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

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 D ...

, 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 th ...

, 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 Co ...

, 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, i ...

and graduated '' summa cum laude'' in May 2012 from Arizona State University 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'' 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. As of 2021, it is the second largest cruise line by net revenue. It w ...

. 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, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...

'' ''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.. 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