What Is Ben Vereen's Net Worth?
Ben Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has a net worth of $2 million. Ben Vereen shot to Broadway stardom when he won the 1973 Tony Award for his starring role in Bob Fosse's "Pippin." The previous year, he had been nominated for a Tony Award for "Jesus Christ Superstar." Ben became a famously versatile song-and-dance man, a stage star who also appeared in feature films and on television. His most famous roles on TV include African slave Chicken George in the miniseries "Roots" (1977), Jeff Goldblum's partner on the cop show "Tenspeed and Brown Shoe" (1980), and the grumpy police captain on "Silk Stalkings" (1991–1993). He received an Emmy nomination in 1977 for Alex Haley's landmark TV miniseries "Roots."
Numerous offers of work followed on the heels of Vereen's success in "Roots." In addition to an already dizzying schedule, he developed a live stage act that he performed in nightclubs all over the world. In the 1990s, he guest-starred on TV's "Star Trek: The Next Generation" as the father of engineer Geordi LaForge, played by LeVar Burton. In "Roots," he had played the grandson of another Burton character, Kunta Kinte. In 2005, Ben appeared in the Broadway musical "Wicked" as the Wizard of Oz. He was a recreational drug user for years, and he became seriously addicted to cocaine after his daughter was killed in a 1987 automobile accident. He made up for those lost opportunities by founding Celebrities for a Drug-Free America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating young people about the dangers of drugs. In recent years, Vereen has had recurring role on the Fox series "Star" (2018–2019) and the CBS sitcom "B Positive" (2021–2022).
Early Life
Ben Vereen was born Benjamin Augustus Middleton on October 10, 1946, in Laurinburg, North Carolina. His family moved to Brooklyn, New York City, when he was a baby, and they lived in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Ben was adopted by paint-factory worker James Vereen and theatre wardrobe mistress/maid Pauline Vereen, and he found out that he was adopted when he applied for a passport in his twenties. Vereen's family followed the Pentecostal religion, a form of Protestant Charismatic Christianity. As a preteen, Ben showed a talent for acting and dance, and he began performing in variety shows. When he was 14 years old, he started studying under choreographers George Balanchine, Martha Graham, and Jerome Robbins at the High School of Performing Arts. After graduation, Vereen had a difficult time finding suitable stage work and often took odd jobs to make extra money.
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Career
At the age of 18, Ben appeared in the off-off Broadway play "The Prodigal Son," then he traveled to Las Vegas to perform in a Bob Fosse-directed production of "Sweet Charity." He toured with the show from 1967 to 1968. After returning to New York City, Vereen made his Broadway debut in "Hair" in 1968, and he followed it with Broadway productions of "Jesus Christ Superstar" (1971–1973), "Pippin" (1972–1977), "Grind" (1985), "Jelly's Last Jam" (1992–1993), "Fosse" (1999–2001), "I'm Not Rappaport" (2002), and "Wicked" (2005–2006). In 1969, he appeared in the film adaptation of "Sweet Charity" as an ensemble dancer. Next, Ben appeared in the films "Gas-s-s-s" (1970), "Funny Lady" (1975), and "All That Jazz" (1979), guest-starred on "The Muppet Show" (1976) and "The Carol Burnett Show" (1977), and hosted "Ben Vereen… Comin' at Ya" (1975). He starred in the title role in the 1976 TV movie "Louis Armstrong – Chicago Style," and he played Chicken George Moore in the 1977 Emmy-winning miniseries "Roots." In 1980, he starred as E.L. 'Tenspeed' Turner on the ABC detective series "Tenspeed and Brown Shoe" alongside Jeff Goldblum. Vereen starred as The Leading Player in the 1981 TV movie "Pippin: His Life and Times," then he guest-starred on "The Love Boat" (1982–1984), had a recurring role as Uncle Philip Long on "Webster" (1983–1985), and appeared in the films "This Boxer Wears a Shirt" (1980), "Sabine" (1982), "The Zoo Gang" (1985), and "Buy & Cell" (1988).
