Few entertainers today are as accomplished or as versatile as Ben Vereen. His legendary performances transcend time and have been woven into the fabric of this country’s artistic legacy. His first love and passion is and always will be the stage. On Broadway, Vereen starred in Pippin, Wicked, Fosse, I’m Not Rappaport, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Grind, Jelly’s Last Jam and A Christmas Carol. His role in Pippin garnered him both the prestigious Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for “Best Actor in a Musical.” He performed his show An Evening with Ben Vereen to Jazz at Lincoln Center as an exclusive eight performance run at Dizzy’s Club. The New York Times raved, “Everything finally coalesced in ‘Mr. Bojangles,’ when he became an archetypal vaudevillian: singing, dancing, whistling - doing it all.”
“The theatre was my first training ground. It taught me discipline, dedication and appreciation of hard work and values that will stay with me a lifetime,” said Ben Vereen. He added, “The stage sharpens the creative instrument and encourages you to go deeper inside and try new things.”
Vereen is also a force in film and television. His iconic character Chicken George created a veritable cultural tidal wave in the landmark ABC series Roots. He starred in the Chuck Lorre series B Positive on CBS and completed multiple episodes of The Good Fight, playing Frederick Douglas, also on CBS. Ben guest starred in Magnum P.I. and Bull for CBS; multiple episodes of Star for Fox; and the BET series Tales. He also co-starred with Richard Gere in Time Out of Mind, Chris Rock in Top Five, and was featured as Dr. Scott in the re-imagined The Rocky Horror Picture Show for 20th Century Fox. And he was picked by Bryan Cranston to co-star in Sneaky Pete for Amazon. Other film credits include Sweet Charity, All That Jazz, Funny Lady (Golden Globe nomination), Why Do Fools Fall In Love, amongst many others.
Ben was inducted into The Theatre Hall of Fame and The Dance Hall of Fame and is considered one of our nation’s most popular motivational speakers. He is active member American for the Arts, the largest arts organization in the country advocating for the advancement of the arts and art education. Ben’s passion is to educate and inspire children about the Arts. He was awarded the inaugural Juneteenth Legacy Award from the Broadway League, as well as receiving the Hero’s Award from the First Responder's Children's Foundation due to his presence at Ground Zero in helping the first responders.
He was recently honored with the Sidney Poitier Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Black Theatre Festival.
In addition to his estimable artistic career, Vereen has devoted considerable time and energy to numerous charitable events and causes.