Ben Vereen Biography

Ben Vereen biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Ben Vereen
OCCUPATION: Actor
BIRTH DATE: October 10, 1946 (Age: 66)
PLACE OF BIRTH: Miami, Florida
ZODIAC SIGN: Libra

Best Known For

Actor Ben Vereen starred in Broadway's Jesus Christ Superstar and Pippin before appearing in the epic 1977 mini series Roots.

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Ben Vereen

APA Style

Ben Vereen. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 11:41, May 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/ben-vereen-9542361.

Harvard Style

Ben Vereen. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/ben-vereen-9542361 [Accessed 20 May 2013].

MLA Style

"Ben Vereen." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 20 2013, 11:41 http://www.biography.com/people/ben-vereen-9542361.

MHRA Style

"Ben Vereen," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/ben-vereen-9542361 [accessed May 20, 2013].

Chicago Style

"Ben Vereen," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/ben-vereen-9542361 (accessed May 20, 2013).

CBE/CSE Style

Ben Vereen [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/ben-vereen-9542361.

Bluebook Style

Ben Vereen, http://www.biography.com/people/ben-vereen-9542361 (last visited May 20, 2013).

AMA Style

Ben Vereen. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/ben-vereen-9542361. Accessed May 20, 2013.

In 1987, his 16-year-old daughter, Naja, was killed in an automobile accident. Devastated by personal misfortune, Vereen developed a crippling addiction to cocaine. After curtailing his career, he fell into a deep depression that culminated in his voluntary admittance into a drug rehabilitation program.

Shortly after his release,

Vereen was the victim of a life-threatening automobile accident when he was struck by a car while walking along a Malibu highway. His critical injuries (including a broken leg) required him to undergo arduous physical rehabilitation in the ensuing months.

Comeback

In 1993, Vereen staged an unlikely comeback when he returned to Broadway in Jelly's Last Jam (1993). He returned to feature films with a role in Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998), which starred Halle Berry. In 2001, he appeared in the drama The Painting and the TV miniseries Feast of All Saints.

Vereen had one son with his first wife, Andrea Townsley. He is currently married to Nancy Bruner, with whom he had four daughters.