Geoffrey Holder, a renowned dancer, choreographer, and actor, was born on August 1, 1930, in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, to a middle-class family. He was one of four children, and his older brother Boscoe Holder, a talented dancer and choreographer, taught him painting and dancing from a young age.
Geoffrey joined his brother's dance troupe, the Holder Dance Company, at the age of seven. He later assumed direction of the company in the late 1940s after Boscoe moved to London. In 1954, Holder moved to the United States, where he was discovered by Agnes de Mille, a renowned choreographer and daughter of director-producer Cecil B. DeMille.
Holder's talent as a painter was recognized, and he sold a score of his paintings to raise funds to bring his dance company to New York City. He won a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1957 to study painting and appeared with his dance company, now titled Geoffrey Holder and Company, in New York through 1960.
On December 30, 1954, Holder made his Broadway debut in the original musical "House of Flowers," where he met and married fellow cast member Carmen DeLavallade, a dancer. He also became a principal dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet from 1955 to 1956.
Holder's acting career took off in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with notable roles in "Waiting for Godot" and "All Night Long." He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Baron Samedi in the James Bond movie "Live and Let Die" in 1973.
In addition to his work in film and theater, Holder has won numerous awards for his direction and choreography, including the 1975 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for "The Wiz." He has also written two books, one on folklore and one on Caribbean cuisine.
Throughout his career, Holder has been known for his striking 6'6" presence and bass voice, which he has used to great effect in various TV commercials, including soft drink advertisements.
