Chuck Cooper (actor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chuck Cooper
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Cooper in 2025
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| Born | November 8, 1954 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Deborah Brevoort
(m. 2009) |
| Children | 3, including Lilli Cooper |
| Awards | Tony Award (1997), Antonyo Lifetime Achievement Award (2020) |
Chuck Cooper is an American actor born on November 8, 1954. He is well-known for his many roles on Broadway and in other stage productions. In 1997, he won a Tony Award for his role as Memphis in the musical The Life.
Contents
Chuck Cooper's Acting Career
Early Broadway Roles
Chuck Cooper started his Broadway journey in 1983. His first show was the musical Amen Corner, where he played Brother Boxer. After that, he was an understudy in several other Broadway shows. An understudy is an actor who learns a role and is ready to perform if the main actor cannot. He eventually took over the role of Adam in Someone Who'll Watch Over Me.
Winning a Tony Award
In 1997, Chuck Cooper achieved a major milestone. He won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. This award was for his performance as the character Memphis in the Broadway musical The Life. The Tony Awards celebrate the best in live Broadway theater.
Other Notable Performances
Cooper has appeared in many other famous musicals and plays. He played Billy Flynn in Chicago, a popular musical. He also took on two roles, The Bus and The Dryer, in Caroline, or Change. In Finian's Rainbow, he played Bill Rawkins.
In 2015, Cooper performed on Broadway in the new musical Amazing Grace. He played the character Thomas. This musical tells the story of John Newton, who wrote the famous hymn "Amazing Grace". More recently, in 2021, he was part of the Broadway debut of Alice Childress's play Trouble in Mind. For his work in this play, he was nominated for another Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
Chuck Cooper's Personal Life
Chuck Cooper has three children from his first marriage: Eddie, Alex, and Lilli. Both his son Eddie and daughter Lilli have followed in his footsteps. They are also actors and have performed on television and on stage. In May 2009, Chuck Cooper married playwright Deborah Brevoort. They had been dating for almost ten years before they got married in Carmel, New York.
Chuck Cooper's Stage Performances
Chuck Cooper has performed in many different plays and musicals. Here is a list of some of his stage credits:
| Year | Title | Role | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Colored People's Time | Bert / Abner / Blind John / Isaac | Cherry Lane Theatre | Off-Broadway show |
| 1983 | Amen Corner | Brother Boxer | Nederlander Theatre | His first Broadway show |
| 1985-1986 | The Tap Dance Kid | William | N/A | US National Tour |
| 1988-1989 | Rumors | Welch | Broadhurst Theatre | Broadway show |
| 1989-1990 | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | |||
| 1991 | Four Short Operas, Break | Man 1 / Man in Dirty Dungeons / Cabbie / Man | Playwrights Horizons | Off-Broadway show |
| 1993 | Someone Who'll Watch Over Me | Adam | Booth Theatre | Broadway show |
| 1994-1995 | Passion | u/s Private Augenti / u/s Fosca's Father / u/s Lieutenant Barri / u/s Major Rizzolli / u/s Lieutenant Torasso | Plymouth Theatre | |
| 1995 | Police Boys | Capt. Jabali Abdul LaRouche | Playwrights Horizons | Off-Broadway show |
| 1996-1997 | Whistle Down the Wind | Ed / Ensemble | National Theatre | Performed in Washington, D.C. |
| 1997-1998 | The Life | Memphis | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | Broadway show; won a Tony Award for this role |
| 1999 | Caroline, or Change | Dryer / Bus | The Public Theater | Off-Broadway show |
| 2001 | Chicago | Billy Flynn | Shubert Theatre | Broadway show |
| 2003-2004 | Caroline, or Change | Dryer / Bus | The Public Theater | Off-Broadway show |
| 2004 | Eugene O'Neill Theatre | Broadway show | ||
| 2005 | A Wonderful Life | Uncle Billy | Shubert Theatre | Broadway Concert |
| 2007 | Two Trains Running | Memphis | Old Globe Theatre | Regional performance |
| 2008 | Hamlet | Polonius | Shakespeare Theatre Company | Regional performance |
| 2009-2010 | Finian's Rainbow | Bill Rawkins | St. James Theatre | Broadway show |
| 2011 | Lost in the Stars | Stephen Kumalo | New York City Center | Off-Broadway show; part of Encores! series |
| 2013 | The Piano Lesson | Wining Boy | Signature Theatre Company | Regional performance |
| Romeo and Juliet | Capulet | Richard Rodgers Theatre | Broadway show | |
| 2014 | Act One | Wally / Charles Gilpin / Max Siegel / Langston Hughes | Vivian Beaumont Theatre | Broadway show |
| Amazing Grace | Thomas / Paketuh | Bank of America Theatre | Regional performance | |
| 2015 | Thomas / Keita | Nederlander Theatre | Broadway show | |
| 2016 | West Side Story | Doc / Krupke | Carnegie Hall | Concert performance |
| The Cherry Orchard | Pischik | American Airlines Theatre | Broadway show | |
| 2017 | Prince of Broadway | Performer | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | Broadway show |
| 2018 | Me and My Girl | Sir John Tremayne | New York City Center | Off-Broadway show; part of Encores! series |
| 2018-2019 | Choir Boy | Headmaster Marrow | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | Broadway show |
| 2019 | Much Ado About Nothing | Leonato | The Public Theater | Off-Broadway show |
| Road Show | Papa Mizner | New York City Center | Off-Broadway show; part of Encores! series | |
| Let 'Em Eat Cake | Matthew Fulton | Carnegie Hall | Concert performance | |
| 2020 | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Jacob | David Geffen Hall | 50th Anniversary Concert |
| 2021-2022 | Trouble in Mind | Sheldon Forrester | American Airlines Theatre | Broadway show |
| 2023 | The Frogs | Charon | Lincoln Center | Concert performance |
| 2024 | Titanic | Captain Edward John Smith | New York City Center | Off-Broadway show; part of Encores! series |
See also
In Spanish: Chuck Cooper (actor) para niños
