Grover Dale (born July 22, 1935) is an American retired actor, dancer, choreographer, theater director, and publisher.

Early life

Dale was born Grover Robert Aitken on July 22, 1935, in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

, to Emma Bertha (Ammon) and Ronal Rittenhouse Aitken, a restaurateur. He studied dance with Lillian Jasper in

McKeesport McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. A suburb of Pittsburgh, it is situated at the confluence of the Monongahela River, Monongahela and Youghiogheny River, Youghiogheny rivers. The population was 17,727 as of the ...

from 1945 to 1950. Partnering up with another dancer (Mary Lou Steele) in an aggressive rendition of "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue", he secured multiple performance opportunities in local nightclubs before getting his first professional job with the

Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (Pittsburgh CLO) is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Despite its name, the organization presents musical theatre classics rather tha ...

in 1953.

Career

Dale's Broadway stage debut was in the 1956 musical ''

Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' was a satirical American comic strip that appeared in multiple newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies living in the impoverished fictional mountain village of Dogpatch, ...

'' as a dancer. He appeared in the original cast of ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'' as Snowboy, a member of the Jets gang. Other stage credits include the role of Andrew in '' Greenwillow'', in which he also understudied Anthony Perkins as Gideon Briggs; Noël Coward's '' Sail Away,'' where he had the juvenile lead role of architect Barnaby Slade; and in '' Half a Sixpence'', where he played Pearce, one of a quartet of 19th century London shop apprentices around whom the show is structured. He made his film debut in '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' (as Jam). He also appeared in '' Half a Sixpence'' (Pearce), ''

The Young Girls of Rochefort ''The Young Girls of Rochefort'' () is a 1967 French musical comedy film written and directed by Jacques Demy. The ensemble cast is headlined by real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac, and features George Chakiris, Michel Pic ...

'' (Bill), and '' The Landlord'' (Oscar). Dale was nominated for the

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

twice: for his choreography of ''Billy'', a 1969 musical version of the Herman Melville novella, ''

Billy Budd ''Billy Budd, Sailor (An Inside Narrative)'', also known as ''Billy Budd, Foretopman'', is a novella by American writer Herman Melville, left unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece when a hastily transcribed vers ...

,'' and his direction of ''

The Magic Show ''The Magic Show'' is a one-act musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Bob Randall. It starred magician Doug Henning. Produced by Edgar Lansbury, Joseph Beruh, and Ivan Reitman, it opened on Broadway on May 28, 1974 a ...

''. As co-director of ''

Jerome Robbins' Broadway ''Jerome Robbins' Broadway'' is an anthology comprising musical numbers from shows that were either directed or choreographed by Jerome Robbins. The shows represented include, for example, ''The King and I'', '' On the Town'' and ''West Side Story ...

'', he shared Best Director Tony Award with the famed director-choreographer Jerome Robbins. He also received an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

nomination for his choreography of

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow ( ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer with a career that spans over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Brandy (Scott ...

's 1985 television musical '' Copacabana''. In 1992 he became publisher/editor of ''Dance & Fitness'' magazine. In 1999 Dale founded the website, Answers4Dancers.com, whose stated goal is "to empower dancers and choreographers to think, to grow, and to create satisfying careers for themselves..."

Personal life

Dale was involved in a six-year relationship with actor

Anthony Perkins Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor. Born in Manhattan, Perkins began his career as a teenager in summer stock theater, summer stock programs, although he acted in films before his time on Broadway the ...

before separating in 1971. In 1973, he married actress and dancer

Anita Morris Anita Rose Morris (March 14, 1943 – March 2, 1994) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She began her career performing in Broadway musicals, including ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', ''Seesaw'' and ''Nine'', for which she received a Tony Awa ...

, with whom he had a son, actor

James Badge Dale James Badge Dale (born James Badgett Dale, May 1, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Chase Edmunds in '' 24'', Robert Leckie in '' The Pacific'', Trooper Barrigan in ''The Departed'', Luke Lewenden in '' The Grey'', Eric ...

(born 1978). Dale and Morris remained together until her death in 1994.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage productions

* 1955 ''The Amazing Adele'' musical (dancer) * 1956 ''

'' (dancer) * 1957 ''

'' (actor) * 1960 '' Greenwillow'' (actor) * 1961 '' Sail Away'' (actor) * 1965 '' Half a Sixpence'' (actor) * 1969 ''Billy'' (choreographer) * 1970 ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (choreographer) * 1973 ''

Seesaw A seesaw (also sometimes known as a teeter-totter in North America) is a long, narrow board supported by a single pivot point, most commonly located at the midpoint between both ends; as one end goes up, the other goes down. These are most comm ...

'' (choreographer) * 1973 '' Rachael Lily Rosenbloom'' (show doctor) * 1974 ''Seven Brides For Seven Brothers'' (show doctor) * 1974 ''

'' (director, choreographer) * 1979 '' King of Schnorrers'' (director, choreographer) * 1988 ''

Mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...

'' (choreographer) * 1989 ''

'' (co-director)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dale, Grover 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American male actors American choreographers American male dancers American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male television actors American theatre directors Artists from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Dancers from Pennsylvania Drama Desk Award winners LGBTQ choreographers LGBTQ theatre directors American LGBTQ directors American LGBTQ dancers American LGBTQ male actors LGBTQ people from Pennsylvania Living people Male actors from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Musical theatre choreographers 1935 births 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people