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Brian Stokes Mitchell

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Brian Stokes Mitchell
Mitchell in 2007
Born (1957-10-31) October 31, 1957 (age 67)
Seattle, Washington
Occupation(s)Actor, composer, vocalist
Years active1979–present
SpouseAllyson Tucker (1994–present)
ChildrenEllington Mitchell (son)
Websitewww.brianstokes.com

Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American stage, film and television actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s.[1] He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for his performance in Kiss Me, Kate.

Biography

Early life

Mitchell was born in Seattle, Washington, the youngest of four children of George Mitchell, an electronics engineer, and his wife Lillian, a school administrator. Mitchell grew up at various U.S. military bases overseas, where his father was a civilian engineer for the U.S. Navy. As a teenager, he lived in San Diego, California, where he began acting in school musicals.[2] He did not attend college, having begun performing professionally in high school, although he did have private teachers in both acting and voice in his teen years.[3] He has said that he studied film scoring, orchestration, and conducting through UCLA.[4] Prior to Ragtime, he was known professionally as Brian Mitchell.

Stage and recordings

Mitchell first performed on Broadway in the musical Mail in 1988, with music by Michael Rupert and lyrics by Jerry Colker, winning the Theatre World award.[5] His Broadway credits include an all-black revival of George and Ira Gershwin's Oh, Kay! (1990),[6] Jelly's Last Jam (1992) based on the works of jazz artist Jelly Roll Morton and Kander and Ebb's Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993).[7]

He performed the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr, in the musical Ragtime, which opened on Broadway in January 1998. He received a 1998 Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical.[8] He appeared in the 1999 revival of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate as Fred Graham / Petruchio, winning the Tony Award; [7][9] King Hedley II (2001) (Tony Award nomination); and Man of La Mancha (2002) (Tony Award nomination).[7]

He appeared in the New York City Center Encores! staged concert productions of Jule Styne's Do Re Mi (1999), Bob Merrill's Carnival! (2002), Kismet (2006) and The Band Wagon in 2014.[10]

He played the title role in the 2002 Kennedy Center production of Sweeney Todd, part of the Stephen Sondheim celebration.[11][12]

On June 9, 2005, Mitchell appeared in a concert version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific at Carnegie Hall. He starred as Emile, alongside Reba McEntire as Nellie Forbush and Alec Baldwin as Luther Billis. The production was taped and telecast by PBS in 2006.[13]

His debut solo CD Brian Stokes Mitchell was released on June 6, 2006 on Playbill Records.[14][15] Mitchell has also performed in a Christmas concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir later released as a CD and DVD entitled Ring Christmas Bells. His second solo CD, "Simply Broadway," was released October 30, 2012, by CD Baby.[16]

Mitchell returned to Broadway to star with Patti LuPone in the musical version of the Pedro Almodóvar film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which opened at the Belasco Theatre in November 2010.[17]

A new musical titled Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, based on the making of Shuffle Along opened on Broadway on March 14, 2016 in previews, officially on April 21 at the Music Box Theatre. Mitchell plays "F.E. Miller", with Audra McDonald as "Lottie Gee", Billy Porter, Joshua Henry and Brandon Victor Dixon.[18]

Television and film

Mitchell has a number of television and film credits, including the role of John Dolan in Roots: The Next Generations (1979), and a seven-year stint as Dr. Justin 'Jackpot' Jackson on Trapper John, M.D. from 1979 to 1986. Mitchell made several appearances as a celebrity panelist on episodes of $25,000 Pyramid and $100,000 Pyramid in the 1980s, and was considered one of the game's better celebrity players.[19][20] He played recurring roles as Hilary Banks' news anchor fiancé Trevor Newsworthy/Collins on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and on Frasier as Dr. Frasier Crane's upstairs neighbor and nemesis Cam Winston. He supplied the singing voice of Jethro in the animated feature The Prince of Egypt (1998). He guest starred in March 2010 in Ugly Betty as Wilhelmina Slater's ex-boyfriend, Don.[21]

Marquee outside the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Texas, promoting the September 1, 2011 appearance of Brian Stokes Mitchell in concert.

He has also done voice-overs for animation including Animaniacs, Capitol Critters, Tiny Toon Adventures, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, The Further Adventures of SuperTed, Kid 'n Play, The New Kids on the Block, Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf, Gravedale High, Potsworth & Co., Captain Planet and the Planeteers, The Tom and Jerry Kids Show, Yo Yogi!, Fantastic Max, Pound Puppies, The Addams Family, California Raisins, The Angry Beavers, James Bond Jr., Batman: The Animated Series, Paddington Bear, Pinky and the Brain, Defenders of Dynatron City, The Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats, Droopy, Master Detective, Denver, the Last Dinosaur, Mighty Max, Don Coyote & Sancho Panda and the two Flintstones animated movies Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby and I Yabba-Dabba Do!.

He appeared on the 57th episode of Glee, titled "Heart" in 2012,[22] and the 58th, titled "On My Way," as one of Rachel's dads (LeRoy) along with Jeff Goldblum.

