Ben Vereen

Vereen was born October 10, 1946, in Laurinburg, North Carolina.{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ben-vereen/bio/141526/|title=Ben Vereen|publisher=TV Guide|access-date=November 9, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://aaregistry.org/story/ben-vereen-dancer-and-singer-born/|title=Ben Vereen|publisher=African American Registry|access-date=June 5, 2025}}{{cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=1115B4674522AAB0&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D10F2CADB4B24C0|title='Roots' actor finds his roots|work=Fayetteville Observer|last=Calhoun|first=Jennifer|date=April 29, 2006|access-date=November 9, 2019|via=NewsBank}} {{cite web|url=https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/news/258331/laurinburg-born-ben-veneer-returns-to-nc-with-career-spanning-tribute-to-broadway|title=Laurinburg-born Ben Vereen returns to NC with career-spanning tribute to Broadway|work=Laurinburg Exchange|last=Sasser|first=Matthew|date=March 21, 2023|access-date=June 5, 2025}} While still an infant, Vereen and his family relocated to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. He was adopted by James Vereen, a paint-factory worker, and his wife, Pauline Vereen, who worked as a maid and theatre wardrobe mistress.{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/67/Ben-Vereen.html|title=Ben Vereen Biography (1946–)|website=filmreference.com}} He discovered he was adopted when he applied for a passport to join Sammy Davis Jr. on a tour of Golden Boy to London when he was 25.{{cite web |url=http://www.eurweb.com/2011/01/ben-vereen-writes-about-blood-family-in-new-book/ |title=Ben Vereen Writes About 'Blood Family' in New Book |publisher=EURweb |date=January 26, 2011 |access-date=January 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324203055/http://www.eurweb.com/2011/01/ben-vereen-writes-about-blood-family-in-new-book/ |archive-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead }} He was raised Pentecostal.{{cite news|last1=Gliatto|first1=Tom|title=The Road Back|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20109241,00.html|access-date=November 23, 2017|work=People|date=December 7, 1992}}

During his pre-teen years, he exhibited an innate talent for drama and dance and often performed in local variety shows. At the age of 14, Vereen enrolled at the High School of Performing Arts,{{Cite web |date=June 7, 2015 |title=Ben Vereen |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/ben-vereen/ |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}} where he studied under world-renowned choreographers Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and Jerome Robbins.{{Cite news |title=Ben Vereen Tells Kelly Clarkson He Didn't Know About the Tonys Until He Was Nominated for One |work=Playbill |url=https://playbill.com/article/ben-vereen-tells-kelly-clarkson-he-didnt-know-about-the-tonys-until-he-was-nominated-for-one}} Upon his graduation, he struggled to find suitable stage work and was often forced to take odd jobs to supplement his income.

When Vereen was 18 years old, he made his New York stage bow off-off Broadway in The Prodigal Son at the Greenwich Mews Theater directed by Stella Holt. By the following year, he was in Las Vegas, performing in Bob Fosse's production of Sweet Charity, a show with which he toured in 1967–68. He returned to New York City to play Claude in Hair in the Broadway production, before joining the national touring company.{{Cite web |title=Ben-Vereen-blog |url=https://www.starregistry.com/name-a-star/v/ben-vereen-blog/ |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=International Star Registry |date=July 12, 2023 |language=en-US}}

The following year, he was cast as an ensemble dancer in the film adaptation of Sweet Charity. He is featured prominently in the "Rich Man's Frug" dance number and the song "Rhythm of Life", where he appears as one of three backup dancers for Sammy Davis Jr. After developing a rapport with Davis, Vereen was cast as his understudy in the upcoming production of Golden Boy, which toured England and ended the run at the Palladium Theatre in London's West End.

Vereen was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972 and won a Tony for his appearance in Pippin in 1973.{{Cite web |title=Ben Vereen {{!}} The Stars {{!}} Broadway: The American Musical |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/ben-vereen/ |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=Broadway: The American Musical |language=en-US}} Vereen appeared in the Broadway musical Wicked as the Wizard of Oz in 2005. Vereen has also performed in one-man shows and actively lectures on black history and inspirational topics.

