Geoffrey Holder
Geoffrey Holder | |
|---|---|
 Holder at theBig Apple Con2008 | |
| Born | Geoffrey Lamont Holder August 1, 1930 |
| Died | October 5, 2014(aged 84) New York City,U.S. |
| Alma mater | Queen's Royal College |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1957–2014 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Family | Boscoe Holder(brother) Christian Holder(nephew) Ralph McDaniels(second cousin)[1] |
| Awards | |
Geoffrey Lamont Holder(August 1, 1930 – October 5, 2014) was aTrinidadian-Americanactor, dancer, musician, and artist.[2][3]He was a principal dancer for theMetropolitan OperaBallet before his film career began in 1957 with an appearance inCarib Gold.In 1973, he played the villainous Baron Samedi in theBond filmLive and Let Die.He also carried out advertising work as thepitchmanfor7 Up.[4]
Early life[edit]
Born inPort of Spain,Trinidad,[5]Holder was one of four children ofBajanand Trinidadian descent.[6]He was educated at Tranquility School andQueen's Royal Collegein Port of Spain. He made his performance debut at the age of seven in his brotherBoscoe Holder's dance company.
Career[edit]
After seeing him perform inSt. Thomas,Virgin Islandsthe choreographerAgnes de Milleinvited Holder to work with her in New York.[7]Upon arriving he joinedKatherine Dunham's dance school where he taught folkloric forms for two years.[8]
From 1955 to 1956, he performed with theMetropolitan OperaBallet as a principal dancer.[9][4]Previously, he made his Broadway debut in the 1954Harold ArlenandTruman CapotemusicalHouse of Flowers.While working onHouse of Flowers,Holder metAlvin Ailey,with whom he later worked extensively, andCarmen de Lavallade,his future wife. After the show closed he starred in an all-black production ofWaiting for Godotin 1957.[4]
Holder began his movie career in the 1962 British filmAll Night Long,a modern remake ofShakespeare'sOthello.He followed that withDoctor Dolittle(1967) as Willie Shakespeare, leader of the natives of Sea-Star Island. In 1972, he was cast as the Sorcerer inEverything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask).The following year he was a henchman—Baron Samedi—in theBond movieLive and Let Die.[5]He contributed to the film's choreography. In the film, his character was meant to fall into a coffin of live snakes, which Holder had a phobia of. He considered refusing to do the stunt but agreed to do it when it was revealed thatPrincess Alexandrawould be visiting the set.[10]
In addition to his movie appearances, Holder was a spokesman inadvertising campaignsfor thesoft drink7 Upin the 1970s and 1980s, declaring it the "uncola", and, in the 1980s, calling it "crisp and clean, and no caffeine; never had it, never will".[11][12]
In 1975, Holder won twoTony Awardsfor direction and costume design ofThe Wiz,the all-black musical version ofThe Wizard of Oz.Holder was the first black man to be nominated in either category. He won theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design.The show ran for 1672 performances.[13]
As a choreographer, Holder created dance pieces for many companies, including theAlvin Ailey American Dance Theater,for which he provided choreography, music, and costumes forProdigal Prince(1967),[14]and theDance Theatre of Harlem,for which he provided choreography, music, and costumes forDougla(1974), and designed costumes forFirebird(1982). In 1978, Holder directed and choreographed the Broadway musicalTimbuktu![15][16][17]Holder's 1957 piece "Bele" is also part of the Dance Theater of Harlem repertory.
Holder portrayed Jupiter, the hulking manservant of an ill-fated treasure-hunter (Roberts Blossom), in a 1980 made-for-television adaptation ofEdgar Allan Poe'sThe Gold Bugwhich also starredAnthony Michael Hall.InJohn Huston's 1982 film adaptation of the hit stage musicalAnnie,Holder played the role of Punjab,Albert Finney's bodyguard. Holder portrayed theGhost of Christmas FutureinJohn Grin's Christmas,a 1986 variation onCharles Dickens'sA Christmas Caroldirected by its star,Robert Guillaume.Holder portrayed Nelson in the 1992 filmBoomerangwithEddie Murphy.He was also the voice of Ray inBear in the Big Blue Houseand provided narration forTim Burton's2005 film versionofRoald Dahl'sCharlie and the Chocolate Factory.He reprised his role as the 7 Up spokesman in the 2011 season finale ofThe Celebrity Apprentice,where he appeared as himself in a commercial for "7 Up Retro" forMarlee Matlin's team.
