Chuck Cooper (born November 8, 1954) is an American actor. He won the 1997

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 given since 1947, but the nominees who did not win have only been publicly announced since 1956. Winner and ...

for his performance as the pimp Memphis in '' The Life''.

Career

Cooper made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

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 ''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 (Edward, Michael, and Adam) who are kidnapped and held hostage ...

'' (he eventually took over the role of Adam), '' Passion'', and ''Getting Away with Murder.'' Cooper won the

for his performance as the pimp Memphis in the 1997 Broadway production of the musical '' The Life''. Cooper has also appeared in ''

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'' as Billy Flynn, ''

Caroline, or Change ''Caroline, or Change'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music. The show ran both Off-Broadway and on Broad ...

'' as the dual role of The Bus and The Dryer, and '' Finian's Rainbow'' as Bill Rawkins, as well as benefit performances of ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'' and '' A Wonderful Life''. In February 2010 he was the narrator in the U.S. premiere of ''Seven Scenes from Hamlet'', by the Spanish composer Benet Casablancas, at the

Miller Theatre Miller Theatre at Columbia University is located on the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University. It is a performing arts producer dedicated to developing and presenting new music. In 1988, the former McMillin Theater was renovated an ...

in Manhattan. In 2015, Cooper appeared on Broadway as the slave Thomas in the new musical ''Amazing Grace'', at the

Nederlander Theatre The Nederlander Theatre (formerly the National Theatre, the Billy Rose Theatre, and the Trafalgar Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 208 West 41st Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1921, it was des ...

. The musical is about

John Newton John Newton (; – 21 December 1807) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He served as a sailor in the Royal Navy (after forc ...

, the redeemed slave-trader who wrote the hymn "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

". In 2021, he returned for the Broadway debut production of

Alice Childress Alice Childress (October 12, 1916 – August 14, 1994) was an American novelist, playwright, and actress, acknowledged as "the only African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic ...

's 1955 play ''Trouble in Mind'', at

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabet ...

American Airlines Theatre The American Airlines Theatre, originally the Selwyn Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 227 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Built in 1918, it was designed by George Keister and developed by brothe ...

. For this performance, he has been nominated for the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

Personal life

Cooper has three children—Eddie, Alex, and Lilli—from his first marriage. His son Eddie has performed on television and on stage. In May 2009, Cooper and playwright Deborah Brevoort were married in

Carmel, New York Carmel (pronounced ) is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the town had a population of 33,576. The town may have been named after Mount Carmel in Israel. The Town of Carmel is on the souther ...

, after almost ten years of dating. Their initial meeting and eventual engagement were covered in a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' website video.

References

External links

* * * *
TonyAwards.com "Tony Memory" interview with Chuck Cooper
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Chuck 1954 births Living people American male film actors American male musical theatre actors African-American male actors Male actors from Cleveland Tony Award winners 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 20th-century African-American male singers 21st-century African-American people