Matthew Dickens (October 19, 1961 – January 8, 2013) was an American writer, producer, actor and director.

Early life

Matthew Dickens was born in an ambulance on a highway on the outskirts of Nancy,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Matthew's early training as an actor began at the

Duke Ellington School of the Arts The Duke Ellington School of the Arts (established 1974) is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School syst ...

in DC, mentored by the late founder, director/choreographer/educator Mike Malone, who he later joined as a company member of the Equity Theater Company at Karamu House in Cleveland, Ohio. Other notable teachers were Kenneth Daugherty (acting), Glenda Dickerson (acting), Donal Leace (theater history), Tony Booker (voice), and Quay Barnes Truitt (costumes and make-up) Matthew's early training as a dancer included classes at The School of the Cleveland Ballet. In New York, he had a short stay at The Ailey School and studied with David Howard,

Finis Jhung Finis Jhung (born May 27, 1937) is an American ballet dancer, dance company founder and dance teacher. Early life Jhung was born on May 27, 1937, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His multiracial heritage includes Korean, Scottish and English ancestors. The ...

, and Frank Hatchett. While performing in New York, he met

Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an Emmy Award ...

. The two went on to work together on numerous projects, including

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show''. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...

, Fame,

Polly Polly is a given name, most often feminine, which originated as a variant of Molly (name), Molly (a diminutive of Mary (name), Mary). Polly may also be a short form of names such as Polina (given name), Polina, Polona (given name), Polona, Pauline ...

, Carrie, and

The Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

Films

Television

TV appearances include "Fame," guest starring roles on "A Different World", "Quantum Leap," and several commercials. In 1991 Matthew performed in the ABC special “American Dance Honors”, which received an American Emmy Award nomination for the choreography. Matthew appeared on The Debbie Allen Special in 1989 which was nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys and co-starred in the opening number of the

63rd Academy Awards The 63rd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 25, 1991, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the cer ...

with Jasmine Guy and Steve LaChance.

Stage

Matthew was in the original Broadway cast of Sunset Boulevard starring Glenn Close (and later with Betty Buckley and Elaine Paige) having initially appeared in the original Los Angeles production. Matthew returned to the Broadway company of Miss Saigon directly from the Netherlands production, where he played the role of John entirely in Dutch. Other Broadway credits include playing both Chris and John (at different times) in Miss Saigon, C.C. White in Dreamgirls and Stephen King's Carrie. He also co-starred in the original Australian cast of Smokey Joe's Cafe.

Broadway

Other Theater

Death

Matthew died of prostate cancer on January 8, 2013.PostHope - Matthew Dickens
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References

External links

Matthew Dickens

The War Zone 3D

Movies Planet

Posthope website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickens, Matthew 1961 births 2013 deaths American male film actors American male musical theatre actors People from Nancy, France