Geoffrey Holder Choreographer, dancer and actor Date of Birth: 20.08.1930 Country: USA

Biography of Geoffrey Holder

Geoffrey Holder, a choreographer, dancer, and actor, was born in 1930 in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. From an early age, he began dancing in his older brother Boscoe Holder's group, which became his main mentor and determined his future life and creative destiny. At the age of seven, he was already performing as part of the "Holder Dance Company," and in the late 1940s, when his older brother moved to London, Geoffrey took over the group.

In 1954, Geoffrey Holder moved to the United States, and in December of the same year, he made his Broadway debut with the original musical 'House of Flowers.' In the same 1950s, Holder also appeared on the screens of cinema and television. His first appearance on television was in the series 'The United States Steel Hour,' and his film debut was in Harold Young's drama 'Carib Gold,' released in 1957.

After these works, Geoffrey Holder once again focused on choreography and music. His next appearance in a film came in 1967 when he played William Shakespeare in Richard Fleischer's comedy 'Doctor Dolittle.' The lighthearted family comedy received multiple 'Oscar' awards, and Holder began to appear more frequently on screens, although still in small roles. For example, in 1969, he played one of the sailors in Bernard L. Kowalski's adventure drama 'Krakatoa: East of Java,' and in 1979, Holder appeared in Guy Hamilton's 'Live and Let Die.' In 1976, he starred in James Goldstone's action film 'Swashbuckler.'

During these years, Holder's musical 'The Wiz' was successfully running on Broadway, for which he won a 'Tony' award in 1975. In 1978, he was again awarded for 'Timbuktu!' He also participated in dance choreography for other projects, including Alvin Ailey's 'American Dance Theater.' Balancing his careers as a choreographer, dancer, and actor, the talented and versatile Geoffrey Holder managed to write and publish a couple of books, even illustrating them himself.

In film, Holder gradually became known for his comedy roles, often appearing alongside well-known stars such as Eddie Murphy in 'Boomerang,' Johnny Depp in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' and Jennifer Tilly in 'Goosed.' He played approximately thirty roles throughout his career.

Since 1955, Geoffrey Holder has been married to actress and dancer Carmen de Lavallade, and they have one child.