Ben Vereen net worth is $5 Million. Also know about Ben Vereen bio, salary, height, age weight, relationship and more …

Ben Vereen Wiki Biography

Born Benjamin Augustus Middleton on the 10th October 1946 in Miami, Florida, he is an actor, dancer and singer, best known to the world for appearing in a number of Broadway theatre shows such as “Hair” (1968), “Jesus Christ Superstar” (1971-1973), “Pippin” (1972-1974), and “Wicked” (2005-2006), among others.

Have you ever wondered how rich Ben Vereen is, as of mid-2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Ben Vereen`s net worth is as high as $5 million, an amount earned through his successful career in the entertainment industry. Apart from stage, Ben has appeared in over 70 film and TV titles, which have also improved his net worth.

Ben was adopted by James Vereen and his wife Pauline, however, he had no idea about his adoption until he was 25, when he discovered by chance. He grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York City; even in elementary school, Ben showcased his talent for drama and dance, and was often a participant in local variety shows. He enrolled at the High School of Performing Arts, and was taught by Martha Graham, Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine. After he finished high school, Ben found it hard to make his stage debut, and did several part-time jobs in order to survive. His debut eventually came in 1965 in “The Prodigal Son”, at the Greenwich Mews Theater. Since then, he has appeared in a number of Broadway productions, including “Hair” (1968), “Jesus Christ Superstar” (1971-1973), ‘Pippin” (1972-1974), “Grind” (1985), “Jelly`s Last Jam” (1992-1993), “Chicago” (1999), and “Wicked” (2005-2006), among others, all of which increased his net worth by a large margin, but also boosted his popularity.

Thanks to the initial success on stage, Ben managed to launch a career behind cameras, and he made a debut in the film “Sweet Charity” in 1969. During the 1970s he had several notable roles, including the one as Louis Armstrong in “Louis Armstrong – Chicago Style” (1976), and as O`Connor Flood in “All That Jazz” (1979). Ben continued successfully through the 1980s, appearing in several films and TV series that would achieve some success, both financially and artistically. In the 1980s he appeared as E.L. ‘Tenspeed’ Turner in “Tenspeed And Brown Shoe”, and from 1983 until 1985 he was Uncle Phillip Long in “Webster”. In 1985 he was cast in the film “Lost In London” (1985), and the following year played Mayor Ben in the TV series “Zoobilee Zoo”. By the end of the 1980s, he had also appeared in “J.J. Starbuck” in 1988, and a year before he played Shaka in “Buy & Sell”, featuring Robert Carradine in the lead role.

In 1991 he was selected for the role of Captain Ben Hutchinson in “Silk Stalkings”, and stayed on the show until 1993. During the 1990s, he only had brief roles in TV series, such as “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1993), “The Nanny” (1994), “New York Undercover” (1995), “Touched By An Angel” (1996), and “Soldier of Fortune, Inc” (1998), among others, all of which added to his net worth. He also appeared in films “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” (1998), and “I`ll Take You There” (1999).

His next notable role was in the film “The Painting” in 2001, and in “Feast of All Saints” (2001). Five years later, he featured in “Idlewild”, and in 2009 he appeared in the films “Tapioca” and “21 and a Wake-Up”. Two years later, Ben`s net worth increased thanks to his appearance in the film “Mama I Want To Sing”, and from 2010 until 2014 he appeared in several episodes of the popular TV series “How I Met Your Mother”, as Sam Gibbs. To speak further of his accomplishments, in 2014 he was a cast member of the film “Top Five”, with Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson in lead roles, and in “Time Out Of Mind” with the likes of Richard Gere and Jena Malone. Most recently he was selected to appear in the film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again”, which is currently in post-production, and is scheduled for release in 2016.

During his career, he has received numerous prestigious awards, for both stage and television work, including a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for “Pippin”, and two Golden Globe nominations for “Ellis Island” (1984), and “Funny Lady” (1975), among others.Regarding his personal life, Ben was married to Nancy Burner for 36 years, before they divorced in 2012; the couple had five children, however, their daughter Naja died when she was 16, after a truck overturned on her car.

Ben is also known as a philanthropist, serving as public speaker on several topics, including black history, education, among others. He has been rewarded numerous times, including the Lifeline Celebration Achievement Award, given by The Community Mental Health Council, an Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award, and many others.

