Tommy Tune

An amiable, lanky 6' 7" former chorus dancer, Tommy Tune has inherited the mantle of his mentor, the late Michael Bennett, as one of the few director-choreographers working in contemporary American theater. He is unique, however, in that he is also a musical theater star. In fact, Tune, who has won nine Tony Awards, is the only individual to have won the medallion in four different categories. Born and raised in Texas, Tune headed to NYC in the early 1960s and on his first day in Manhattan landed his first job in the chorus of a touring company of "Irma La Douce". He first worked with Michael Bennett as a chorus dancer in the Broadway show "A Joyful Noise" (1966) and had his breakthrough under Bennett's guidance, playing the first openly gay character in a musical, the choreographer David in "Seesaw" (1973-74). Tune won his first Tony as Featured Actor in a Musical for the role, which had him tap dancing to a New York State statute ("Chapter 54, Number 1909") and provided him with the showstopping, balloon-filled eleven-o'clock number "It's Not Where You Start".

Despite this acclaim, Tune was not able to find a suitable follow-up role, Instead, he turned to directing with the gender-bending Off-Broadway "The Club" (1976), which featured an all-female cast in male drag. He handled similar terrain with Caryl Churchill's "Cloud 9" (1981), which had its cast playing characters of both genders. Tune segued to choreographing and staging musicals in tandem with Thommie Walsh and Peter Masterson respectively with "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1978). He has gone on to earn numerous accolades and awards for his polished, stylish musical stagings of such Broadway musicals as ""A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine" (1980); "Nine" (1982), the highly-stylized musical version of Fellini's "8 1/2"; "My One and Only" (1983); the Broadway version of the film classic "Grand Hotel" (1990); and "The Will Rogers Follies" (1991).

In 1983, Tune scored a personal triumph as star, director and co-choreographer of "My One and Only", a reworking of the Gershwin musical "Funny Face". Re-teaming with British model-turned-actress Twiggy (with whom he had co-starred in Ken Russell's "The Boy Friend" in 1971). he proved a delight, invoking the ghost of Fred Astaire who had originated the role. After a long hiatus. Tune resumed performing opposite Ann Reinking in a touring company of "Bye Bye Birdie" in 1991. He has continued to perform his nightclub act "Tommy Tune Tonight!" (backed by the Manhattan Rhythm Kings) around the USA. His anticipated return to Broadway in 1995's "Busker Alley", a musicalization of the 1938 Charles Laughton starrer "St Martin's Lane", was curtailed when he broke his foot while performing in Tampa, FL. During his recovery from his injury, Tune recorded his first solo album, "Slow Dancing", and penned his memoirs. "Footnotes" (both 1997). In 1998, it was announced that he was working on a musical stage adaptation of the Irving Berlin movie musical "Easter Parade" which would team him with Sandy Duncan. A 1999 Broadway opening was anticipated.

• Also Credited As:
  Thomas James Tune
• Born:
  February 28, 1939 in Wichita Falls, Texas
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Choreographer, Dancer, Director, Singer

Family

• Father: Jim Pridemore Tune. born c. 1900, died in 1975 of diverticulitis
• Mother: Eva Mae Tune. died of cancer in 1989 at age 82
• Sister: Grace Adella Tune. born on May 17, 1949
• Sister: Nell Tune. born c. 1929

Significant Others

• Companion: David Wolfe. together from c. 1983 until his death from complications from AIDS on December 25, 1994
• Companion: Michel Stuart. died on September 7, 1997 at age 54 in an automobile accident in Malibu, CA; acted and danced in the London production of "West Side Story" and originated the role of Greg in "A Chorus Line" while it was being workshopped, and later at NY's Public Theater and on Broadway; designed clothes for Giorgio Sant'Angelo and for such Tommy Tune-directed Broadway productions as "Cloud 9" and "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine"; Stuart also was a producer of "Cloud 9", "Nine" and "The Tap Dance Kid"; together from the early 1970s until 1976

Education

• University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 1962-63

Milestones

• 1965 Broadway debut, in chorus of musical "Baker Street"
• 1966 First collaboration with Michael Bennett, a chorus role in "A Joyful Noise"
• 1969 Choreographed US tour of musical "Canterbury Tales"
• 1969 Film debut as Ambrose Kemper in "Hello, Dolly!", directed by Gene Kelly
• 1969 Regular on the NBC variety series, "Dean Martin Presents the Golddiggers"
• 1971 Had featured role in Ken Russell's film "The Boy Friend"; co-starred with Twiggy
• 1973 Breakthrough stage role as the homosexual choreographer David in Michael Bennett's production of "Seesaw"; won first Tony Award
• 1976 Off-Broadway directorial debut, "The Club"
• 1978 Co-directed (with Peter Masterson) and co-choreographed (with Thommie Walsh) the stage musical "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"
• 1980 Directed and co-choreographed (with Walsh) "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine"; won second Tony Award
• 1982 Staged the stage musical "Nine", based on Fellini's "8 1/2"; show received five Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Director (Tune's third)
• 1983 Played the leading role in the of musical "My One and Only", a reworking of the Gershwin musical "Funny Face" co-starring Twiggy; also directed and co-choreographed with Thommie Walsh; won Tony Awards as Best Actor in a Musical and Best Choreography (his fourth and fifth)
• 1987 Had first failure as director with the play "Stepping Out"
• 1990 Choreographed and directed the musical "Grand Hotel"; won sixth and seventh Tony Awards
• 1990 Did uncredited staging of Shirley MacLaine's number "I'm Still Here" in Mike Nichols' "Postcards From the Edge"
• 1991 Co-starred with Ann Reinking in a touring company of "Bye Bye Birdie"
• 1991 Staged and choreographed "The Will Rogers Follies"; earned eighth and ninth Tony Awards; show also named Best Musical
• 1993 Performed his nightclub act "Tommy Tune Tonight!", with the Manhattan Rhythm Kings
• 1993 Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• 1994 Had first Broadway flop with the sequel "The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public"
• 1995 Broke foot on tour forcing cancellation of Broadway-bound musical "Busker Alley" (formerly called "Stage Door Charley"
• 1997 Published his memoirs "Footnotes"
• 1997 Released first solo album "Slow Dancing"
• 1998 Announced to play the lead, direct, co-author book and choreograph stage musical adaptation of Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade" to co-star Sandy Duncan; production cancelled
• 1999 Succeeded David Cassidy as the star of the Las Vegas musical "EFX"
• 2001 Performed with The Manhattan Rhythm Kings in a touring stage show
• Began studying dance as a child
• Born and raised in Texas
• Moved to NYC; on his first day in Manhattan, auditioned for and was cast in a touring company of "Irma La Douce". starring Genevieve