In August 2011, Vereen was named co-artistic director of Tampa's Broadway Theatre Project.{{cite web |date=August 23, 2011 |title=Ben Vereen Named Co-Artistic Director of Tampa's Broadway Theatre Project |url=https://www.theatermania.com/tampa-theater/news/ben-vereen-named-co-artistic-director-of-tampas-br_40081.html |website=theatermania.com}}

File:BenVereenByPhilKonstantinPublicDomain.jpg

Vereen has also starred in numerous television programs, and is well known for the role of 'Chicken' George Moore in Alex Haley's landmark TV miniseries Roots, for which he received an Emmy nomination in 1977.

Vereen's four-week summer variety series, Ben Vereen ... Comin' At Ya, aired on NBC in August 1975 and featured regulars Lola Falana, Avery Schreiber and Liz Torres.

In 1976, Vereen appeared as a guest star on the first season of The Muppet Show, singing two songs.{{Cite web |title=Muppet Central Guides – The Muppet Show: Ben Vereen |url=https://muppetcentral.com/guides/episodes/tms/season1/17_vereen.shtml |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=muppetcentral.com}}

In 1978, on a Boston Pops TV special, Vereen performed a tribute to Bert Williams, complete with period makeup and attire, and reprising Williams' high-kick dance steps, to Vaudeville standards such as "Waitin' for the Robert E. Lee".{{Cite web |title=Q&A: Ben Vereen |url=https://lasvegasmagazine.com/interviews/qa/2019/sep/13/qa-ben-vereen-smith-center-las-vegas/ |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=Las Vegas Magazine |language=en}}

In 1981, Vereen performed at Ronald Reagan's first inauguration. The performance generated controversy as Vereen performed the first part of the show in blackface. Before the finale, ABC cut the live performance, generating confusion and anger from viewers at home.{{cite magazine|last1=L’Official|first1=Pete|title=When Ben Vereen Wore Blackface to Reagan's Inaugural Gala|url=http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/revisiting-ben-vereens-misunderstood-blackface-inaugural-performance|access-date=November 23, 2017|magazine=The New Yorker|date=January 6, 2017}} According to video artist Edgar Arcenaux, what TV viewers did not see was the second part of the performance, in which Vereen mimicked being refused service because of his color while trying to buy the Republican elite a congratulatory drink. As Arceneaux explains, Vereen's performance was meant as a critique of Republican civil rights policies, but the TV audience didn't get to see it.{{cite news|last1=L’Official|first1=Pete|title=What Viewers Didn't See Changed Everything for Ben Vereen Cy Musiker |url=https://www.kqed.org/arts/13824539/what-viewers-didnt-see-changed-everything|access-date=December 17, 2019|work=KQED|date=February 14, 2018}}

Vereen was cast opposite Jeff Goldblum in the short-lived detective series Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (1980). During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Vereen worked steadily on television with projects ranging from the sitcom Webster to the drama Silk Stalkings.{{Cite web |title=Steppin' Out with Ben Vereen |url=https://tickets.kauffmancenter.org/4775/4778 |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=kauffmancenter.org}}

File:Ronald_Reagan_and_group_at_1982_Christmas_in_Washington_taping.jpg and First Lady Nancy Reagan with a group at NBC's taping of its "Christmas in Washington" special in the Pension Building in Washington, D.C. Left to right: NBC News anchor Roger Mudd, CBS News reporter Eric Sevareid, Dinah Shore, actress Diahann Carroll, actor and musician John Schneider, President Ronald Reagan, First Lady Nancy Reagan, actor Ben Vereen, and entertainer Debby Boone.]]

In 1985, Vereen starred in the Faerie Tale Theatre series as Puss in Boots alongside Gregory Hines. He appeared on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse", in which he played Will Smith's biological father Lou Smith.{{Cite web |date=December 4, 2014 |title=The 'Fresh Prince' Deadbeat Dad Reflects On Heartbreaking Scene With Will Smith |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ben-vereen-fresh-prince_n_6271888 |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=HuffPost |language=en}} He made several appearances on the 1980s sitcom Webster as the title character's biological uncle.

