Grover Dale is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, theater director, and publisher.

Early life

Dale was born Grover Robert Aitken in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in ...

, 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. It is situated at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 17,727 as of the 2020 census. It ...

from 1945 to 1950. Partnering up with another dancer (Mary Lou Steele) in an aggressive rendition of "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue, Grover 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 ...

in 1953.

Career

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

Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written and drawn b ...

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

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'' 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'' (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 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 c ...

twice, for his choreography of ''

Billy Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a yo ...

'', a musical version of the Herman Melville novella, ''

Billy Budd ''Billy Budd, Sailor (An Inside Narrative)'' 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 version was finally published in 1924, it quickl ...

'', and his direction of '' The Magic Show''. As co-director of '' Jerome Robbins' Broadway'', 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 American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination for his choreography of

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include " Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", " I Write the Songs", " C ...

'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, director, and singer. Perkins is best remembered for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's suspense thriller '' Psycho'', which made him an influentia ...

before separating in 1971. In 1973, he married actress and dancer Anita Morris, with whom he had a son, actor

James Badge Dale James Badge Dale (born May 1, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chase Edmunds in '' 24'', Robert Leckie in '' The Pacific'', State Trooper Barrigan in Martin Scorsese's ''The Departed'', Luke Lewenden in '' The Grey'', Eric Sa ...

(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'' (choreographer) * 1973 '' Rachael Lily Rosenbloom'' (show doctor) * 1974 ''Seven Brides For Seven Brothers'' (show doctor) * 1974 '' The Magic Show'' (director, choreographer) * 1979 ''

King of Schnorrers The King of Schnorrers is Israel Zangwill's 1894 picaresque novel,Milton Hindus,The King of Schnorrers, by Israel Zangwill, '' Commentary'', March 1954 a collection of amusing tragicomic episodes of '' schnorring'' by "Manasseh Bueno Barzillai Azev ...

'' (director, choreographer) * 1988 ''

Mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sys ...

'' (choreographer) * 1989 '' Jerome Robbins' Broadway'' (co-director)

Awards and nominations

Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical 45th Tony Awards 1991 Jerome Robbins' Broadway won shared with Jerome Robbins

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dale, Grover 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American male actors Actors from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 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 LGBT choreographers LGBT dancers LGBT theatre directors American LGBT actors LGBT male actors LGBT people from Pennsylvania Living people Male actors from Pennsylvania Year of birth missing (living people)