American actor
Forrest McClendon is an American stage actor, singer and professor. McClendon received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical nomination in 2011 for his portrayal of Mr. Tambo in the Broadway musical The Scottsboro Boys .[ 1] [ 2] The Scottsboro Boys marked McClendon's Broadway debut.[ 3] [ 4]
Biography
McClendon was born and raised in Norwalk, Connecticut .[ 2] [ 3] He was raised in the Roodner Court housing projects in South Norwalk .[ 3] His mother, Ruthie Mae Brown, still resides in Norwalk.[ 2] He attended Nathan Hale Middle School and graduated from Norwalk High School in 1983.[ 2] McClendon received his first formal singing lessons from Lewis Cisto, a teacher in the Norwalk High School music department.[ 2] He also received lessons from Betty Jones , a Connecticut opera singer, and Cassandra Eaton, the music minister of Grace Baptist Church in Norwalk.[ 2]
He initially studied engineering at the University of Connecticut .[ 2] However, he switched majors to vocal studies, for which he obtained a bachelor's degree .[ 2]
Career
In 1993, McClendon appeared off-Broadway in Faith Journey . He also appeared as CC White in a 2005 Prince Music Theatre revival of Dreamgirls: The Musical in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania .[ 5]
He made his Broadway debut as Mr. Tambo in the 2010 musical The Scottsboro Boys , after appearing in the musical off-Broadway.[ 4] The role led to McClendon's first Tony Award nomination in May 2011 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical .[ 2] [ 6]
In 2011, McClendon performed in a regional production of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at the Two Rivers Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey .[ 4]
McClendon is a faculty member at Temple University and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Arts in Philadelphia .[ 2] He is a resident of East Lampeter Township , a suburb of Lancaster , Pennsylvania, as of 2011.[ 4] [ 7]
References
^ D'Arminio, Aubry (May 6, 2011). "The Tony nominees react: How they partied with ribs, Louis CK, and an F-word cake" . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved May 28, 2011 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j Rivard, Nicole (May 14, 2011). "Tony nominee McClendon credits Norwalk upbringing for his success" . Connecticut Post . Retrieved May 28, 2011 .
^ a b c Wright, Chase (May 7, 2011). "Norwalk native turned Broadway star nominated for Tony Award" . Stamford Times . Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2011 .
^ a b c d Holahan, Jane (May 13, 2011). "Surprised when Tony comes calling" . Intelligencer Journal . Retrieved May 28, 2011 .
^ "Forrest McClendon Theatre Credits, News, Bio and Photos" . broadwayworld.com .
^ Kennedy, Mark (May 6, 2011). "Norwalk native nominated for Tony Award" . Norwalk Citizen. Associated Press . Retrieved May 28, 2011 .
^ "Local actor nominated for a Tony award" . Intelligencer Journal . May 3, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2011 .
External links