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small;">Ben Vereen
October 10, 1946
Miami, Florida,
United States
Nancy Bruner (m.
1976)
Ben Vereen (born October 10, 1946 in Miami, Florida) is an Americanactor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing
Arts.
Career
He was nominated for a Tony
Award for Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972 and
won a Tony for his appearance
in Pippin in 1973. Vereen appeared in the Broadway musical Wicked as the Wizard of Oz in 2005. Vereen has also performed in one-man shows and actively lectures on
black history and inspirational topics.
[edit] Screen
He has also starred in numerous television
programs and films. Notable film roles include song-and-dance men in Funny Lady and All That Jazz. He
appeared on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse", in which he played Will
Smith's biological father. He starred in the television series Tenspeed
and Brown Shoe, but is probably best known for his role as "Chicken
George" Moore in Roots. He also appeared as Mayor Ben
(a leopard) on Zoobilee
Zoo.