Cleavant Derricks (actor)

Cleavant Derricks (actor)
Cleavant Derricks Jr. (born May 15, 1953) is an American actor and Tony Award winning singer-songwriter, who is best known for his role of Rembrandt Brown on Sliders.
Biography
Derricks was born in Knoxville, Tennessee to a pianist mother Cecile G. and Baptist preacher/composer Cleavant Derricks Sr., famous for his popular gospel music hymn Just a Little Talk with Jesus. His twin brother is actor and musician Clinton Derricks-Carroll. Derricks began his career as a Nashville gospel songwriter. With his father, he wrote the gospel album Satisfaction Guaranteed. He was the musical director and composer for the musical When Hell Freezes Over I'll Skate.
Derricks went to New York City to study acting with Vinnette Carroll at the Urban Arts Theatre. He received rave reviews for his performance in his Broadway shows, including But Never Jam Today and the 1977 revival of Hair. He also won a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for creating the role of James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls. Off-Broadway he was in the William Finn musical Romance in Hard Times in 1989. He also starred in the Broadway musical Brooklyn as the Streetsinger.
Soon afterwards, Derricks appeared in films such as Moscow on the Hudson, Neil Simon's The Slugger's Wife and Wes Craven's Carnival of Souls. He was a series regular on the short-lived television series Thea with Thea Vidale and Brandy, and Good Sports with Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal. His role as Rembrandt Brown on Sliders with Jerry O'Connell, Sabrina Lloyd and John Rhys-Davies was the only Sliders character to appear throughout the entire series. In addition, Derricks has had numerous guest-starring roles in series such as Roseanne, A Different World, Miami Vice, Spenser: For Hire, Charmed, and many others.
In 2019, Derricks took over the role of the Wizard of Oz in the 2nd U.S. tour of Wicked. He reprised the role in 2022 on Broadway.
Filmography
Miami Magma (2011) as Ray Jackson
Rome & Jewel (2008) as Reverend Q
Cold Case (2007)
The Wedding Bells (2007)
Basilisk: The Serpent King (2006) as Col. Douglas
The Bernie Mac Show (2002) as Willie
World Traveler (2001) as Carl
The Practice (2001) as Mr. Lees
18 Wheels of Justice (2000) as Harold Baines
Charmed (2000) as Cleavant Wilson
Touched by an Angel (1999) as Robert
Wes Craven's Carnival of Souls (1998) as Sid
Sliders (1995–2000) as Rembrandt 'Cryin' Man' Brown
Something Wilder (1994–1995) as Caleb
Thea (1993–1994) as Charles
Woops! (1992) as Frederick Ross
Drexell's Class (1991–1992) as George Foster
Good Sports (1991) as Jeff Mussberger
Sibs (1991)
L.A. Law (1991) as Mark Wright
A Different World (1991) as Larry
Roseanne (1989)
" Sticks Henderson (1988)
Moonlighting (1987) as Leonard Haven
Spenser: For Hire (1987) as Mac Dickerson
Bluffing It (1987) as Cal
Mickey and Nora (1987) as Marvin
The Equalizer (1986) as Sonny Raines
Off Beat (1986) as Abe Washington
Neil Simon's The Slugger's Wife (1985) as Manny Alvarado
Miami Vice (1985) as David Jones
Moscow on the Hudson (1984) as Lionel Witherspoon
The Ambush murders (1982)
Fort Apache the Bronx (1981) as Suspect No. 4
When Hell Freezes Over, I'll Skate (1979)
Cindy (1978) as Michael Simpson
Discography
Dreamgirls: Original Broadway Cast Album (1982)
Beginnings (1999)
Brooklyn'' (2004)
References
External links
Cleavant Derricks official website
1953 births
Living people
African-American male actors
African-American musicians
American male film actors
American male musical theatre actors
American male television actors
Drama Desk Award winners
Identical twin male actors
Actors from Knoxville, Tennessee
Male actors from Tennessee
Tony Award winners
American twins
20th-century African-American male singers
21st-century African-American people