Joel Grey celebrates his birthday
Actor Joel Grey turns 94 years old today. He is best known for his role as the Emcee in the stage and film versions of Cabaret.
Grey has originated roles in several well‑known musicals. He was the first person to play the Wizard of Oz in Wicked, and also starred as Amos Hart in the Broadway revival of Chicago and as Moonface Martin in Anything Goes.
Born in Ohio in 1932, Grey went to high school in Los Angeles and began his acting career in children’s theatre in the 1940s. In the 1950s and 60s he appeared in many well‑known television shows.
He won the Tony Award for his performance in Cabaret in 1966. He returned to the role for the 1972 film version and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Grey has continued to appear in films and television over the decades. In 1985 he appeared in the original production of Larry Kramer’s play The Normal Heart, and he co‑directed the 2011 revival of the play.
He married in 1958; the couple divorced in 1982. His daughter is actress Jennifer Grey, who starred in Dirty Dancing and appeared in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
In 2017 Grey said in an interview with People that he was not a fan of applying labels to sexuality, but if he had to, he would describe himself as a gay man.
Hero Image: Joel Grey at the 2022 Chita Rivera Awards photographed by Phillip Romano, published under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 licence.
