Ben Vereen

Benjamin Augustus Vereen (born October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Vereen gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals Jesus Christ Superstar, for which he received a Tony Award nomination, and Pippin, for which he won the 1973 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Ben Vereen
Vereen at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Benjamin Augustus Middleton October 10, 1946 Laurinburg, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, dancer, singer, voice actor
Years active	1965–present
Spouse(s)	Andrea Townsley (m. 1966, div. 1974)[1] Nancy Bruner (m. 1976, div. 2012)
Children	5

Early life

Vereen was born Benjamin Augustus Middleton on October 10, 1946 in Laurinburg, North Carolina.[2][3][4] While still an infant, Vereen and his family relocated to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. He was adopted by James Vereen, a paint-factory worker, and his wife, Pauline, who worked as a maid and theatre wardrobe mistress.[5] He discovered he was adopted when he applied for a passport to join Sammy Davis Jr. on a tour of "Golden Boy" to London when he was 25.[6] He was raised Pentecostal.[7]

During his pre-teen years, he exhibited an innate talent for drama and dance and often performed in local variety shows. At the age of 14, Vereen enrolled at the High School of Performing Arts, where he studied under world-renowned choreographers Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and Jerome Robbins. Upon his graduation, he struggled to find suitable stage work and was often forced to take odd jobs to supplement his income.

Career

Stage

When Vereen was 18 years old, he made his New York stage bow off-off Broadway in The Prodigal Son at the Greenwich Mews Theater. By the following year, he was in Las Vegas, performing in Bob Fosse's production of Sweet Charity, a show with which he toured in 1967–68. He returned to New York City to play Claude in Hair in the Broadway production, before joining the national touring company.

The following year, he was cast opposite Sammy Davis Jr. in the film adaptation of Sweet Charity. After developing a rapport with Davis, Vereen was cast as his understudy in the upcoming production of Golden Boy, which toured England and ended the run at the Palladium Theatre in London's West End.

Vereen 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.

Television

Vereen in 2007

Vereen has also starred in numerous television programs, and is well known for the role of 'Chicken' George Moore in Alex Haley's landmark TV miniseries Roots, for which he received an Emmy nomination in 1977.

Vereen's four-week summer variety series, Ben Vereen ... Comin' At Ya, aired on NBC in August 1975 and featured regulars Lola Falana, Avery Schreiber and Liz Torres.

In 1978, on a Boston Pops TV special, Vereen performed a tribute to Bert Williams, complete with period makeup and attire, and reprising Williams' high-kick dance steps, to Vaudeville standards such as "Waitin' for the Robert E. Lee".

In 1981, Vereen performed at Ronald Reagan's first inauguration. The performance generated controversy as Vereen performed the first part of the show in blackface. Before the finale, ABC cut the live performance, generating confusion and anger from viewers at home.[8] According to video artist Edgar Arcenaux, what TV viewers didn’t see was the second part of the performance, in which Vereen mimicked being refused service because of his color while trying to buy the Republican elite a congratulatory drink. As Arceneaux explains, Vereen's performance was meant as a critique of Republican civil rights policies, but the TV audience didn't get to see it.[9]

Vereen was cast opposite Jeff Goldblum in the short-lived detective series Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (1980). During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Vereen worked steadily on television with projects ranging from the sitcom Webster to the drama Silk Stalkings.

In 1985, Vereen starred in the Faerie Tale Theatre series as Puss in Boots alongside Gregory Hines. 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 Lou Smith. He made several appearances on the 1980s sitcom Webster as the title character's biological uncle.

He also appeared as Mayor Ben (a leopard) on the children's program Zoobilee Zoo and as Itsy Bitsy Spider in Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme. In 1993 he appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Interface" as the father of Roots co-star LeVar Burton's character Geordi La Forge; fellow Roots star Madge Sinclair appeared in the same episode as Geordi's mother. In Roots, Vereen had played "Chicken George", the grandson of Burton's character Kunta Kinte.[10] He also appeared on the television series The Nanny episode "Pishke Business". In 2010, he appeared on the television series How I Met Your Mother episodes "Cleaning House" and "False Positive" as Sam Gibbs, the long lost father of James Stinson, Barney Stinson's brother. He returned in 2013 and 2014 for another two episodes.