In 1993 Holder did a series of commercials for the Armory Auto Groupauto dealershipinAlbany, New York.
Holder was a prolific painter (patrons of his art includedLena HorneandWilliam F. Buckley, Jr.),[18]ardent art collector, book author, and music composer. As a painter, he won aGuggenheim Fellowshipin fine arts in 1956.[19]A book of his photography,Adam,was published byViking Pressin 1986.[20]
Personal life[edit]
Holder marriedCarmen de Lavalladein 1955. They spent their lives in New York City and had one son, Léo. They were the subject of a 2005 documentary,Carmen & Geoffrey.His elder brotherBoscoe Holderwas a dancer, choreographer, and artist. Boscoe's sonChristian Holderhas also won acclaim as a dancer, choreographer, and entertainer.
Death[edit]
Holder died inManhattanof complications frompneumoniaon October 5, 2014, aged 84.
Productions[edit]
Broadway[edit]
- House of Flowers,Original Musical, 1954 – Banda dance choreography, performer
- Josephine Baker,musical review, 1954 – Performer
- Waiting for Godot,revival (allblackcast), 1957 – Performer
- The Wiz,original musical, 1975 – Direction, costume design (Tony Award for Best Costume Design and Best Direction of a Musical, 1975)
- Timbuktu!,original musical,1978 – Direction, choreography, costume design, playbill cover illustration
- The Wiz,revival,1984 – Direction, costume design
- TheBoys' Choir of Harlemand Friends, staged concert, 1993 – Staging
Radio[edit]
- KYOT-FM inPhoenix, Arizona,1994–2011 – Voiceover
Filmography[edit]
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1957 | Carib Gold | Voo Doo Dancer | Film debut | |
| 1959 | Porgy and Bess | Dancer | Uncredited | |
| 1962 | All Night Long | Himself | ||
| 1967 | Doctor Dolittle | Willie Shakespeare | ||
| 1968 | Krakatoa, East of Java | Sailor | ||
| 1972 | Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask | The Sorcerer | ||
| 1973 | Live and Let Die | Baron Samedi | Also choreography | |
| 1975 | The Noah | Friday | Voice | |
| 1976 | Swashbuckler | Cudjo | Also choreography | |
| 1982 | Annie | Punjab | ||
| 1987 | Where Confucius Meets the New Wave | Narrator | ||
| 1992 | Boomerang | Nelson | ||
| 1998 | Hasards ou coïncidences | Gerry | ||
| 1999 | Goosed | Dr. Bowman | ||
| 2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Narrator | Voice | |
| 2006 | Joséphine Baker. Black Diva in a White Man's World[3] | |||
| 2008 | The Magistical | Narrator | ||
| Television | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1958 | Aladdin | The Genie | ||
| 1967 | Androcles and the Lion | The Lion | ||
| 1967-1968 | Tarzan | Zwengi/Mayko | 2 episodes | |
| 1973 | The Man Without a Country | Slave on ship | ||
| 1983 | Alice in Wonderland | TheCheshire Cat | ||
| 1986 | John Grin's Christmas | Ghost of Christmas Future | ||
| 1988 | The Cosby Show | Choreography | Choreographed the season 5 opening credits | |
| 1990 | The62nd Annual Academy Awards | Performing | ||
| 1998–2002 | Bear in the Big Blue House | Ray the Sun | Voice | |
| 2002–2003 | Cyberchase | Master Pi | Voice, Episode 118, "Problem Solving in Shangri-La" | |
| Voice, Episode 209, "Double Trouble" | ||||
| 2011 | Celebrity Apprentice | Himself | ||
| Video games | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1994 | Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller | Jean St. Mouchoir | One of only twolive actorsin the game (as opposed to voice only) | |
| 2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Narrator | Voice | |
References[edit]
- ^You're Watching Video Music Box Showtime Documentary Films (2021)
- ^Zita Allen."Great Performances – Biography, Geoffrey Holder".Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History.RetrievedNovember 26,2011– via cited By PBS.
- ^abLucy E. Cross."Geoffrey Holder".MasterworksBroadway.RetrievedNovember 26,2011.
- ^abcBreeanna Hare (October 6, 2014)."Geoffrey Holder, famed dancer, 7Up pitchman, dies".CNN.
