
Acting
Jul 31, 1930
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
Geoffrey Holder
Acting
Biography
Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad of African descent, Holder was an actor known for his towering 200-centimeter (6'6") height, heavily accented deep basso voice and hearty laugh. With that and his appearance in the 1970s 7 Up soft drink "uncola" advertising campaign, Holder's image quickly became recognizable. He was also in the 1967 movie Dr. Dolittle as William Shakespeare, "Willy," and played Baron Samedi, one of the main villain's henchmen, in the 1973 James Bond film, Live and Let Die. Though the 7 Up advertising campaign lasted only a short while in the early 1970s, the company revived the campaign in the early 1980s after Holder achieved a spike in popularity in the 1982 movie version of the musical Annie, in which he played the role of Punjab. He was a prolific painter, ardent art collector, and performer who had also authored books and composed music. As a choreographer, he created dance pieces for many companies, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and The Dance Theatre of Harlem. Holder was married to dancer Carmen De Lavallade, whom he met when both were in the cast of Truman Capote's House of Flowers. .
Feature Films (30)

James Bond must investigate a mysterious murder case of a British agent in New Orleans. Soon he finds himself up against a gangster boss named Mr. Big.
Live and Let Die

A pirate and a hot-tempered noblewoman join forces to protect Jamaica from a tyrant.
Swashbuckler

An urgent plea to protect creatures from man's insensitivity and greed. The program offers clear explanations of why the survival of sea turtles, humpbacked whales, tiger, bears and other threatened animals is essential to the balance of nature.
Going, Going, Almost Gone! Animals in Danger

An orphan in a facility run by the mean Miss Hannigan, Annie believes that her parents left her there by mistake. When a rich man named Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks decides to let an orphan live at his home to promote his image, Annie is selected. While Annie gets accustomed to living in Warbucks' mansion, she still longs to meet her parents. So Warbucks announces a search for them and a reward, which brings out many frauds.
Annie

A veterinarian who can communicate with animals travels abroad to search for a giant sea snail.
Doctor Dolittle

The story of the evolution of tropical rain forests, their recent and rapid destruction, and the intense efforts of scientists to understand them even as they disappear. This film gives viewers a better appreciation of the importance of tropical rain forests on a global scale.
Tropical Rainforest

Two boys discover a pair of lensless motorcycle goggles, and have to outsmart some older boys before they can have fun with their new treasure.
Goggles!

A team of maritime salvage workers are about to embark on a recovery dive. However the 1883 Krakatoa Volcano eruption provides more pressing problems.
Krakatoa, East of Java

Once a successful dancer, Miriam has abandoned her career to bring up her son, Serge, after her boyfriend walked out of her.
Chance or Coincidence

Once upon a time a guardian was chosen to watch over all living things. She was called The Magistical. Hoping to preserve all precious life, The Magistical created a spell. This spell granted the last of every type of creature, immortality. However, to one very evil Draken, the spell would carry a very different meaning than intended. By killing all other Drakens, she would become the last. Without fear of death, such a beast could rule the world. Now only one baby cub stands between her and her evil ambitions. And between them stands a small, but determined obstacle, named Foible.
The Magistical

This intimate documentary follows careers of two remarkable personalities: Carmen de Lavallade, a dynamic dancer and choreographer from California who moved to New York with Alvin Ailey and began a legacy of modern dance in America, and her husband Geoffrey Holder, a Trinidad-born choreographer, set and costume designer, painter and man about town with productions such as The Wiz. Features interviews and performance footage of friends and colleagues: dancers Judith Jamison, Gus Solomons, Jr., Dudley Williams, Ulysses Dove and Alvin Ailey.
Carmen & Geoffrey

A television movie about a veteran policeman who accidentally kills a musician. The ghost of the musician returns to persuade the cop to steer the musician's grandson away from drug peddlers and into a life of music.
Ghost of a Chance
Television & Series (5)

The series provides children with valuable tools for growth in key areas of music, social skill development, and cognitive learning through integrated programs combining music, movement, and exploration. With Bear and all his friends, learn about cooperation, teamwork and more.
Bear in the Big Blue House

DuPont Show of the Month is an acclaimed 90-minute television anthology series that aired monthly on CBS from 1957 to 1961. The DuPont Company also sponsored a weekly half-hour anthology drama series hosted by June Allyson, The DuPont Show with June Allyson. During the Golden Age of Television, DuPont Show of the Month was one of numerous anthology series telecast between 1949 and 1962. Superficially, it resembled Playhouse 90 and other anthologies, but DuPont Show of the Month focused less on contemporary dramas and more on adaptations of literary classics, including Oliver Twist, The Prince and the Pauper, Billy Budd, The Prisoner of Zenda, A Tale of Two Cities and The Count of Monte Cristo.
DuPont Show of the Month

The series takes place in Cyberspace, a virtual world, and chronicles the adventures of three children, Jackie, Inez, and Matt, as they use math and problem solving skills to save Cyberspace and its leader, Motherboard, from The Hacker, the villain.
Cyberchase

The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.