Personal life

Vereen has appeared as a public speaker and humanitarian speaking on such topics as black history, overcoming adversity, and the importance of continuing education.

In 2007, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and has a website in which he shares his personal story along with advice from medical experts.

According to The Fayetteville Observer of April 29, 2006, Vereen learned while applying for a passport in the late 1960s that he was adopted. His birth certificate revealed that his birth name was Benjamin Augustus Middleton, that he was the son of Essie Middleton, and that he was born in Laurinburg, North Carolina. In April 2006, Vereen visited Scotland County with a genealogist on a search for family members and learned that his mother's name was Essie May Pearson. The Laurinburg Exchange reported: "Vereen, an adoptee who learned that he was born in Laurinburg and made a celebrated trip to Scotland County in 2006 to reconnect with family. While on the trip he learned his mother had died 24 years before, but that several relatives still lived in the area." According to her acquaintances, Essie had gone on a trip when Vereen was a child, and had left her baby in someone's care. When she returned, the child was gone. In the April 28, 2006 interview with the 'Laurinburg Exchange', Vereen said that his visit "has just all been so overwhelming ... I've finally found my family".[11] In May 2006, he met his mother's daughter, (his sister), Gloria Walker, of Derby, Connecticut.[12][13][14] He also has a brother, James Middleton, who lives in Tucson, Arizona.

In the early 1980s, Vereen moved with his family to Saddle River, New Jersey.[15]

His 16-year-old daughter, Naja, was killed in an auto accident in 1987[16] on the New Jersey Turnpike when a truck overturned on her car.

In 1992, Vereen suffered three accidents in one day, when his car hit a tree causing him to hit his head on the roof of his car, then he suffered a stroke while he was walking on a Malibu highway, apparently veering into the road where he was struck by a car driven by record producer David Foster. His critical injuries (including a broken leg) required him to undergo arduous physical rehabilitation in the ensuing months.[17][18]

Vereen is the godfather of R&B superstar Usher and is also the first cousin once removed of New York Giants running back Shane Vereen. Vereen was the keynote speaker for the Boys & Girls Clubs in St. Petersburg, Florida annual alumni tribute gala held in October 2007.

In August 2011, Vereen was named Co-Artistic Director of Tampa's Broadway Theatre Project.[19]

In September 2012, Vereen filed for divorce from his wife Nancy Bruner Vereen of 36 years, citing irreconcilable differences.[20]

He is an active Democrat.[21]

Vereen was inducted as an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity on April 9, 2019.[22]

His 55-year old son, Ben Vereen Jr., passed away in 2020.[23]

Sexual harassment allegations

In January 2018, four actresses in a Florida production of Hair directed by Vereen in 2015 alleged that he sexually harassed them throughout the production.[24]

According to the New York Daily News, "the women — part of the Venice Theatre production outside of Tampa — say Vereen forced unwanted kisses, hugged them aggressively, stripped naked during an acting exercise and made degrading comments about their weight, sex appeal and personal lives". The Daily News published cast members' claims that he used his position of authority as a director and mentor to pressure them to engage him in unwanted sexual interactions. For example, two of the actresses said he did this by privately luring them on separate occasions to his Florida rental home. One woman willingly admits she and Vereen began a relationship though feels it was ultimately coerced; the other says he sexually molested her and later nonconsensually kissed her and made sexually disparaging remarks.[25]

According to Variety, "While directing the 2015 production of the musical at the Venice Theatre in Florida, Vereen is alleged to have invited female cast members back to his apartment and goaded them into sex acts. He’s also accused of inappropriate talk and conduct during rehearsals that involved cast members stripping naked, ostensibly as preparation for a show that has, since its original 1967 production, been associated with a famous, full-cast nude scene."[26]

