Cleavant Derricks

Cleavant Derricks, born in Knoxville, Tennessee, is a performer whose work spans acting, singing and songwriting. He began as a gospel songwriter in Nashville and served as musical director and composer for When Hell Freezes Over I'll Skate. He moved to New York City, where he trained as an actor under Vinnette Carroll at the Urban Arts Theatre, and earned rave reviews for Broadway work such as But Never Jam Today and a 1977 revival of Hair. He won both a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for originating James Thunder Early in Dreamgirls, then appeared Off-Broadway in William Finn's Romance in Hard Times and on Broadway as the Streetsinger in Brooklyn. His film credits include Moscow on the Hudson (1984), The Slugger's Wife (1985) and Carnival of Souls (1998). On television he was a regular on Thea and Good Sports and played Rembrandt Brown on Sliders, the only character to appear in every episode.