Arnold Wilkerson
Encyclopedia
Arnold Wilkerson is an American
actor
and the creator and owner of the Little Pie Company in Manhattan
, New York City
. As an actor he is particularly known for portraying roles in the original productions of the musical
s Hair
, Jimmy Shine
, and Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
.
. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
in London
where he graduated with a diploma in acting. He moved to New York City
, making his Off-Broadway
debut as Hud in the original production of James Rado and Gerome Ragni
's Hair
at Joseph Papp
's Public Theater in October 1967. He made his Broadway
debut in 1968 as Arnold in the original production of John Sebastian
's Jimmy Shine
, sharing the stage with Dustin Hoffman
and Rue McClanahan
. In 1969 he acted in Jon Swan
's Fireworks
at the Village South Theatre
. That same year he appeared in the original production of Ronald Ribman
's The Most Beautiful Fish with Eileen Dietz
which was commissioned by New York Television Theatre for broadcast on PBS.
In 1971, Wilkerson appeared in the world premiere of Micki Grant
's Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
at the Ford's Theatre
in Washington, D.C. He continued with the production when it moved to Broadway the following year. The show was nominated for a Tony Award
for Best Musical.
After Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, Wilkerson's acting career went through a slump and he worked largely as a waiter. In 1983 he, along with business partner Michael Deraney, founded the Little Pie Company, a popular Manhattan bakery
that specializes in pies. The bakery has since expanded to two locations and has been featured on a number of occasions in The New York Times
. In addition, some of Wilkerson's pie recipes have been published in the newspaper.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and the creator and owner of the Little Pie Company in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. As an actor he is particularly known for portraying roles in the original productions of the musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
s Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
, Jimmy Shine
Jimmy Shine
Jimmy Shine is an American musical with music and lyrics by John Sebastian and a musical book by Murray Schisgal. The plot of the musical centers on its title character who is a struggling artist in Greenwich Village during the 1960s...
, and Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope is a musical revue with music and lyrics by Micki Grant. It was originally produced by Edward Padula.The all-singing, all-dancing show focuses on the African American experience with songs on such topics as tenements, slumlords, ghetto life, student protests, black...
.
Biography
Wilkerson was born and raised in San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he graduated with a diploma in acting. He moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, making his Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
debut as Hud in the original production of James Rado and Gerome Ragni
Gerome Ragni
Gerome Bernard Ragni was an American actor, singer and songwriter, best known as the co-author of the groundbreaking 1960s Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.-Early life:...
's Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
at Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in downtown New York . "The Public," as it is known, has many small theatres within it...
's Public Theater in October 1967. He made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in 1968 as Arnold in the original production of John Sebastian
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
's Jimmy Shine
Jimmy Shine
Jimmy Shine is an American musical with music and lyrics by John Sebastian and a musical book by Murray Schisgal. The plot of the musical centers on its title character who is a struggling artist in Greenwich Village during the 1960s...
, sharing the stage with Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
and Rue McClanahan
Rue McClanahan
Rue McClanahan was an American actress, best known for her roles on television as Vivian Harmon on Maude, Fran Crowley on Mama's Family, and Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls, for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1987.-Early life:McClanahan was born Eddie Rue...
. In 1969 he acted in Jon Swan
Jon Swan
Jon Swan is an American poet, playwright, librettist, journalist, and editor. He studied at Oberlin College, from which he graduated with a degree in English in 1950. In the 1950s, he taught at the Ecole d'Humanite in...
's Fireworks
Fireworks (play)
Fireworks is a set of three one-act plays about American life by Jon Swan. The set includes the plays The Report, Football, and Fireworks For a Hot Fourth. The work premiered Off-Broadway at the Village South Theatre on June 11, 1969 where it ran for a total of seven performances.-The Report:The...
at the Village South Theatre
Village South Theatre
The Village South Theatre was an Off-Broadway theatre in New York City that was active during the 1960s.Located on Vandam Street in Greenwich Village, the theatre opened in 1962 with the original production of Jean Erdman's award-winning musical play The Coach with the Six Insides which was based...
. That same year he appeared in the original production of Ronald Ribman
Ronald Ribman
Ronald Burt Ribman is an American author, poet and playwright.-Biography:Ribman was born in Sydenham Hospital in New York City to Samuel M. Ribman, a lawyer, and Rosa Ribman. He attended public school in Brooklyn, and graduated P.S. 188 in 1944. Ribman attended Mark Twain Jr. High School,...
's The Most Beautiful Fish with Eileen Dietz
Eileen Dietz
Eileen Dietz is an American actress who is best known for her appearances in many horror films such as the face of the demon in The Exorcist and for her portrayal of characters on the soap operas Guiding Light and General Hospital.- Early life and career :As a child, Dietz appeared in commercials...
which was commissioned by New York Television Theatre for broadcast on PBS.
In 1971, Wilkerson appeared in the world premiere of Micki Grant
Micki Grant
Micki Grant is an American singer actress, writer and composer. She performed in Having Our Say , Tambourines to Glory and Jericho-Jim Crow, The Gingham Dog, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope and has received three Tony Award nominations for her writing...
's Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope is a musical revue with music and lyrics by Micki Grant. It was originally produced by Edward Padula.The all-singing, all-dancing show focuses on the African American experience with songs on such topics as tenements, slumlords, ghetto life, student protests, black...
at the Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865...
in Washington, D.C. He continued with the production when it moved to Broadway the following year. The show was nominated for a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Musical.
After Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, Wilkerson's acting career went through a slump and he worked largely as a waiter. In 1983 he, along with business partner Michael Deraney, founded the Little Pie Company, a popular Manhattan bakery
Bakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
that specializes in pies. The bakery has since expanded to two locations and has been featured on a number of occasions in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. In addition, some of Wilkerson's pie recipes have been published in the newspaper.