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

Career

Cooper made his Broadway 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'' (he eventually took over the role of Adam), '' Passion'', and ''Getting Away with Murder.'' Cooper won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as the pimp Memphis in the 1997 Broadway production of the musical '' The Life''. Cooper has also appeared in ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

'' as Billy Flynn, '' Caroline, or Change'' in the dual role of The Bus and The Dryer, and '' Finian's Rainbow'' as Bill Rawkins, as well as benefit performances of ''

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'' 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 in Manhattan. In 2015, Cooper appeared on Broadway as the slave Thomas in the new musical ''Amazing Grace'', at the Nederlander Theatre. The musical is about John Newton, the redeemed slave-trader who wrote the hymn " Amazing Grace". In 2021, he returned for the Broadway debut production of Alice Childress's 1955 play ''Trouble in Mind'', at

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a nonprofit organization, 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 Fr ...

's American Airlines Theatre. For this performance, he has been 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 ...

for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

Personal life

Cooper has three children—Eddie, Alex, and Lilli—from his first marriage. His son Eddie and daughter Lilli have performed on television and on stage. In May 2009, Cooper and playwright Deborah Brevoort were married in Carmel, New York, after almost ten years of dating. Their initial meeting and eventual engagement were covered in a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' website video.

Stage credits

References

External links

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