André De Shields capped a 50-year acting career by scoring his first Tony Award on Sunday night, winning best featured actor in a musical for his role as Hermes in “Hadestown.”
It’s been a long time coming. The 73-year-old performer has worked on Broadway, off-Broadway, in regional theater and on film and television.
In accepting his award, De Shields shared his three cardinal rules for longevity: One, surround yourself with people whose eyes light up when they see you coming. Two, slowly is the fastest way to get where you want to be. And three, the top of one mountain is the bottom of the next, so keep climbing, he said.
De Shields’ two prior Tony nominations were in 1997 for “Play On!” and in 2001 for “The Full Monty.” In 2007, De Shields won an Obie Award for sustained excellence in performance.
But there’s much, much more to De Shields’ storied career.
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