Forrest McClendon

Forrest McClendon (born in Norwalk, Connecticut) is an American stage actor, singer and professor. McClendon received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a 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 had 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 public housing project 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 (UC).[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]

The actor is now in rehearsal for 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

  1. ↑ D'Arminio, Aubry (2011-05-06). "The Tony nominees react: How they partied with ribs, Louis CK, and an F-word cake". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rivard, Nicole (2011-05-14). "Tony nominee McClendon credits Norwalk upbringing for his success". Connecticut Post. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  3. 1 2 3 Wright, Chase (2011-05-07). "Norwalk native turned Broadway star nominated for Tony Award". Stamford Times. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Holahan, Jane (2011-05-13). "Surprised when Tony comes calling". Intelligencer Journal. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  5. ↑ http://broadwayworld.com/people/Forrest_McClendon/
  6. ↑ Kennedy, Mark (2011-05-06). "Norwalk native nominated for Tony Award". Associated Press. Norwalk Citizen. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  7. ↑ "Local actor nominated for a Tony award". Intelligencer Journal. 2011-05-03. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
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