IrezumiKiss
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2007
- Posts
- 74,229
He passed away yesterday but for some reason I'm only finding out about it today. True story: I met dude back in the late '80s at a SoHo gallery I'd been part-timing in during the summer. Came in the joint, was head n' shoulders above everyone. You knew exactly who he was before he even spoke. Shook his hand, made light talk, guy made my day. Won't ever forget it.
Everyone generally knows him from the iconic 7up commercials and that scene-chewing bit part in Live And Let Die, but he was an immense talent who had his hands in everything. Married to the equally great Carmen de Lavallade. Will be greatly missed.
http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/sites/broadwaymw/files/photos-artist/MBDSWAS_EC021_H.JPG
http://cdn2.brooklynmuseum.org/images/opencollection/objects/size3/1997.162.7_PS4.jpg
http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/2009+Alvin+Ailey+Opening+Night+Gala+Performance+BoQ9laHTRhll.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Geoffreyandcarmenholder.jpg
Geoffrey Lamont Holder (1 August 1930 – 5 October 2014) was a Trinidadian actor, choreographer, director, dancer, painter, costume designer, singer and voice-over artist.
Early life
Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Holder was of African descent. He was known for his height (6' 6"), "hearty laugh" and heavily accented bass voice.[1]
One of six children, Holder attended Tranquillity School and then secondary school at Queen's Royal College in Port-of-Spain. At the age of seven, he began dancing in the company of his brother, Boscoe Holder.[2]
Holder was a Tony Award-winning stage director and costume designer.
Career
In 1952, the choreographer Agnes de Mille saw Holder dance on Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands.[3] She invited him to New York; he would teach at the Katherine Dunham School of Dance for two years.[4] He was a principal dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in New York from 1955 to 1956.[5]
In 1955, Holder married dancer Carmen de Lavallade, whom he met when both were in the cast of House of Flowers, a musical by Harold Arlen (music and lyrics) and Truman Capote (lyrics and book).[1] They were the subject of a 2004 film, Carmen & Geoffrey.[3] They live in New York City and have one son, Leo Anthony Lamont. Holder's brother was the London-based artist Boscoe Holder.
Holder began his movie career in the 1962 British film All Night Long, a modern remake of Shakespeare's Othello. He followed that with Doctor Dolittle (1967) as Willie Shakespeare, leader of the natives of Sea-Star Island. This was a trying experience for Holder, as he had to contend with casual racism from Rex Harrison's then-wife, Rachel Roberts, and his entourage.[6] In the 1972, he was cast as the Sorcerer in Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex*. The following year he was a henchman – Baron Samedi – in the Bond movie Live and Let Die; Holder also contributed to the film's choreography. In addition to his movie appearances, Holder became a spokesman for the 1970s 7 Up soft drink "uncola" advertising campaign.[7]
In 1975 Holder won two Tony Awards for direction and costume design of The Wiz, the all-black musical version of The Wizard of Oz. Holder was the first black man to be nominated in either category.[1] He also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design. The show ran for 1672 performances over a four-year period; it was revived in 1984.
As a choreographer, Holder has created dance pieces for many companies, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, for which he provided choreography, music and costumes for Prodigal Prince (1967), and the Dance Theatre of Harlem, for which he provided choreography, music and costumes for Dougla (1974) and designed costumes for Firebird (1982). In 1978, Holder directed and choreographed the Broadway musical Timbuktu![2][8][9][10] Holder's 1957 piece "Bele" is also part of the Dance Theater of Harlem repertory.[2]
In the 1982 film version of the musical Annie, Holder played the role of Punjab. He was also the voice of Ray in Bear in the Big Blue House and provided narration for Tim Burton's version of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He reprised his role as the 7 Up Spokesman in the 2011 season finale of The Celebrity Apprentice, where he appeared as himself in a commercial for "7 Up Retro" for Marlee Matlin's team.