He also appeared as Mayor Ben (a leopard) on the children's program Zoobilee Zoo and as Itsy Bitsy Spider in Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme. In 1993, he appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Interface" as the father of Roots co-star LeVar Burton's character Geordi La Forge; fellow Roots star Madge Sinclair appeared in the same episode as Geordi's mother.{{Cite web |last=Capriati |first=Alex |date=November 26, 2022 |title=Star Trek: 10 Best Cameos In The Franchise |url=https://screenrant.com/star-trek-best-cameos-in-franchise/ |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}} He also appeared on the television series The Nanny episode "Pishke Business". In 2010, he appeared on the television series How I Met Your Mother episodes "Cleaning House" and "False Positive" as Sam Gibbs, the long lost father of James Stinson, Barney Stinson's brother.{{Cite web |title=Keck's Exclusives: How I Met Your Mother Welcomes Wayne Brady and Ben Vereen |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/kecks-exclusives-met-1021626/ |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}} He returned in 2013 and 2014 for another two episodes.

He has six children.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Morgan |date=August 11, 2020 |title=Benjamin Vereen Jr., Son of Tony-Winning Actor Ben Vereen, Dies at 55 |url=https://people.com/theater/benjamin-vereen-jr-son-of-tony-winning-actor-ben-vereen-dies-at-55/ |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=People}} His 16-year-old daughter, Naja, was killed in an auto accident in 1987{{cite web |last=Gliatto |first=Tom |date=December 7, 1992 |title=The Road Back |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20109241,00.html |access-date=January 28, 2012 |work=People}} on the New Jersey Turnpike when a truck overturned on her car. His other daughter, Karon Davis, is a professional artist;{{cite web |last1=Hessel |first1=Katy |date=December 11, 2023 |title='Beauty must suffer': the artist lifting the barre on ballet |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/dec/11/art-black-representation-in-ballet-karon-davis |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=The Guardian}} Vereen's son-in-law was Davis' late husband, artist Noah Davis.{{cite web |last1=Stromberg |first1=Matt |date=March 15, 2022 |title=Directors of L.A.'s Underground Museum Depart as Noah Davis Show Shutters Early |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/underground-museum-directors-depart-noah-davis-show-closes-1234621983/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008040400/https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/underground-museum-directors-depart-noah-davis-show-closes-1234621983/ |archive-date=October 8, 2022 |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=ARTnews}} His son, Ben Vereen Jr., died in 2020 at the age of 55.{{Cite web |date=August 9, 2020 |title=Ben Vereen Jr., Son of Tony Award-Winning Performer, has Died |url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2020/08/09/ben-vereen-jr---son-of-the-tony-award-winning-actor--has-died |access-date=October 22, 2020 |website=www.ny1.com |language=en}}

Vereen is the godfather of R&B singer Usher, and is also the first cousin once removed of former NFL running back Shane Vereen.

In the early 1980s, Vereen moved with his family to Saddle River, New Jersey.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1873&dat=19820715&id=ZlIfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HtIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1917,5880261 "Vereen moving to Saddle River"], Daytona Beach Morning Journal, July 15, 1982. Retrieved December 17, 2013. "Actor and Singer Ben Vereen is putting down new roots in Saddle River because, he joked Wednesday, the residents 'asked me to move out there to improve the neighborhood.'"

In September 2012, Vereen filed for divorce from his wife of 36 years, Nancy Bruner Vereen, citing irreconcilable differences.{{cite web |date=September 19, 2012 |title=Ben Veeren files for divorce from wife of 36 years |url=https://www.today.com/news/ben-vereen-files-divorce-wife-36-years-wbna49095917 |access-date=September 20, 2012 |website=Today |agency=Associated Press}}

In 1992, Vereen suffered three accidents in one day: His car hit a tree, causing him to hit his head on the roof of the car; he then suffered a stroke while he was walking on a Malibu highway, apparently veering into the road; and finally, as a result of that, he was hit by record producer David Foster, who was driving his car on the highway. His critical injuries, including a broken leg, required him to undergo arduous physical rehabilitation in the ensuing months.{{cite web |title=Ben Vereen interview by Chet Cooper |url=http://www.abilitymagazine.com/past/John_ratz/Ben_Vereen.html |access-date=January 28, 2012 |publisher=Abilitymagazine.com}}{{cite web |date=February 15, 2007 |title=Ben Vereen: Awake, Aware, and Alive |url=http://cabaret.broadwayworld.com/article/Ben_Vereen_Awake_Aware_and_Alive_20070215 |access-date=January 28, 2012 |publisher=Cabaret.broadwayworld.com}}

In 2007, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and he has a website in which he shares his personal story along with advice from medical experts.

