ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS, 76, TONY-WINNING BROADWAY ACTOR AND PERFORMER
Informed by The Baltimore Sun of his status as legend, actor André De Shields quipped: “Does that mean I should retire now?”
The “Hadestown” Broadway star and New York City resident is rarely at a loss for words. And, at 76, he’s nowhere near retiring.
Raised on Division Street in West Baltimore, De Shields has ascended to the heights of Broadway stardom with his trademark charisma, work ethic and great style, opening doors for generations of Black actors and theater professionals along the way.
The Baltimore City College alumnus won his first Tony Award at age 73 for his role in “Hadestown” after being nominated twice before. In his acceptance speech, he shouted out his hometown.
“Baltimore, Maryland, are you in the house?” he said. “I hope you’re watching at home because I am making good on my promise that I would come to New York and become someone you’d be proud to call your native son.”
Last year, he returned to Charm City for a weekend performance with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra chronicling his life, including memories of watching movies at the Royal Theater on Pennsylvania Avenue.
In a recent interview with The Sun, De Shields said, “I’m happy that I am a Maryland legend.”
“I am simply trying to be a beacon for Marylanders to be able to follow as each of us makes his and her way through the wilderness.”
He concluded with some words of advice for navigating our troubled times. “Empathy, compassion and concern for one another is the only way that we are going to move forward. We need to stop being nostalgic for normal. Normal is done with us. What we need to do is cultivate a nostalgia for the future, where a new world is eager to be born.”