- ^ab"Geoffrey Holder, Bond villain and dancer, dies aged 84".BBC News.October 6, 2014.RetrievedOctober 8,2014.
- ^Jennifer Dunning; William McDonald (October 6, 2014)."Geoffrey Holder, Dancer, Choreographer and Man of Flair, Dies at 84".The New York Times.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
- ^Stephen Holden (March 12, 2009)."Creatively Connected Through Dance and Life".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 26,2011.
- ^"Choreographers".Oxford African American Studies Center.RetrievedNovember 26,2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Geoffrey Holder, National Visionary".VisionaryProject.RetrievedNovember 16,2011.
- ^Anderson, Stacey (July 22, 2015)."Geoffrey Holder exhibition looks to capture 'absolute joy' of Trinidad's 'charisma bomb'".The Guardian.
- ^"That 7 Up Uncola Guy: 'Memba Him?!".TMZ.RetrievedNovember 26,2011.
- ^Suzy Byrne,"James Bond Villain and 'Annie' Costar Geoffrey Holder Dies at 84"ArchivedOctober 10, 2014, at theWayback Machine,Yahoo! Movies, October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- ^Geoffrey Holderat theInternet Broadway Database
- ^Yolanda Sangweni,"Legendary Dancer and Actor Geoffrey Holder Passes Away",Essence,October 6, 2014.
- ^Kina Poon."Geoffrey Holder's Royal Vision".Dance Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon December 16, 2011.RetrievedNovember 26,2011.
- ^Anna Kisselgoff (January 13, 1982)."Harlem Dance Theatre Presents Firebird".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 26,2011.
- ^"Geoffrey Holder".DanceConsortium.RetrievedNovember 26,2011.
- ^Evelyn Diaz,"Tony Award-Winning Director, Dancer Geoffrey Holder Dies at 84",BET, October 6, 2014.
- ^"Geoffrey Holder Dead: Bond Villain Baron Samedi Dies".Huffington Post.October 6, 2014.RetrievedOctober 18,2020.
- ^Geoffrey Holder (1986).Adam.Viking.ISBN0-670-81028-2.
Bibliography[edit]
- Holder, Geoffrey; Harshman Tom (1959).Black Gods, Green Islands.Garden City, New York: Doubleday.ISBN0-8371-2789-0.
- Holder, Geoffrey (1973).Geoffrey Holder's Caribbean Cookbook.New York: Viking Press.ISBN978-0-670-33662-3.OCLC2700931.
- Holder, Geoffrey (1986).Adam.New York: Viking.ISBN0-670-81028-2.
- Holder, Geoffrey; University Art Museum. (1995).Geoffrey Holder: the painter.Albany, New York: State University of New York at Albany.ISBN0-910763-13-5.
- Holder, Geoffrey; Falke, Stefan; Lovelace, Earl (2004).The Dancing spirits of Trinidad: Moko Jumbies.New York: Pointed Leaf Press.ISBN0-9727661-3-8.
External links[edit]
- Geoffrey HolderatIMDb
- Geoffrey Holderat theInternet Broadway Database
- "Geoffrey Holder: Visionary Videos: NVLP: African American History".The National Visionary Leadership Project.RetrievedMay 9,2008.
- Geoffrey Holder's oral history video excerptsat The National Visionary Leadership Project
- Leo Holder,"'This Impromptu Dance': Geoffrey Holder's Son Tells One More Story",NPR, October 29, 2014.
- Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library,Emory University:Geoffrey Holder and Carmen De Lavallade papers, circa 1900–2018
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1930 births
- 2014 deaths
- American people of Barbadian descent
- American male film actors
- American male musical theatre actors
- American male stage actors
- American male dancers
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- Deaths from pneumonia in New York City
- Drama Desk Award winners
- People from Port of Spain
- People from New York (state)
- Tony Award winners
- Trinidad and Tobago dancers
- Trinidad and Tobago choreographers
- Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United States
- Trinidad and Tobago male film actors
- Trinidad and Tobago male stage actors
- Trinidad and Tobago male television actors
- Trinidad and Tobago people of Barbadian descent
- 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago male actors
- 21st-century Trinidad and Tobago male actors
- Alumni of Queen's Royal College, Trinidad
- African-American choreographers
- American choreographers
- 20th-century African-American people
- 21st-century African-American people
- 21st-century Trinidad and Tobago actors
- 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago actors