
for his role of the pimp "Memphis".
Cooper has also appeared in Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
as "Billy Flynn", Caroline, or Change
Caroline, or Change
Caroline, or Change is a through-composed musical with book and lyrics by Tony Kushner and score by Jeanine Tesori that combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music....
as the dual role of "The Bus" and "The Dryer", and Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow is a musical with a book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane. The 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances. Several revivals and a 1968 film version followed. A Broadway revival ran from October 8, 2009 until January 17, 2010...
as "Bill Rawkins", as well as benefit
Benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...
performances of Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
and A Wonderful Life
A Wonderful Life (musical)
A Wonderful Life is a musical with a book and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Joe Raposo.Based on the classic Frank Capra film starring James Stewart, the story closely follows the original plot, set in 1945, telling the story of a suicidal man whose guardian angel reveals to him how...
. He performed also in the role of soloist at the US Premiere of the "Seven Scenes from Hamlet" by the spanish composer Benet Casablancas
Benet Casablancas
Benet Casablancas is a Spanish composer and musicologist.- Biography :Casablancas started to study music in Barcelona and then moved to Vienna, where he attended lessons in the Vienna Academy of Music with Friedrich Cerha and Karl Heinz Füssl...
at the Miller Theatre New York on February 25th, 2010 (Perspectives Ensemble, cond. Angel Gil-Ordóñez).
Cooper's daughter, Lilli, is also an actress. She recently made her Broadway debut in the musical Spring Awakening.
Deborah Brevoort, a playwright, married Cooper, on Saturday, May 30, 2009 in Carmel, N.Y., at the home of Alice and Dave Walsh, friends of the bride. Their initial meeting and eventual engagement was covered in a New York Times web-site video.