Vereen has since apologized for his misconduct.[27]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1969	Sweet Charity	Dancer
1970	Gas-s-s-s	Carlos
1975	Funny Lady	Bert Robbins
1979	All That Jazz	O'Connor Flood
1980	This Boxer Wears a Shirt
1982	Cycling Through China	Himself	Documentary
1982	Sabine	Stanley
1985	The Zoo Gang	The Winch
1988	Buy & Cell	Shaka
1993	Once Upon a Forest	Phineas	voice
1998	Why Do Fools Fall in Love	Richard Barrett
1999	I'll Take You There	Mr. Gwin
2001	The Painting	Whistlin' Willie Weston
2006	Idlewild	Percy Senior
2007	And Then Came Love	Chuck Cooper
2009	Tapioca	Nuts
2009	21 and a Wake-Up	General Garner
2011	Mama, I Want to Sing!	Horace Payne
2013	Khumba	Mkhulu, the Elder Zebra	voice
2014	Top Five	Carl
2014	Time Out of Mind	Dixon

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	Ben Vereen... Comin' at Ya	Host	4 episodes
1976	Louis Armstrong – Chicago Style	Louis Armstrong	Television Movie
1976	The Muppet Show	Special Guest Star	Episode: "Ben Vereen"
1977	Roots	Chicken George Moore	3 episodes
1977	The Carol Burnett Show	Self	2 episodes
1980	Tenspeed and Brown Shoe	E.L. 'Tenspeed' Turner	14 episodes
1981	Pippin: His Life and Times	The Leading Player	Television Movie
1982-84	The Love Boat	Various roles	3 episodes
1983	The Charmkins	Dragonweed	Voice; Television Short
1983-85	Webster	Uncle Philip Long	11 episodes
1984	SCTV
1984	The Jesse Owens Story	Herb Douglas	Television Movie
1984	Ellis Island	Roscoe Haines	3 episodes
1985	A.D.	Ethiopian	5 part miniseries
1985	Lost in London	Paul Williams	Television Movie
1985	Faerie Tale Theatre	Puss in Boots	Episode: Puss in Boots
1986-87	Zoobilee Zoo	Mayor Ben	62 episodes
1988	Jenny's Song	Joe	Television Movie
1988	J.J. Starbuck	E.L. "Tenspeed" Turner	5 episodes
1990	The Kid Who Loved Christmas	Performer	Television Movie
1990	Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme	Itsy Bitsy Spider	Television Movie
1990	Booker	Carl McQueen	Episode: "The Life and Death of Chick Sterling"
1991-93	Silk Stalkings	Capt. Ben Hutchinson	11 episodes
1992	Intruders	Gene Randall	2 episodes
1993	Star Trek: The Next Generation	Dr. Edward LaForge	Episode: "Interface"
1994	Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman	Dr. Andre Novak	Episode: "Illusions of Grandeur"
1994	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air	Lou Smith	Episode: "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse"
1994	The Nanny	Ben Vereen	Episode: "Pishke Business"
1995	New York Undercover	Louie	Episode: "Eliminate the Middleman"
1996	Touched by an Angel	Ulysses Dodd	Episode: "Secret Service"
1997	Second Noah	Sweet Billy	Episode: "Desperately Seeking Mickey"
1998	Soldier of Fortune, Inc.	Senator Stanford Parks	Episode: "Party Girl"
1999	Promised Land	Lawrence Taggert Sr.	3 episodes
1999	The Jamie Foxx Show	Royal	Episode: "Taps for Royal"
2001	The Feast of All Saints	Rudolphe Lermontant	Television Movie
2002	Oz	A.R. Whitworth	Episode: "Good Intentions"
2007	Grey's Anatomy	Archie Roche	Episode: "Love/Anarchy"
2007	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Rev. Jeremiah Morris	Episode: "Senseless"
2008	Accidental Friendship	Wes	Television Movie
2008	Your Mama Don't Dance	Judge	8 episodes
2010	House of Payne	Clarence Sanderson	Episode: "Curtis Sings the Blues
2010-14	How I Met Your Mother	Sam Gibbs	4 episodes
2011	Broadway: The Next Generation	Himself	Documentary Series
2014	Love That Girl!	Judge	Episode: "Business is Business"
2013	NCIS	Lamar Addison	Episode: "Homesick"
2015	Hot in Cleveland	Mayor of Cleveland	Episode: "Out of Our Minds"
2016	The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again	Dr. Everett von Scott	Television Special NBC
2017	Making History	Dr. Theodore Anthony Cobell	3 episodes
2017-18	Sneaky Pete	Porter	6 episodes
2018	Magnum P.I.	Henry Barr	Episode: "Death Is Only Temporary"
2018-19	Star	Calvin	5 episodes
2019	Bull	Willie Lambert	Episode: "Forfeiture"
2019	Tales	Harry	Episode: "My Life"

