Raised in Lackawanna, New York, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University, a master’s from Wayne State and an honorary doctorate, grounding his work in acting, playwriting. After a Broadway debut in Jelly’s Last Jam (1992), he won a Tony for Best Featured Actor in Seven Guitars (1996) and later earned Tony nominations for his solo show Lackawanna Blues (2022) and revival Joe Turner’…
