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Joel Grey

 
American Theater Guide: Joel Grey
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Grey, Joel [né Katz] (b. 1932), actor. The pint‐sized son of comedian Mickey Katz was born in Cleveland and made his professional debut with his father while still a youngster. Although he headed road companies or served as Broadway replacements for leads, he did not gain major attention until he appeared as the Master of Ceremonies in the musical Cabaret (1966). Walter Kerr, writing about Cabaret in the Times, described how he “burst from the darkness like a tracer bullet . . . Mr. Grey is cheerful, charming, soulless and conspiratorially wicked.” His other Broadway success was impersonating George M. Cohan in the musical George M! (1968). Grey returned to both roles in stock for many seasons. His other performances of note include the Dauphin of France in Goodtime Charley (1975), movie director Stony McBride in Marco Polo Sings a Solo (1977), Jewish refugee S. L. Jacobowsky in The Grand Tour (1977), chump Amos Hart in Chicago (1996), and the Wizard of Oz in Wicked (2003).

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Artist: Joel Grey
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Classical Artists

Biography

The future Tony Award-winning Joel Grey was born on April 11, 1932, in Cleveland, OH. Grey (actually born Joel Katz) was the son of Yiddish comedian Mickey Katz, a member of the Spike Jones Orchestra, and a well-known nightclub performer and Broadway satirist. Joel Grey married Jo Wilder in 1957 and had two children, including actress Jennifer Grey who starred in the 1980s cult classic Dirty Dancing, as well as the short-lived television comedy It's Like You Know, in which her father had a guest appearance.

Joel Grey made his stage debut at the age of nine as Pud in On Borrowed Time and is best known for his role as Emcee in the 1972 film version of Cabaret opposite Liza Minnelli, for which he won an Academy Award. He first performed the mesmerizing, sexually ambivalent role during its original Broadway run in 1966 (for which he won a Tony), after a low-profile run of film and television roles including 77 Sunset Strip, About Face (1953), and Come September (1961). Grey also enjoyed a highly successful Broadway run in the 1969 musical George M. Though considered difficult to cast, Joel Grey has worked into the '90s, appearing in multiple episodes of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Touched By an Angel. Recent film roles include Dancer in the Dark with Bjork, Armistead Maupin's Further Tales of the City, and The Fantasticks with Joe McIntyre of the New Kids on the Block.

As detailed as is Joel Grey's filmic and theatrical career, very little has been written about his musical recording career. Not surprisingly, he has appeared on quite a few original cast recording albums, including the film and Broadway soundtracks for Cabaret and two shows released on CD in 1997, Chicago and Goodtime Charlie. Few know that he has also released three of his own, non-Broadway show related albums: Whoever Heard of a Fird, Black Sheep Boy, and Songs My Father Taught Me. Each of these three albums offer fascinating glimpses into the musical inspirations of one of the greatest talents in American musical theater history. Black Sheep Boy is a collection of pop songs chosen by Joel Grey, including compositions by Tim Hardin, Donovan, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney, Simon and Garfunkle, and (amazingly!) Cream. It is safe to say that Black Sheep Boy will be a surprising listen for those who know Joel Grey as the smirking, stylized character in Cabaret. Songs My Father Taught Me is, perhaps, an even more unexpected and personal musical trip for Grey. The album, released by Capitol Records, comes labeled with the instructions to "file under: Jewish Music." Though that seems insultingly simplistic, it is an accurate representation of the content of Songs My Father Taught Me. The album includes 12 examples of the Jewish folk music that Joel Grey heard while growing up the son of Mickey Katz. The liner notes describe the performances as "warm-hearted" which perfectly captures the nature of the personal album of ethnic celebration and family heritage. The record's harvest songs, lullabies, and humorous tunes are among the most essential recordings to track down if understanding Joel Grey as an artist is your goal. ~ JT Griffith, All Music Guide
Actor: Joel Grey
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Apr 11, 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '50s, '70s-2000s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
  • Career Highlights: Cabaret, The Fantasticks, Dancer in the Dark
  • First Major Screen Credit: Calypso Heat Wave (1957)

Biography

American entertainer Joel Grey was the son of Mickey Katz, the famous "gurgler" of the Spike Jones Orchestra and a legend in his own right as a performer/producer of nightclub, resort and Broadway satirical revues. Growing up around some of the best comics, musical performers and second bananas in the business, Joel was all but predestined to enter show business himself. An accomplished singer and dancer, Grey was rather wasted in such early film roles as About Face (1953) and Come September (1961), though he achieved minor fame on TV variety shows and in the lead of a televised musical version of Jack and the Beanstalk; ironically, one of his best TV parts was on an episode of 77 Sunset Strip as a second-rate comic unable to live up to the accomplishments of a famous relative.