Theatre

Year	Production	Role	Venue	Notes
1965	The Prodigal Son	Dancer	Greenwich Mews Theater, Off-Broadway
1967–68	Sweet Charity	Dancer	US & Canada Tour
1968–72	Hair	Hud - Claude	Biltmore Theatre, Broadway National Tour
1968	Golden Boy	Understudy to Sammy Davis Jr.	London Palladium International Tour
1970	Gurton's Apocalyptic Needle	Alternate roles	The New Troupe/Touring
1970	Don't Call Me Toby	Singer/Dancer	The New Troupe, Touring
1970–71	No Place to be Somebody	Alternate roles	Touring Company
1971–73	Jesus Christ Superstar	Judas Iscariot	Mark Hellinger Theatre, Broadway
1972–74	Pippin	Leading Player	Imperial Theater, Broadway, U.S. tour
1985	Grind	LeRoy	Mark Hellinger Theatre, Broadway
1992–93	Jelly's Last Jam	Chimney Man	Shubert Theater, Broadway	Replacement
1995–96	A Christmas Carol	Ghost of Christmas Present	Madison Square Garden, Broadway
1999	Chicago	Billy Flynn	U.S. & Canada Tour
2001	Fosse	Performer	Shubert Theater, Broadway	Replacement
2002	I'm not Rappaport	Midge	Shubert Theater, Broadway U.S. National tour
2003	The Exonerated	Performer	Off-Broadway
2005-06	Wicked	The Wizard of Oz	Gershwin Theatre, Broadway	Replacement

Discography

Solo albums

• Off-Stage (Buddah Records, 1975)
• Ben Vereen (Buddah Records, 1976)
• Signed, Sealed, Delivered! (51 West, 1979)
• Here I Am (Accord, 1982)
• Steppin' Out Live (Ghostlight Records, 2010)

Ensemble albums

• Grind (Original Cast Recording) (TER, 1985)
• Pippin (Original Broadway Cast) (Decca Broadway, 2000)

Singles and EPs

• Superstar (MCA Records, 1971)
• Could We Start Again Please? / Heaven On Their Minds (Decca, 1972)
• Stop Your Half-Steppin' Ma Ma (Buddah Records, 1975)
• By Your Side (Buddah Records, 1975)
• Got It Made / Read Between the Lines (Ariola, 1980)

Awards and Nominations

The handprints of Ben Vereen in front of Theater of the Stars at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park

Theater

Year	Award	Category	Title	Results
1972	Tony Award	Best Featured Actor in a Musical	Jesus Christ Superstar	Nominated
1972	Theatre World Award	N/A		Won
1973	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Performance	Pippin	Won
1973	Tony Award	Best Actor in a Musical		Won

Television

Year	Award	Category	Title	Results
1976	Golden Globe Award	New Star of the Year – Actor	Funny Lady	Nominated
1977	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actor in Variety or Music	The Bell Telephone Jubilee	Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Actor Drama or Comedy Series	Roots	Nominated
1984	Golden Globe Award	Best Supporting Actor - Television	Ellis Island	Nominated
1992	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries	Intruders	Nominated

Honors

The Community Mental Health Council awarded Vereen with their 2004 Lifeline Celebration Achievement Award. For his humanitarian contributions, he has received a number of awards including Israel's Cultural and Humanitarian Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, an Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and a Victory Award. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Arizona, Emerson College, St. Francis College, and Columbia College in Chicago. In 2001, Medgar Evers College created the Ben Vereen Scholarship for the Performing Arts, and in 2004, he received an Achievement in Excellence Award from his alma mater, the High School of the Performing Arts.