According to The Fayetteville Observer of April 29, 2006, Vereen learned while applying for a passport in the late 1960s that he was adopted. His birth certificate revealed that his birth name was Benjamin Augustus Middleton, that he was the son of Essie Middleton, and that he was born in Laurinburg, North Carolina. In April 2006, Vereen visited Scotland County with a genealogist on a search for family members and learned that his mother's name was Essie May Pearson. The Laurinburg Exchange reported: "Vereen, an adoptee who learned that he was born in Laurinburg and made a celebrated trip to Scotland County in 2006 to reconnect with family. While on the trip he learned his mother had died 24 years before, but that several relatives still lived in the area." According to her acquaintances, Essie had gone on a trip when Vereen was a child and had left her baby in someone's care. When she returned, the child was gone. In the April 28, 2006, interview with the 'Laurinburg Exchange', Vereen said that his visit "has just all been so overwhelming ... I've finally found my family".Lentz, John. [http://laurinburgexchange.com/bookmark/4066843-Farr-cancels-Vereen-in-at-Putting-on-the-Ritz-Nov-7 "Farr cancels, Vereen in at Putting on the Ritz Nov. 7"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819210742/http://laurinburgexchange.com/bookmark/4066843-Farr-cancels-Vereen-in-at-Putting-on-the-Ritz-Nov-7|date=August 19, 2011}} The Laurinburg Exchange. Retrieved June 11, 2011 In May 2006, he met his mother's daughter (his sister), Gloria Lewis-Walker, of Derby, Connecticut.{{Cite web |title=WTNH news |url=http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=4955995&nav=3YeX |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616233055/http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=4955995&nav=3YeX |archive-date=June 16, 2008 |access-date=May 28, 2006}}{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Michael |date=September 8, 2016 |title=Ben Vereen Allegedly Spent 36 Years Married to Two Women |url=https://people.com/movies/ben-vereen-allegedly-spent-36-years-married-to-two-women/ |magazine=People}}

Vereen has appeared as a public speaker and humanitarian speaking on such topics as black history, overcoming adversity, and the importance of continuing education. Vereen was the keynote speaker for the Boys & Girls Clubs in St. Petersburg, Florida, annual alumni tribute gala held in October 2007.

He is an active Democrat.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/05/28/democrats-hope-to-get-6-million-in-telethon/12f1abe7-6358-49b4-ac9a-9934c56751b3/|title=Democrats Hope to Get $6 Million in Telethon|first=Jay|last=Mathews|date=May 28, 1983|newspaper=The Washington Post}}

In January 2018, four actresses in a Florida production of Hair directed by Vereen in 2015 alleged that he sexually harassed them throughout the production.{{cite news|first1=Nicole|last1=Bitette|first2=Nancy|last2=Dillon|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/broadway-big-ben-vereen-accused-sexual-assault-hair-article-1.3738684|title=Broadway legend Ben Vereen accused of sexually assaulting and harassing actresses during production of 'Hair'|work=New York Daily News|date=January 5, 2018|access-date=April 15, 2018}}

According to the New York Daily News, "the women — part of the Venice Theatre production outside of Tampa — say Vereen forced unwanted kisses, hugged them aggressively, stripped naked during an acting exercise and made degrading comments about their weight, sex appeal and personal lives". The Daily News published cast members' claims that he used his position of authority as a director and mentor to pressure them to engage him in unwanted sexual interactions. For example, two of the actresses said he privately lured them on separate occasions to his Florida rental home. One woman willingly admits she and Vereen began a relationship, though she feels it was ultimately coerced; the other says he sexually molested her and later non-consensually kissed her and made sexually disparaging remarks.

According to Variety, "While directing the 2015 production of the musical at the Venice Theatre in Florida, Vereen is alleged to have invited female cast members back to his apartment and goaded them into sex acts. He's also accused of inappropriate talk and conduct during rehearsals that involved cast members stripping naked, ostensibly as preparation for a show that has, since its original 1967 production, been associated with a famous, full-cast nude scene."{{Cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2018/legit/news/ben-vereen-accused-sexual-harassment-1202654320/|title=Broadway Star Ben Vereen Apologizes After Accusations of Sexual Harassment|last1=Cox|first1=Gordon|date=January 5, 2018|magazine=Variety|language=en|access-date=April 19, 2020}}

Vereen has since apologized for his misconduct in 2018.