Grey's career was boosted in 1966 when he was cast in the Broadway musical Cabaret as the Master of Ceremonies, a white-faced, smirking, sexually ambivalent observer of changing mores and philosophies in pre-Hitler Berlin. Grey won a Tony Award for his brilliant portrayal, and copped an Academy Award for repeating the role in the 1972 film version of Cabaret. Grey enjoyed a second Broadway triumph as George M. Cohan in the 1969 musical George M., a virtuoso performance he recreated on TV in the early 1970s. Thanks to his highly stylized Broadway roles, Joel Grey has not been easy to cast in "normal" movie parts; among his better roles were that of an Austrian petty criminal in The Seven Per Cent Solution (1976) and an ancient and irredeemably sarcastic oriental martial arts master in Remo Williams (1985). On the final episode of the TV serial Dallas in 1991, Grey was a red-eyed satanic chap who showed a suicidal J.R. (Larry Hagman) how much better the world would have been without him. Joel Grey is the father of actress Jennifer Grey, whose breakthrough role was in Dirty Dancing, which coincidentally was set in a Catskills resort not unlike those in which her dad Joel learned his craft. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: Joel Grey
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Joel Grey

At the 1993 Emmy Awards
Born Joel David Katz
April 11, 1932 (1932-04-11) (age 77)
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Years active 1951–present
Spouse(s) Jo Wilder (1958–1982)

Joel Grey (born April 11, 1932) is an American stage and screen actor, singer, and dancer, best known for his role as the Master of Ceremonies in both the stage and film adaptation of the Kander & Ebb musical Cabaret. He has won the Academy Award, Tony Award, Golden Globe Award, and BAFTA.

Contents

Early life

Grey was born Joel David Katz in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Grace and Mickey Katz, an actor, comedian and musician.[1] He graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio in 1950.

Career

Grey originated the role of the Master of Ceremonies in the Broadway musical Cabaret in 1966 for which he won the Tony Award. Additional Broadway credits include Come Blow Your Horn (1961), Stop the World - I Want to Get Off (1962), Half a Sixpence (1965), Goodtime Charley (1975), The Grand Tour (1979), Chicago (1996), and Wicked (2003). In 1995, he performed in The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True a musical performance of the popular story at Lincoln Center to benefit the Children's Defense Fund. The performance was originally broadcast on Turner Network Television (TNT), and issued on CD and video in 1996.

Grey won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1972 for his performance as the Master of Ceremonies in the film version of Cabaret. His victory was part of a Cabaret near-sweep, which saw Liza Minnelli win Best Actress and Bob Fosse win Best Director, although it lost the Best Picture Oscar to The Godfather. Grey beat front-runner Al Pacino for Best Supporting Actor while Fosse beat Francis Ford Coppola for Best Director.

For that role, Grey also won the BAFTA award for "The Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles" and a Tony Award six years prior, making him one of only eight people who have won both a Tony Award and an Academy Award for the same role.

He performed at The Muny in St. Louis, Missouri many times in roles such as George M. Cohan in George M! (1970 and 1992), the Emcee in Cabaret (1971), and Joey Evans in Pal Joey (1983).

Grey appeared as a panelist for the television game show "What's My Line?" in the 1967 season, as well as being the first mystery guest during its syndication in 1968. He was the guest star for the third episode of The Muppet Show in its first season, singing "Razzle Dazzle" from Chicago and "Willkommen" from Cabaret He also played Master of Sinanju Chiun, Remo's elderly Korean martial arts master in the movie Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985), a role that garnered him a Saturn Award and a second Golden Globe nomination for "Best Supporting Actor". In 1991, he played an out of this world man, Adam, on the series finale of Dallas. 1993 saw him receive an "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series" Emmy nomination for his recurring role as Jacob Prossman on the television series Brooklyn Bridge. In 1996, he made a guest appearance on Star Trek: Voyager as an aging rebel seeking to free his (deceased) wife from prison.