He was the first simultaneous winner of the "Entertainer of the Year," “Rising Star," and "Song and Dance Star" awards from the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA). He also earned a coveted spot in the Casino Legends Hall of Fame.

Vereen was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his performance in the Hallmark movie An Accidental Friendship. In 2004, Vereen was nominated for a "Career Achievement Award" by the Le Prix International Film Star Awards Organization.

In 2011, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.[28]

In 2012, Vereen was inducted into the National Museum of Dance's Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame.

References

1. Dwyer, Jim (November 29, 2016). "Ben Vereen's Disappearing Divorce". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
2. "Ben Vereen". TV Guide. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
3. Erickson, Hal. "Ben Vereen". Allmovie. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
4. Calhoun, Jennifer (April 29, 2006). "'Roots' actor finds his roots". Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via NewsBank.
5. "Ben Vereen Biography (1946–)". filmreference.com.
6. "Ben Vereen Writes About 'Blood Family' in New Book". EURweb. January 26, 2011. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
7. Gliatto, Tom (December 7, 1992). "The Road Back". People. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
8. L’Official, Pete (January 6, 2017). "When Ben Vereen Wore Blackface to Reagan's Inaugural Gala". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
9. L’Official, Pete (February 14, 2018). "What Viewers Didn't See Changed Everything for Ben Vereen Cy Musiker". KQED. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
10. "Ben Vereen Biography (Actor/Dancer) —". Infoplease.com. October 10, 1946. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
11. Lentz, John. "Farr cancels, Vereen in at Putting on the Ritz Nov. 7" Archived August 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine The Laurinburg Exchange. Retrieved June 11, 2011
12. "WTNH news". Archived from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2006.
13. Saul, Emily (September 8, 2016). "Ben Vereen is revealed to be a bigamist". pagesix.com.
14. "Ben Vereen Allegedly Spent 36 Years Married to Two Women". People.
15. "Vereen moving to Saddle River", Daytona Beach Morning Journal, July 15, 1982. Retrieved December 17, 2013. "Actor and Singer Ben Vereen is putting down new roots in Saddle River because, he joked Wednesday, the residents 'asked me to move out there to improve the neighborhood.'"
16. Gliatto, Tom (December 7, 1992). "The Road Back". People. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
17. "Ben Vereen interview by Chet Cooper". Abilitymagazine.com. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
18. "Ben Vereen: Awake, Aware, and Alive". Cabaret.broadwayworld.com. February 15, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
19. "Ben Vereen Named Co-Artistic Director of Tampa's Broadway Theatre Project". theatermania.com.
20. "Ben Veeren files for divorce from wife of 36 years". Associated Press. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
21. Jay Mathews (May 28, 1983). "Democrats Hope to Get $6 Million in Telethon". The Washington Post.
22. "Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc". facebook.com. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
23. "Ben Vereen Jr., Son of Tony Award-Winning Performer, has Died". www.ny1.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
24. "Broadway legend Ben Vereen accused of sexually assaulting and harassing actresses during production of 'Hair'". Daily News. New York. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
25. Dillon, NICOLE BITETTE, Nancy. "Broadway legend Ben Vereen accused of sexually assaulting and harassing actresses during production of 'Hair'". nydailynews.com. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
26. Cox, Gordon (January 5, 2018). "Broadway Star Ben Vereen Apologizes After Accusations of Sexual Harassment". Variety. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
27. "Broadway Star Ben Vereen Apologizes After Accusations of Sexual Harassment". Variety. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
28. Playbill.com Archived September 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Ben Vereen at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ben Vereen at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Ben Vereen at IMDb
• http://www.lycos.com/info/ben-vereen--sweet-charity.html%5B%5D
• https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/vereen_b.html
• Ben Vereen Interviewed on XNDTV.com
• Angels of Love Spiritual Center (Rev. Ben Vereen, Spiritual Director)
• Official website