IMDB Wikipedia $5 million 1946 1946-10-10 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Actor Actors African American American Ben Hutchinson Ben Vereen Ben Vereen Jr. Ben Vereen Net Worth Benjamin Augustus Middleton Chris Rock Dancer Essie May Pearson Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School George Balanchine Gloria Walker High School of Performing Arts James Middleton James Vereen Jerome Robbins Kabara Vereen Karon Vereen King of Brooklyn Laurinburg Malaika Vereen Martha Graham Minister Naja Vereen Nancy Bruner Nancy Bruner (m. 1976) North Carolina October 10 Pauline Vereen Phillip Long Richard Gere Jena Malone Robert Carradine Rosario Dawson Sam Gibbs Singer Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical United States United States of America

Ben Vereen Quick Info

Ben Vereen Quotes

• Live stage is being made as you go along. You feel the energy. There’s nothing like a live audience.
• Everyone I’ve worked with has been good. You learn from the good, what’s good, and you learn from the bad what not to do.
• If we plant the right seeds, tomorrow will be better. If you put out good things, then you’ll get good things back. That’s part of our responsibility as entertainers.

Ben Vereen Important Facts

• Appearing opposite Judd Hirsch in the play, “I’m Not Rappaport” at the Booth Theater in New York. [June 2002]
• Currently playing the Wizard of Oz in the musical “Wicked” on Broadway. [July 2005]
• Portraying the Wizard in Broadway’s Wicked. [June 2004]
• Performing at the Very Special Arts Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC [June 2004]
• He played “Chicken” George Moore in Roots (1977) between the ages of 18 (in 1824) and 64 (in 1870).
• He played Madge Sinclair’s grandson in Roots (1977) and her husband in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).
• Although he played Georg Stanford Brown’s father in Roots (1977), he is more than three years Brown’s junior in real life. Similarly, he played the son of Leslie Uggams, who is likewise three years his senior, in the same production.
• His Grandson Darryl is a Linebacker for the University of Tennessee Volunteers Football team.
• Born in Laurinburg, North Carolina.
• When he was 21 years old, he learned while applying for a passport that he was adopted and that his birth name was Benjamin Augustus Middleton. It took many decades before he traced his mother, Essie May Middelton (Pearson), already deceased. However, he did meet his blood family, including an older sister living in New Haven, Connecticut.
• In addition to starring in, Ben was also the acting coach on the movie Idlewild (2006) for such performers as André Benjamin (aka Andre 3000), Terrence Howard and Paula Patton.
• Ben’s high school classmates were Glynn Turman, Michael Peters and Lester Wilson to name a few at the Performing Arts.
• Ben is an ordained minister.
• Ben’s second wife Nancy Bruner was a dancer in the London production of “Golden Boy”. Ben was Sammy Davis Jr.’s understudy at the time.
• Ben met first wife Andrea Townsley when they were young and singing together at her father’s Brooklyn church in the gospel choir. The marriage, which produced son Ben Jr., lasted only a few years. Andrea is now a pastor at her late father’s church.
• Played the character of E.L. “Tenspeed” Turner in the unrelated television shows Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (1980) and J.J. Starbuck (1987), both created by Stephen J. Cannell.
• Of modest beginnings, his father James was a factory worker and mother Pauline a maid and wardrobe mistress.
• Graduated from the New York’s High School of the Performing Arts
• In June of 1992, he suffered a stroke following a minor car accident in which he hit his head on the steering wheel earlier that day. He recovered and after extensive physical and occupational therapy, was able to dance again.
• Won Broadway’s 1973 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for “Pippin.” Was nominated the year before, in 1972, as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Musical) for “Jesus Christ, Superstar.”
• 1 son, Ben, with first wife. 4 daughters (Kabara, Malaika, Naja and Karon) with current wife.
• Is the godfather of singer/dancer/actor Usher Raymond.
• In 1987 his daughter, Naja, was killed in a car accident at the age of 16.
• Was named as “King of Brooklyn” at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival in 1985
• He was understudy for Sammy Davis Jr. in the 1964 Broadway musical “Golden Boy”.
• Tony Award winner for “Pippin”

Ben Vereen Filmography

Ben Vereen Awards