• Off-Stage (Buddah Records, 1975)
• Ben Vereen (Buddah Records, 1976)
• Signed, Sealed, Delivered! (51 West, 1979)
• Here I Am (Accord, 1982)
• Steppin' Out Live (Ghostlight Records, 2010)

• Grind (Original Cast Recording) (TER, 1985)
• Pippin (Original Broadway Cast) (Decca Broadway, 2000)

• Superstar (MCA Records, 1971)
• Could We Start Again Please? / Heaven On Their Minds (Decca, 1972)
• Stop Your Half-Steppin' Ma Ma (Buddah Records, 1975)
• By Your Side (Buddah Records, 1975)
• Got It Made / Read Between the Lines (Ariola, 1980)

File:Ben Vereen (handprints in cement).jpg at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park]]

;Theater

;Television

The Community Mental Health Council awarded Vereen with their 2004 Lifeline Celebration Achievement Award.Ferolito, Phil. Entertainer Ben Vereen says alcohol, drugs let him live life of false happiness. Yakima Herald-Republic. August 29, 2013. https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/entertainer-ben-vereen-says-alcohol-drugs-let-him-live-life-of-false-happiness/article_6deb403c-07cb-5bf7-bc56-1e5dc5434770.html For his humanitarian contributions, he has received a number of awards including Israel's Cultural and Humanitarian Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, an Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and a Victory Award. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Arizona, Emerson College, St. Francis College, and Columbia College in Chicago. In 2001, Medgar Evers College created the Ben Vereen Scholarship for the Performing Arts, and in 2004, he received an Achievement in Excellence Award from his alma mater, the High School of the Performing Arts.

In 1975 he was the first simultaneous winner of the "Entertainer of the Year", "Rising Star", and "Song and Dance Star" awards from the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA). He also earned a coveted spot in the Casino Legends Hall of Fame.

Vereen was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his performance in the Hallmark movie, An Accidental Friendship."2009 Image Award Winners". Awards and Winners. Retrieved August 2, 2016. In 2004, Vereen was nominated for a "Career Achievement Award" by the Le Prix International Film Star Awards Organization.

In 2011, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/159061-Tyne-Daly-Ben-Vereen-Ann-Roth-Daniel-Sullivan-and-More-Inducted-Into-Theater-Hall-of-Fame-Jan-30 Playbill.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928080042/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/159061-Tyne-Daly-Ben-Vereen-Ann-Roth-Daniel-Sullivan-and-More-Inducted-Into-Theater-Hall-of-Fame-Jan-30 |date=September 28, 2012 }}

In 2012, Vereen was inducted into the National Museum of Dance's Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame.

Vereen is an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Honorary Members. https://phibetasigma1914.org/about/sigma-membership/honorary-members/ A star was nicknamed after Vereen in the International Star Registry.

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Ben Vereen}}

• {{IBDB name}}
• {{iobdb name|22355}}
• {{IMDb name|0893965}}
• http://www.lycos.com/info/ben-vereen--sweet-charity.html{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20041022182117/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/vereen_b.html pbs.org]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195000/http://www.xndtv.com/?v=channel-film.php&subaction=showfull&id=1169952000&ucat=13 Ben Vereen Interviewed on XNDTV.com]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110204025156/http://angelsoflovespiritualcenter.com/ Angels of Love Spiritual Center (Rev. Ben Vereen, Spiritual Director)]
• {{official website|http://www.benvereen.info/}}

{{TonyAward MusicalLeadActor 1947-1975}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vereen, Ben}}

Category:1946 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century African-American male actors

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:20th-century American singers

Category:21st-century African-American male actors

Category:21st-century American male actors

Category:21st-century American singers

Category:African-American male dancers

Category:African-American male singers

Category:American adoptees

Category:American gospel singers

Category:American male dancers

Category:American male film actors

Category:American male musical theatre actors

Category:American male singers

Category:American male television actors

Category:Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni

Category:Male actors from New Jersey

Category:Male actors from North Carolina

Category:New Jersey Democrats

Category:People from Laurinburg, North Carolina

Category:Entertainers from Saddle River, New Jersey

Category:Singers from North Carolina

Category:Tony Award winners

Category:Actors from Bergen County, New Jersey