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Ben Vereen (born October 10 , 1946 ) in Miami, Florida , is a Tony Award -winning, Golden Globe ,and Emmy Award -nominated American Actor , Dancer , and Singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway Theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's School of Performing Arts. He was nominated for a Tony Award for '' Jesus Christ Superstar '' in 1972 and won a Tony for his appearance in '' Pippin '' in 1973. Vereen starred in the Broadway Musical '' Wicked '' as the Wizard Of Oz , replacing former Wizard George Hearn on May 31 , 2005 . He was replaced by tour Wizard David Garrison on April 4 , 2006. In addition to his work in the '' in 1993. Other TV appearances include:
Vereen has also performed in one-man shows and actively lectures on black history and inspirational topics. In 1992, he was accidentally struck while walking on the Pacific Coast Highway by a car driven by producer/composer David Foster . FAMILY BACKGROUND According to the Fayetteville Observer of April 29, 2006, Vereen learned while applying for a passport in the late 1960s that he was adopted. His birth certificate revealed that his birth name was Benjamin Augustus Middleton, that he was the son of Essie Middleton, and that he was born in Miami, Florida . In April of 2006, Vereen visited Laurinburg with a genealogist, and learned that his mother's name was Essie May Pearson, who had died 24 years before. According to her acquaintances, Essie had gone on a trip when Ben was a child, and had left her baby in someone's care. When she returned, the child was gone. In May of 2006, he met his mother's daughter, which is his sister, Gloria Walker, of New Haven, Connecticut. He also has other siblings from his mother. (Source: WTNH news ) Vereen is the Godfather of R&B superstar Usher . CULTURAL REFERENCES In the 2002 movie '' Run Ronnie Run '', Vereen is referenced by the fictional band Three Times One Minus One in their song "Ronnie and Kayla's Love Song" in the line "How about a collection of erotic magazines, erotic tangerines, erotic letters from Ben Vereen" as a seemingly random reference. Tenacious D also references Ben Vereen in one of their songs with the random lyrics "Ben Vereen is a raging queen, but he rocks the house..." In the '' Curb Your Enthusiasm '' episode, " Mel's Offer ", Jeff tells Larry to sign "Ben Vereen" on a doctor's office sign-in sheet instead of putting his real name. In the Animaniacs episode, Spellbound, the Brain recites a shrinking spell that goes: Charlie Sheen, Ben Vereen, Shrink to the size of a lima bean!
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