Celebrating the Life of Geoffrey Holder

Most know the incomparable Mr. Holder from his hilarious performance as the lasciviously,lusty creative director, Nelson in the smash 1992 comedy hit, "Boomerang". Others might recognize him from his time as a spokesperson for the 7-UP "Un-Cola" campaign.

What many people do not realize is that Geoffrey Holder was a multi-faceted artist. Not only was he an actor, but he was an accomplished dancer, painter, costume designer and choreographer. Sadly, he passed away today at the age of 84 in New York City due to complications stemming from pneumonia.

From wiki:

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.

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.

Holder was a Tony Award-winning stage director and costume designer.

In 1952, the choreographer Agnes de Mille saw Holder dance on Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands.[ She invited him to New York; he would teach at the Katherine Dunham School of Dance for two years. He was a principal dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in New York from 1955 to 1956.

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. 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.

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!

Holder's 1957 piece "Bele" is also part of the Dance Theater of Harlem repertory.

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 book of his photography, Adam, was published by Viking in 1986.

Geoffrey Holder, your art will always live on for generations to come. Thank you for you contributions and we Salute You! Rest In Paradise!

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