In the '90s Ben appeared in the films "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (1998) and "I'll Take You There" (1999) and guest-starred on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1993), "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (1994), "The Nanny" (1994), "New York Undercover" (1995), "Touched by an Angel" (1996), "Promised Land" (1999), and "Jamie Foxx Show" (1999). From 1991 to 1993, he had a recurring role as Capt. Ben Hutchinson on the CBS crime drama "Silk Stalkings." Vereen began the 2000s with roles in the 2001 film "The Painting" and the TV movie "The Feast of All Saints." He then guest-starred on "Oz" (2002), "Grey's Anatomy" (2007), "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (2007), "House of Payne" (2010), "NCIS" (2013), "Hot in Cleveland" (2015), "Magnum P.I." (2018), and "The Good Fight" (2021) and had recurring roles as Sam Gibbs on "How I Met Your Mother" (2010–2014), Porter on "Sneaky Pete" (2017–2018), Calvin on "Star" (2018–2019), and Peter Morgan on "B Positive" (2021–2022). Ben appeared in the films "Idlewild" (2006), "And Then Came Love" (2007), "Mama, I Want to Sing!" (2011), and "Time Out of Mind" (2014), and he co-starred with Chris Rock in 2014's "Top Five," which was also written and directed by Rock. In 2016, Vereen played Dr. Everett von Scott in the Fox special "The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again."
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Personal Life
Ben married Andrea Townsley on February 10, 1965, and they welcomed son Benjamin Jr. ("Benji") before divorcing in August 1974. Benji, a dancer and a choreographer, was found dead at the age of 55 in August 2020, about two weeks after going missing. Vereen wed Nancy Karen Bruner on July 15, 1976, and they had four children together. His daughter Naja died in a car accident in 1987 at the age of 16.
Ben filed for divorce from Nancy in September 2012, and the divorce was finalized in July 2013. R&B singer Usher is Vereen's godson, and Shane Vereen, a former NFL running back, is a first cousin once removed of Ben's.
In 1992, Ben got into three accidents on the same day: he hit his head on the roof of his car when his vehicle ran into a tree, he subsequently had a stroke while he was walking on the highway, and after veering into the road, he was hit by a car (record producer David Foster was behind the wheel). Vereen suffered a broken leg and other injuries and had to undergo physical rehabilitation as a result. He told "Broadway World" in 2007, "I had to learn how to walk again and move again. My right side was completely numb. I had to learn how to feed myself. I had to learn how to bathe myself." Ben was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2007, and he launched a website on which he shared his personal experiences with the disease as well as advice from medical experts.
In early 2018, four actresses who starred in a production of "Hair" Vereen directed in Florida in 2015 alleged that Ben had sexually harassed them on the production. The "New York Daily News" reported that the women said that Vereen "forced unwanted kisses, hugged them aggressively, stripped naked during an acting exercise and made degrading comments about their weight, sex appeal and personal lives." "Variety" stated, "While directing the 2015 production of the musical at the Venice Theatre in Florida, Vereen is alleged to have invited female cast members back to his apartment and goaded them into sex acts. He's also accused of inappropriate talk and conduct during rehearsals that involved cast members stripping naked, ostensibly as preparation for a show that has, since its original 1967 production, been associated with a famous, full-cast nude scene." Ben released a statement in which he apologized for his "inappropriate conduct" shortly after the allegations were reported.
Awards and Nominations
Vereen has received three Primetime Emmy nominations: Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series for "Roots" (1977), Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in Variety or Music for "The Bell Telephone Jubilee" (1977), and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for "Intruders" (1992). He earned Golden Globe nominations for Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture – Male for "Funny Lady" (1976) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for "Ellis Island" (1985), and he received a CableACE Award nomination for Actor in a Theatrical or Musical Program for "Pippin: His Life and Times" in 1983. In 1977, Ben won a Television Critics Circle Award for Lead Actor for "Roots," and in 2007, the miniseries was honored with the Anniversary Award at the TV Land Awards in celebration of its 30th anniversary. In 2008, Vereen won a Prism Award for Performance in a Drama Series Episode for "Grey's Anatomy," and the following year, he earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special for "Accidental Friendship." For his stage work, Ben won a Theatre World Award and received a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for "Jesus Christ Superstar" in 1972. In 1973, he won a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance for "Pippin," and in 2006, he earned a Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Male Replacement for "Wicked."
