Happy Birthday to Tony-winning performer André De Shields, born Jan. 12, 1946, in Baltimore. He earned his bachelor’s at Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison in 1970 and began his professional career in Chicago, before moving to New York. He made his Broadway debut in the short-lived play Warp (1973), then choreographed Bette Midler’s first Broadway concert later that year. He next appeared in the musical Rachael Lily Rosenbloom and Don’t You Ever Forget It, which closed during previews in 1973. His breakthrough came in the title role of the Tony-winning musical The Wiz (1975). He next choreographed Bette Midler’s second Broadway concert, then appeared in the Tony-winning revue Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978), for which he earned his first Drama Desk nomination and an Emmy for the show’s 1982 NBC broadcast. Below is the Ain’t Misbehavin’ cast at the 1978 Tonys.
In 1984, De Shields directed and choreographed Blackberries and wrote, choreographed, directed, and starred in Haarlem Nocturne, which began at La MaMa and transferred to Broadway. The following year, he appeared Off-Broadway in the musical Just So, then returned to Broadway in back-to-back revues: Stardust (1987) and the 1988 revival of Ain’t Misbehavin’. In 1995, he appeared in the Off-Broadway musicals Dancing on Moonlight and Angel Levine, returning to Broadway in 1997 with Play On!, for which he earned his first Tony nomination and second Drama Desk nomination. Three years later, he appeared in The Full Monty, earning his second Tony and third Drama Desk noms. Below is The Full Monty cast at the 2001 Tonys.
He returned Off-Broadway in the 2007 musical A Woman of Will and the 2008 revival of Black Nativity, for which he received Drama Desk and Lortel nominations. His next Off-Broadway musical was The Fortress of Solitude in 2014. His next Broadway musical was Hadestown in 2019, for which he won Tony, Drama Desk, and Grammy awards. Most recently, he was Anton Ego in a benefit presentation of Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical on New Year’s Day. Below is the cast of Hadestown at the 2019 Tony Awards.