Holder was also a prolific painter, ardent art collector, book author and music composer. As a painter, he won a Guggenheim Fellowship.[11] A book of his photography, Adam, was published by Viking in 1986.[12]
Death
Holder died in Manhattan, New York, of complications from pneumonia on October 5, 2014. He was survived by his wife, Carmen de Lavallade and their son, Léo.[13]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Holder
Everyone generally knows him from the iconic 7up commercials and that scene-chewing bit part in Live And Let Die, but he was an immense talent who had his hands in everything. Married to the equally great Carmen de Lavallade. Will be greatly missed.
http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/sites/broadwaymw/files/photos-artist/MBDSWAS_EC021_H.JPG
http://cdn2.brooklynmuseum.org/images/opencollection/objects/size3/1997.162.7_PS4.jpg
http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/2009+Alvin+Ailey+Opening+Night+Gala+Performance+BoQ9laHTRhll.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Geoffreyandcarmenholder.jpg
Geoffrey Lamont Holder (1 August 1930 – 5 October 2014) was a Trinidadian actor, choreographer, director, dancer, painter, costume designer, singer and voice-over artist.
Early life
Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Holder was of African descent. He was known for his height (6' 6"), "hearty laugh" and heavily accented bass voice.[1]
One of six children, Holder attended Tranquillity School and then secondary school at Queen's Royal College in Port-of-Spain. At the age of seven, he began dancing in the company of his brother, Boscoe Holder.[2]
Holder was a Tony Award-winning stage director and costume designer.
Career
In 1952, the choreographer Agnes de Mille saw Holder dance on Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands.[3] She invited him to New York; he would teach at the Katherine Dunham School of Dance for two years.[4] He was a principal dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in New York from 1955 to 1956.[5]
In 1955, Holder married dancer Carmen de Lavallade, whom he met when both were in the cast of House of Flowers, a musical by Harold Arlen (music and lyrics) and Truman Capote (lyrics and book).[1] They were the subject of a 2004 film, Carmen & Geoffrey.[3] They live in New York City and have one son, Leo Anthony Lamont. Holder's brother was the London-based artist Boscoe Holder.
Holder began his movie career in the 1962 British film All Night Long, a modern remake of Shakespeare's Othello. He followed that with Doctor Dolittle (1967) as Willie Shakespeare, leader of the natives of Sea-Star Island. This was a trying experience for Holder, as he had to contend with casual racism from Rex Harrison's then-wife, Rachel Roberts, and his entourage.[6] In the 1972, he was cast as the Sorcerer in Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex*. The following year he was a henchman – Baron Samedi – in the Bond movie Live and Let Die; Holder also contributed to the film's choreography. In addition to his movie appearances, Holder became a spokesman for the 1970s 7 Up soft drink "uncola" advertising campaign.[7]
In 1975 Holder won two Tony Awards for direction and costume design of The Wiz, the all-black musical version of The Wizard of Oz. Holder was the first black man to be nominated in either category.[1] He also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design. The show ran for 1672 performances over a four-year period; it was revived in 1984.
As a choreographer, Holder has created dance pieces for many companies, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, for which he provided choreography, music and costumes for Prodigal Prince (1967), and the Dance Theatre of Harlem, for which he provided choreography, music and costumes for Dougla (1974) and designed costumes for Firebird (1982). In 1978, Holder directed and choreographed the Broadway musical Timbuktu![2][8][9][10] Holder's 1957 piece "Bele" is also part of the Dance Theater of Harlem repertory.[2]
In the 1982 film version of the musical Annie, Holder played the role of Punjab. He was also the voice of Ray in Bear in the Big Blue House and provided narration for Tim Burton's version of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He reprised his role as the 7 Up Spokesman in the 2011 season finale of The Celebrity Apprentice, where he appeared as himself in a commercial for "7 Up Retro" for Marlee Matlin's team.
Holder was also a prolific painter, ardent art collector, book author and music composer. As a painter, he won a Guggenheim Fellowship.[11] A book of his photography, Adam, was published by Viking in 1986.[12]
Death
Holder died in Manhattan, New York, of complications from pneumonia on October 5, 2014. He was survived by his wife, Carmen de Lavallade and their son, Léo.[13]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Holder
