Leonard John Crofoot (born September 20, 1948 in
Utica, New York
Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the foot ...
) is an actor, singer, dancer, writer and choreographer.
Crofoot has performed extensively on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
. His appearances include his Drama-League Critics Award-winning role of "Tom Thumb" in ''
Barnum'' (1980) and in the original Broadway shows ''
The Happy Time'' (1968), ''
Come Summer'' (1969), ''
Grind
A blade's grind is its cross-sectional shape in a plane normal to the edge. Grind differs from blade profile, which is the blade's cross-sectional shape in the plane containing the blade's edge and the centre contour of the blade's back (m ...
'' (1985) and ''
Gigi'' (1973) and as replacement in ''
American Dance Machine'' (1978). Crofoot toured with
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway theatre, Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily id ...
in ''
Hello, Dolly!'' (1978) in the role of "Barnaby" and played the role of "Benjamin" in ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Th ...
'' in its American debut at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He can be heard singing "Bigger Isn't Better" on the original cast album of ''
Barnum'' and on the CD ''
Broadway Scene Stealers: The Men'' a compilation of performances, edited by ''
Playbill
''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the show's ...
''.
Crofoot wrote and performed his one-person show ''
Nijinsky Speaks'' from 1996 to 2006. The show originated at the Tuacahn Center in Utah and then played in Los Angeles at the Getty Center, Off-Broadway at the Harold Clurman Theatre in New York and toured theaters and universities around the country. The show was nominated for five Lester Horton Awards, the 8th Annual Ticket Holder Award: runner up for best new play and the California Arts Council Performing Arts Touring and Presenting Program 2001–2003. The show received critical acclaim, most notably from
John Simon at
''New York'' Magazine who wrote "See this show! No ordinary show, I repeat! More goes on here than in many a populous superproduction."
He has appeared three times on ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...
''. On ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'' he appeared on "
Angel One" (1988) as "Trent" and in "
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead gui ...
" (1990) as an asexual android covered in full-body make-up. Crofoot also appeared in the ''
Star Trek: Voyager'' episode, "
Virtuoso
A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...
."
Crofoot's other television appearances include ''
CSI'', ''
Six Feet Under'', a
Jenny Craig
Jenny Craig, Inc., often known simply as Jenny Craig, is an American weight loss, weight management, and nutrition company. The company has more than 700 weight management centers in Australia, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. The pro ...
commercial with
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Louise Alley (January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022) was an American actress. Her breakout role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 ...
and as guest star on ''
Saved by the Bell
''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...
'' as Eddie in the episode "All in the Mall". He has danced on the 50th and 67th Academy Awards with a recreation of
Donald O'Connor
Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule.
His best ...
's famous flip on the 69th and recently on
A.N.T. Farm,
Two and a Half Men
''Two and a Half Men'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS for twelve seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. Originally starring Charlie Sheen in the lead role alongside Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones, the ...
and a stunt on
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ' ...
.
Movie credits include ''
Reflection of Fear'' ''Echoes,'' ''Two Shades of Blue,'' ''
The Man Who Wasn't There'' and ''
The Singing Detective
''The Singing Detective'' is a BBC television serial drama, written by Dennis Potter, starring Michael Gambon and directed by Jon Amiel. Its six episodes are "Skin", "Heat", "Lovely Days", "Clues", "Pitter Patter" and "Who Done It".
The se ...
'' (2003).
IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, p ...
Crofoot performed with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies
''The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies'' was a Ziegfeld Follies style dance and musical review show that played at the historic Plaza Theatre (Palm Springs), Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, California, United States, seasonally from November to mid-M ...
from 2006 to 2010 at the historic Plaza Theatre in downtown Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by la ...
. He is extensively interviewed in '' The Dancer Within, Intimate Conversations with Great Dancers'', by Rose Eichenbaum, Wesleyan University Press, 2008. Mr. Crofoot lives in Culver City with his companion Robin Palanker and their dog Zou Zou.
References
External links
*
Nijinsky Speaks Website
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crofoot, Leonard John
1948 births
American choreographers
American male dancers
American male musical theatre actors
American gay actors
Living people