Quick Facts
Biography
Gilbert Price (September 10, 1942 – January 2, 1991) was an American operatic baritone and actor.
Price was a protégé of Langston Hughes. He was also a life member of New York's famed Actors Studio. Price first gained notice in 1964, for his performances in Hughes' Off-Broadway production of Jerico-Jim Crow. For his work, Price received a Theatre World Award.
Early life
Price was born on September 10, 1942, in New York City of African-American heritage. In 1960, he graduated from Erasmus Hall High School, where he stood out for both his talent and gentle, easygoing manner.
It has been written that while he was a protégé of Langston Hughes, Hughes had become smitten with the young Price. Unpublished love poems by Hughes were addressed to a man Hughes called "Beauty." It is believed these poems referred to Price.
Career
Price made guest appearances on several television talk and variety shows including The Ed Sullivan Show, Red Skelton, and The Merv Griffin Show. Price also sang oratorios, including Leonard Bernstein's Mass, in 1971.
Awards
Price was nominated for three Tony Awards and was the recipient of a Theatre World Award:
- Jerico-Jim Crow (1964) – Theatre World Award
- Lost in the Stars (1972) – Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical
- The Night That Made America Famous (1975) – Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical
- Timbuktu! (1978) – Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
- "Gilbert Price Tony Awards Info - Browse by Nominee". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
- Theatre World Award Recipients Theatre World Awards. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
Other works
- Fly Blackbird (1962) - C. Bernard Jackson & James Hatch
- The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd (1965) - Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley
- Promenade (1969) - Maria Irene Fornes & Al Carmines
- 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (1976) - Leonard Bernstein & Alan Jay Lerner
Death
Price died in Vienna, Austria, in 1991 of accidental asphyxiation. He was 48 years old.