Celebrity Nooz: Joel Grey

Joel Grey (Actor) - Cabaret

Updated: 9/25/14

Name: Joel Grey

Born: April 11, 1932, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

Claim To Fame: He is best known for portraying the Master of Ceremonies in both the stage and film versions of the Kander & Ebb musical Cabaret.

Family Life: In 1958, Grey married Jo Wilder; they divorced in 1982. Together, they had two children: actress Jennifer and chef James.

Info: Grey began his career on Broadway, originating the role of the Master of Ceremonies in the Broadway musical Cabaret in 1966 for which he won the Tony Award.

He also appeared on stage in Come Blow Your Horn (1961), Stop the World - I Want to Get Off (1962), Half a Sixpence (1965), George M! (1968), Goodtime Charley (1975), The Grand Tour (1979), Chicago (1996), Wicked (2003), and Anything Goes (2011).

Grey appeared in St. Louis, MO at The Muny in roles including George M. Cohan in George M! (1970 and 1992), the Emcee in Cabaret, and Joey Evans in Pal Joey (1983). In 1985, he played Master of Sinanju Chiun in the movie Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, a role that garnered him a Saturn Award and a second Golden Globe nomination for "Best Supporting Actor".

In 1991, Grey appeared in the American Repertory Theatre's production of When We Dead Awaken at the Sao Paulo Biennale. Two years later, he starred in New York Stage & Film's production of John Patrick Shanley 's A Fool and Her Fortune and received an "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series" Emmy nomination for his recurring role as Jacob Prossman on the television series Brooklyn Bridge.

Also during the 1990s, he appeared on Star Trek: Voyager (1995) as an aging rebel seeking to free his (deceased) wife from prison, and starred in Brian Friel's Give Me Your Answer, Do! (1999) mounted by Roundabout Theatre Company.

Grey had a recurring roles on on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (as Doc, 2001), Oz (as Lemuel Idzik, 2003) and Alias (as "Another Mr. Sloane", 2005). He also originated the role of the Wizard of Oz in the hit Broadway musical Wicked.

Trivia: Won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in March 1973 for his performance as the Master of Ceremonies in the 1972 film version of Cabaret.

Started his career as a child actor in the Cleveland Play House.

Attended Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, California.

Was the first Mystery Guest on the syndicated revival of What's My Line? (1968).

Where Are They Now: Grey starred on Broadway in 2011 as Moonface Martin in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Anything Goes at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. He co- directed The Normal Heart in 2011. He was named a Givenik Ambassador and was presented with a lifetime achievement award on June 10, 2013 by The National Yiddish Theatre - Folksbiene.

He's appeared recently on a number of television series, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Warehouse 13, and Nurse Jackie.

Grey's other passion is photography. In 2003, he released his first book of photographs, Pictures I Had To Take. The follow-up, Looking Hard at Unexpected Things, was published in 2006.

He also had a third book published in 2009 titled 1.3 - Images from My Phone. An exhibit of his work was held in April 2011 at the Museum of the City of New York, titled "Joel Grey/A New York Life."

Write To Joel Grey:
Joel Grey
141 Fifth Ave. #300
New York, NY 10010

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