André De Shields facts for kids

Quick facts for kids André De Shields
De Shields in 2022
Born	(1946-01-12) January 12, 1946 (age 79) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Education	Wilmington College University of Wisconsin, Madison (BA) New York University (MA)
Occupation	Actor singer director dancer choreographer
Years active	1967–present

André Robin De Shields is an American actor, singer, dancer, and director. He was born on January 12, 1946. André De Shields has won many important awards, including an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award.

He has performed in many original Broadway shows. Some of his famous roles include parts in The Full Monty and The Wiz. Most recently, he played Hermes in the musical Hadestown on Broadway. For this role, he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 2019 and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2020. He also won an Primetime Emmy Award in 1982 for his performance in the TV broadcast of Ain't Misbehavin'.

André De Shields' Early Life and Education

André Robin De Shields was born in Dundalk, Maryland. He was the ninth of eleven children. His parents were Mary Gunther and John De Shields. He grew up in Baltimore. His father passed away when André was 17 years old.

André graduated from Baltimore City College in 1964. He then went to Wilmington College. There, he acted in a play called A Raisin in the Sun. Later, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1970. In 1991, he earned his Master of Arts degree in African-American studies from New York University. He also teaches at New York University.

André De Shields' Career in Theatre

De Shields started his acting career in 1969 in Chicago. He performed in the musical Hair. This led to other roles and his involvement with the Organic Theater Company in Chicago. In the 1970s, 80s, and early 90s, he performed in many Off-Off-Broadway shows at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City. He also wrote and directed some of his own shows.

Broadway Debut and Early Success

André De Shields made his first appearance on Broadway in 1973. He played Xander in Warp!. He then appeared in Rachael Lily Rosenbloom (And Don't You Ever Forget It). In 1975, he took on the main role of The Wiz in the musical The Wiz.

After working as a choreographer for two Bette Midler musicals, De Shields returned to Broadway. He performed in the musical show Ain't Misbehavin' in 1978. This show was very popular and ran for over 1,600 performances. He was nominated for a Drama Desk award for his acting. Later, in 1987, he performed in Stardust: The Mitchell Parrish Musical.

In 1984, De Shields created, directed, and starred in his own Broadway musical show. It was called André De Shields' Haarlem Nocturne. This show featured classic American songs, pop hits, and his own music. He also appeared in a new version of Ain't Misbehavin' in 1988. In 1997, he played the Jester in Play On!, a musical based on Duke Ellington's songs. He received Tony and Drama Desk nominations for this role.

Notable Roles in the 2000s

In 2000, De Shields created the role of Noah "Horse" T. Simmons in The Full Monty. This musical was based on the popular film. He earned Tony and Drama Desk nominations for this performance too. In 2004, he appeared in Prymate on Broadway. In 2008, he was nominated for a Drama Desk award for his role in an off-Broadway show called Black Nativity. In 2009, he acted alongside Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons in the play Impressionism.

Regional Theatre and Recent Work

De Shields has also performed in many regional theatre productions. These include Play On!, The Full Monty, and Waiting for Godot. In 2013, he played Akela and King Louie in the first-ever production of Mary Zimmerman's The Jungle Book. He won a Jeff Award for his role as King Louie.

He played Barrett Rude Sr. in The Fortress of Solitude, a musical based on a novel. This show premiered in 2014. In 2015, he starred in the new musical Gotta Dance.

He played Hermes in the Broadway musical Hadestown, which opened in 2019. He won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for this role. He left the show on May 29, 2022. In 2021, he also voiced Hermes in Live From Mount Olympus, a podcast for kids.

In September 2022, De Shields began performing as Uncle Ben in Death of a Salesman on Broadway. In March 2024, it was announced he would play Old Deuteronomy in Cats in the summer of that year. He also returned to play Hermes in the West End production of Hadestown in London in early 2025.

André De Shields' Television and Film Appearances

André De Shields has appeared in many TV shows. These include Another World, Cosby, ... and the City, Law & Order, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He won an Primetime Emmy Award in 1982 for his performance in [[Ain't Misbehavin']]. He also played Tweedledum in a 1983 TV version of Alice in Wonderland.

More recently, De Shields appeared in John Mulaney's comedy special John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch in 2019. He sang "Algebra Song!" in the special. In 2020, he played Chubby in the TV series Katy Keene.

In December 2020, De Shields starred as Anton Ego in a special online concert of Ratatouille the Musical. This musical started as an internet meme on TikTok. He also appeared in Lin-Manuel Miranda's film tick, tick... BOOM!, released in 2021. In this movie, he played a patron at the Moondance Diner. In July 2022, he played Jack in the Netflix comedy Uncoupled.

Awards and Nominations

André De Shields has received many awards and nominations throughout his career.

See also

In Spanish: André De Shields para niños

• African-American Tony nominees and winners