James Eric Anzalone (born October 6, 1965) is an American singer who was the Leatherman/Biker of the

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

supergroup

Village People Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the release ...

from 1995 to 2017, replacing original member Glenn Hughes.

Early life and education

Anzalone was born in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

, but grew up in

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the ...

, and

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

, graduating from San Marcos High School in 1983. He studied theater and music at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

and graduated ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' in May 2012 from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

with a Bachelor's degree in Film and Media, and in 2018 he received a Master's degree in American Media and Popular Culture also from Arizona State.

Career

Anzalone has performed in various stage productions around the world, including Berger in the European tour 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 as a singer for

Princess Cruises Princess Cruises is an American cruise line owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. The company is incorporated in Bermuda and its headquarters are in Santa Clarita, California, Santa Clarita, California. As of 2021, it is the List of cruise lines# ...

. He starred as Donatello in the world tour of the ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...

'' ''Coming Out of Our Shells'' and later as Raphael in the films ''A Turtles' Christmas'' and '' Turtle Tunes'' and in TV programs, including ''Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous''. He also appeared on two episodes of VH1's short-lived series ''Love Lounge''. In June 2012, Anzalone joined Experience Nirvana Productions as host, director, producer, and editor of the webcast TV show ''What Matters Most'', which was featured on YouTube, and was awarded a 2016 Telly Award for Editing; the episode was "Dance for Kindness" about Orly Wahba, founder of

Life Vest Inside Life Vest Inside (LVI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit grassroots organization based in New York City. Life Vest Inside acts to prevent social issues such as bullying, depression, and substance abuse from village man by taking a proactive appro ...

.. Retrieved June 21, 2012

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anzalone, Eric 1965 births American male pop singers Arizona State University alumni Living people Musicians from Santa Barbara, California People from Watertown, New York Musicians from Dayton, Ohio University of Miami alumni Village People members