"Ain't Misbehavin" André De Shields Hand Signed FDC Dated 1995 Todd Mueller COA

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Up for auction
"Ain't Misbehavin" André De Shields Hand Signed First Day Cover Dated 1995.
This
item
is certified authentic by Todd Mueller Autographs and comes with their Certificate of Authenticity.
ES-2757
André De Shields
(born January 12, 1946) is an American actor, singer, dancer, director, and choreographer. His
Broadway
credits include
Warp!
,
Ain't Misbehavin'
,
Play On!
,
The Full Monty
,
Impressionism
, and the title role in
The Wiz
. De Shields originated the role of
Hermes
on Broadway in the musical
Hadestown
, winning the 2019
Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical
and the 2020
Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album
for his performance. He has also appeared on television, and won an
Primetime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Individual Achievement for his performance in the 1982
NBC
broadcast of
Ain't Misbehavin'
. De Shields was born on January 12, 1946, in Dundalk, Maryland, to Mary Gunther and John De Shields. He was raised in Baltimore, Maryland, as the ninth of eleven children. De Shields obtained his high school diploma at Baltimore City College in 1964, then attended
Wilmington College
, where he starred in a production of
Lorraine Hansberry
's
A Raisin in the Sun
. He then transferred colleges and earned his B.A. degree in English literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1970. In 1991, De Shields received his M.A. degree in African American studies from New York University's
Gallatin School of Individualized Study
, where he now serves as an
adjunct professor
. De Shields began his professional career in the 1969 Chicago production of
Hair
, which led to a role in
The Me Nobody Knows
and participation in Chicago's
Organic Theater Company
. He performed in a number of
off-off-Broadway
productions at
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
in the
East Village of Manhattan
during the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. These included Ken Rubenstein's
Sacred Guard
(1973), Lamar Alford's
Thoughts
(1974), and the
Cotton Club Gala
with music by
Aaron Bell
and directed by
Ellen Stewart
(1985). He co-wrote (with Judith Cohen) and directed an evening of songs called
Judith and the Cohen Sisters in Midnight in Manhattan
at La MaMa in September/October 1984. He directed a production of Chico Kasinoir's
The Adventures of Rhubarb: The Rock and Roll Rabbit
in 1985 and a production of his own work,
Saint Tous
, to celebrate
Black History Month
at La MaMa in February 1991.
He made his
Broadway debut
as Xander in
Stuart Gordon
's 1973
Warp!
and next appeared in
Paul Jabara
's 1973
Rachael Lily Rosenbloom (And Don't You Ever Forget It)
, which closed during previews. He then appeared in the title role of
The Wiz
,
Charlie Smalls
and
William F. Brown
's 1975 musical directed by
Geoffrey Holder
.