Happy birthday to Tony-winning performer Brian Stokes Mitchell, born Oct. 31, 1957 in Seattle. Mitchell grew up in various military bases and began acting in school musicals while in San Diego. He was soon performing professionally and made his Broadway debut in the 1988 musical Mail. He followed that with roles in the 1990 Oh, Kay! revival, Jelly’s Last Jam, and Kiss of the Spider Woman, before originating Coalhouse Walker in Ragtime, for which he earned his first Tony nomination. Below is Mitchell and Ragtime costar Audra McDonald singing “Wheels of a Dream” at 1997 Kennedy Center Honors.
He next starred in the 1999 Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate, winning the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Below is Mitchell and Kiss Me, Kate costar Marin Mazzie singing “So in Love” on the Today Show.
His nonmusical work includes the 2001 play King Hedley II (Tony nomination) and the 2000 recording of The Complete Shakespeare Sonnets (Grammy nomination). Mitchell’s next musical was the 2000 revival of Man of La Mancha, earning his fourth Tony nomination. His latest appearances have been Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in 2010 and Shuffle Along in 2016. Below is Mitchell and Man of La Mancha costar Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in “The Impossible Dream” at the 2003 Tony Awards.
Off stage, Mitchell has been chairman of the board of the Actors Fund of America since 2004 and was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2016. Earlier this year, Mitchell was diagnosed with COVID-19. After his recovery, he sang nightly from a window of his Manhattan apartment to thank first responders and medical workers. Recently, he released a new version of the Ragtime song “Make Them Hear You,” urging people to vote in the 2020 presidential election.