Cleavant Derricks

Cleavant Derricks Jr. was born on May 15, 1953, in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Cecile G. Derricks, a pianist, and Cleavant Derricks Sr., a Baptist preacher and composer recognized for the gospel hymn "Just a Little Talk with Jesus." His twin brother is actor and musician Clinton Derricks-Carroll. Before pursuing acting, Derricks worked as a gospel songwriter in Nashville and collaborated with his father on the gospel album Satisfaction Guaranteed. He also served as musical director and composer for the musical When Hell Freezes Over I'll Skate.

Derricks relocated to New York City to study acting with Vinnette Carroll at the Urban Arts Theatre. His Broadway career, which spanned from 1977 to 2009, began with productions including the 1977 revival of Hair and But Never Jam Today. He went on to originate the role of James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls, earning both the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical in 1982. His Broadway credits also include Big Deal, Brooklyn, in which he played the Streetsinger, and Your Arms Too Short to Box With God. Off-Broadway, he appeared in William Finn's Romance in Hard Times in 1989. The original Broadway cast recording of Dreamgirls was released in 1982, and the Brooklyn cast album followed in 2004.

Derricks built a substantial screen career alongside his stage work. His film appearances include Moscow on the Hudson, Neil Simon's The Slugger's Wife, and Wes Craven's Carnival of Souls. On television, he was a series regular on Good Sports, opposite Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal, and on Thea, alongside Thea Vidale and Brandy. He is perhaps most widely recognized for portraying Rembrandt Brown on the science fiction series Sliders, with Jerry O'Connell, Sabrina Lloyd, and John Rhys-Davies — a distinction notable for his character being the only one to appear throughout the entire run of the series. His television guest credits include Roseanne, A Different World, Miami Vice, Spenser: For Hire, and Charmed, among others.

In 2019, Derricks joined the second U.S. national tour of Wicked as the Wizard of Oz, a role he reprised on Broadway in 2022. In the summer of 2024, he was set to star as Joe in a production of Waitress at the Ogunquit Playhouse.