In 2000, Grey played Oldrich Novy in the film Dancer in the Dark and had recurring television roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (as Doc, 2001), Oz (as Lemuel Idzik, 2003) and Alias (as "Another Mr. Sloane," 2005). He played the role of a demon in the final episode of Dallas and was a wealthy, paroled ex-convict on Law & Order: Criminal Intent (episode, "Cuba Libre"). He also appeared on the shows House and Brothers & Sisters, on the latter of which he played the role of Sarah and Joe's marriage counselor.

Personal life

Grey is the father of actress Jennifer Grey, the star of Dirty Dancing, and James, a chef. In 1958 he married Jo Wilder. They divorced in 1982.

Grey is also a photographer. His first book of photographs, Pictures I Had to Take, was published in 2003; its follow-up, Looking Hard at Unexpected Things, appeared in the Fall of 2006.[2] His third book, 1.3 – Images from My Phone, is also a photography book but taken with his camera phone, is published on June 2, 2009 (Powerhouse Books).[3]

Work

Stage

Year Production Role Notes
1951 Borscht Capades credited as Joel Kaye
1961 Come Blow Your Horn Buddy Baker Replacement
1962 Stop the World - I Want to Get Off Littlechap Replacement
1965 Half a Sixpence Arthur Kipps Replacement
1966 Cabaret Master of Ceremonies Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
1969 George M! George M. Cohan Nominee: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
1975 Goodtime Charley Charley Nominee: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
1979 The Grand Tour S. L. Jacobowsky Nominee: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
1987 Cabaret Master of Ceremonies Revival
1996 Chicago Amos Hart
2003 Wicked The Wizard of Oz Original Broadway cast

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1952 About Face Bender
1957 Calypso Heat Wave Alex Nash
1961 Come September Beagle
1972 Cabaret Master of Ceremonies Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
BAFTA Award
Golden Globe
1974 Man on a Swing Franklin Wills
1976 The Seven-Per-Cent Solution Lowenstein
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson Nate Salisbury (Cody's partner)
1985 Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins Chiun Nominee: Golden Globe
1991 Kafka Burgel
1993 The Music of Chance Willy Stone
1994 The Dangerous Flea
1995 Venus Rising Jimmie
1996 The Empty Mirror Joseph Goebbels
My Friend Joe Simon
1999 A Christmas Carol Ghost of Christmas Past
2000 The Fantasticks Amos Babcock Bellamy
2001 Dancer in the Dark Oldrich Novy
Reaching Normal Dr. Mensley
2008 Choke Phil

Television

Year Production Role
1956 Producers' Showcase
1957 Telephone Time
December Bride
1958 Court of Last Resort
Little Women (special)
1959 Maverick (TV series) Billy the Kid
1960 Bronco (TV series)
The Ann Sothern Show
1960-1961 Lawman (TV series)
1961 Yes, Yes Nanette
77 Sunset Strip
1966 My Lucky Penny (pilot)
1971 Ironside (TV series)
1972 Night Gallery
Man on a String (telefilm)
1974 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (special) Narrator
1976 The Muppet Show Himself / Guest
1981 Paddington Bear Host
1982 Alice (TV series)
1984 The Yeomen of the Guard (special - Brent Walker productions) Jack Point
1987 Queenie (telefilm)
1996 Star Trek: Voyager Caylem
2000 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Doc
2003 Oz Lemuel Idzik
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (TV Series) Milton Winters
2005 Alias (TV Series) Another Mr. Sloane
2006 House, MD. Ezra Powell
2009 Private Practice Dr. Alexander Ball
Grey's Anatomy Dr. Singer

References

  1. ^ "Joel Grey Biography". filmreference. 2008. http://www.filmreference.com/film/58/Joel-Grey.html. Retrieved 2008-07-06. 
  2. ^ Joel Grey Looking Hard at Unexamined Things. Joel Grey Photographer.
  3. ^ Samelson, Judy.SHELF LIFE: "American Theatre Reader," Photos by Joel Grey, New Looks at Bernstein and Horneplaybill.com, May 30, 2009
  • Parrish, James Robert (1989). The Complete Actors' Television Credits, 1948–1988. 1. p. 212. ISBN 0-8108-2204-0. 

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
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American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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