He has been cast in a recurring role on the USA Network series Mr. Robot as Scott Knowles, CTO of Evil Corp. The series began in June 2015.[23]

Other

He is the Chairman of the Board of the Actors Fund of America, having been elected in 2004.[24][25]

Personal life

He has been married to actress Allyson Tucker since 1994 [26] and has a son, Ellington.

Awards and nominations

Sources: Playbill[27] BroadwayWorld[28]

  • 2016 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award[29]
  • 2011 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical - (nominee), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
  • 2003 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical - (nominee), Man of La Mancha
  • 2003 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical - (nominee), Man of La Mancha
  • 2001 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play - (nominee), King Hedley II
  • 2001 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Play - (nominee), King Hedley II
  • 2000 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical - (winner), Kiss Me Kate
  • 2000 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical - (winner), Kiss Me Kate
  • 1998 Drama League Awards - Distinguished Performance Award (winner)
  • 1998 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical - (nominee), Ragtime
  • 1998 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical - nominee), Ragtime
  • 1988 Theatre World Award - Mail

Discography

Brian Stokes Mitchell, June 6, 2006[15]

Track listing
  1. Something's Coming (West Side Story)
  2. The Best Is Yet to Come (Cy Coleman)
  3. Pretty Women (Sweeney Todd)
  4. Just In Time (Bells are Ringing)
  5. Lazy Afternoon (The Golden Apple)
  6. Another Hundred People (Company)/Take the A Train
  7. How Long Has This Been Going On? (Funny Face)
  8. Life is Sweet (Wonderful Town)
  9. Losing My Mind (Follies)
  10. Being Alive (Company)
  11. How Glory Goes (Floyd Collins)
  12. Grateful

References

  1. ^ "Brian Stokes Mitchell Biography" pbs.org, accessed June 14, 2016
  2. ^ Zoglin, Richard. "From Coalhouse to Cole Porter", November 1999, Time magazine, accessed January 25, 2010
  3. ^ Weber, Bruce. "Broadway's Last Leading Man?" The New York Times, November 24, 2002
  4. ^ "Mitchell Biography" brianstokes.com, accessed June 14, 2016
  5. ^ " Mail Broadway" Playbill, accessed June 14, 2016
  6. ^ " Oh, Kay! Broadway" Playbill, accessed June 14, 2016
  7. ^ a b c "Brian Stokes Mitchell Broadway" ibdb.com, accessed June 14, 2016
  8. ^ " Ragtime Broadway" Playbill, accessed June 14, 2016
  9. ^ Feiden, Doug. " 'Kiss Me Kate' is Big Tony Winner 'Copenhagen' and 'Contact' Also Honored" New York Daily News, June 5, 2000
  10. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Tony Winner Brian Stokes Mitchell Hops on City Center's 'The Band Wagon', Beginning Tonight" playbill.com, November 6, 2014
  11. ^ "Special Events, Concerts, and Benefit Performances" sondheimguide.com, accessed August 10, 2015
  12. ^ Gans, Andrew. "D.C.'s Sondheim Celebration Ends as Night Music Closes Aug. 25" playbill.com, August 25, 2002
  13. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Reba McEntire-Brian Stokes Mitchell 'South Pacific' To Be Taped for TV" Playbill, June 8, 2005
  14. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Playbill Records' "Brian Stokes Mitchell" CD Hits Stores June 6" playbill.com, playbill.com, June 6, 2006
  15. ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. " Brian Stokes Mitchell Record" allmusic.com, accessed June 14, 2016
  16. ^ King, Susan. "Brian Stokes Mitchell steps off Broadway — for 'Simply Broadway'" Los Angeles Times, October 6, 2014
  17. ^ Hetrick, Adam (July 26, 2010). "Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sherie Rene Scott Cast in Broadway's Women on the Verge". Playbill.com.
  18. ^ Purcell, Carey. "Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald Will Reunite on Broadway in Shuffle Along, Billy Porter Joins Them", Playbill.com, August 9, 2015
  19. ^ "The New $25,000 Pyramid - Frank/Cindy 1/3". YouTube.com. March 18, 1983.
  20. ^ "$100,000 Pyramid - Brian Mitchell". YouTube.com. October 1986.
  21. ^ Abrams, Natalie (January 25, 2010). "Ugly Betty Casts Tony Winner as Willie's Ex". TVGuide.com.
  22. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Brian Stokes Mitchell and Jeff Goldblum Are Lea Michele's Gay Dads on 'Glee' " playbill.com, January 18, 2012
  23. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Brian Stokes Mitchell Lands Recurring Role in New TV Series" playbill.com, May 29, 2015
  24. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Brian Stokes Mitchell Elected Actors' Fund President" playbill.com, May 24, 2004
  25. ^ "Chairmen" actorsfund.org, accessed August 10, 2015
  26. ^ "Weddings; Brian Mitchell and Allyson Tucker" The New York Times, September 4, 1994
  27. ^ "Brian Stokes Mitchell Roles and Awards" Playbill, accessed June 14, 2016
  28. ^ "Brian Stokes Mitchell Biography" broadwayworld.com, accessed June 14, 2016
  29. ^ "The 2016 Tony Awards: Winners". TonyAwards.com. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
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