Entertainer Harry Connick Jr.
The Singer, Musician and Actor Alternates Between Stage, Screen, TV
Oct 20, 2008
It appears that Harry Connick Jr. is comfortable behind any microphone or in front of any camera. He expanded his entertainment resume considerably in 2008 when he played Dr. Dennis Slamon in a television movie celebrating the cancer researcher’s efforts to develop Herceptin, the breast cancer drug.
Producer Mark Zadam told USA Today that Slamon was "the role of a lifetime" for Connick. "He has the charisma and warmth and the acting chops" for it.
"I've never played a historical figure before," Connick told The Times-Picayune. He acknowledged that meeting and playing the famous doctor was intimidating.
"He's a big guy, but he carries himself well," Connick told columnist David Walker. "You get the sense that he doesn't want to spend a lot of time screwing around... He's busy. He's trying to save the world."
Connick and Branford Marsalis Launched Musicians Village
Connick has tried to do something similar, on a smaller scale, in his native New Orleans. He has teamed with other entertainers to help rebuild the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, staging benefit concerts, devoting album royalties and telling the New Orleans story at each opportunity. He and fellow Orleanian Branford Marsalis launched "Musicians Village" to build new affordable houses in the city’s devastated Ninth Ward.
His post-Katrina activities gave him two more roles—New Orleans ambassador and humanitarian. Add those to singer, musician, actor, composer, arranger, inventor, carnival king, long-time husband and father of three daughters.
At last count, Connick had produced 25 albums, starting with "Dixieland Plus" in 1977. His latest, "What a Night! A Christmas Album," was scheduled for release in November 2008, about the same time he was scheduled to begin his 16-city, month-long holiday celebration tour.
Dedicated "Oh My NOLA" to New Orleans
In 2007, he dedicated two albums to New Orleans:
- "Oh, My NOLA," with royalities dedicated to the Habitat for Humanity "Musicians Village." The album includes "Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey," "Jambalaya," "Lazy Bones," and "Hello, Dolly."
- A piano instrumental titled "Chanson du Vieux Carre"
Those albums followed Connick’s highly successful role as Sid in the Broadway revival of "The Pajama Game." He was nominated for a Tony and several other awards for his performance.
Connick began his career as a crooner whose singing reminded many people of Frank Sinatra. By the time he was 41 and was posing for pictures with Amanda Bynes at a 2008 screening of "Living Proof," he was beginning to resemble Sinatra in looks.
Won Three Grammies, One Emmy
Over the years, Connick:
- Strayed from jazz to funk briefly to produce two platinum albums and to take funk on tours to China and England.
- Performed in 19 movies, ranging from comedies to science fiction. He won three Grammies and was nominated for several others for his singing in the movies.
- Performed in six soundtracks, including "South Pacific," "Sleepless in Seattle" and "The Godfather Part III."
- Won the 2004 Emmy Award for oustanding music direction with "Only You: In Concert."
- Founded the Krewe of Orpheus, one of New Orleans’ four biggest carnival parading organizations.
- Obtained a United States patent for "a system and method for coordinating music display among players in an orchestra," substituting Power Mac computers for sheet music.
- Connick married Texas-born Victoria’s Secret model Jill Goodacre in 1994. They and their three daughters live in Connecticut. He is the son of Harry Connick Sr., who served as New Orleans district attorney from 1977 to 2003.
References:
- The Times-Picayune, Oct. 18, 2008
- Harry Connick Jr.,com
- USA Today.com, Oct. 16, 2008
- New York Times.com, Feb. 24, 2006
- Teresa Riordan, New York Times, March 4, 2002
New Orleans Habitat for Humanity
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