Photo: Peabody Awards / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Grey's Emcee in Cabaret is one of the most indelible performances ever put on screen or stage, that ghoulish painted grin turning Weimar decadence into something genuinely sinister. Winning both the Tony and the Oscar for it is a rare feat, and watching him you understand exactly why. What I admire is how completely he commits to character work while remaining a consummate song-and-dance man underneath. He's never coasted on that one role either, popping up in Wicked and reinventing himself as a serious photographer and director. A true theater animal whose precision and showmanship feel like they belong to an older, sharper Broadway tradition.
Overview
Joel Grey (born 1932) is an American actor, singer, dancer, and photographer from Cleveland, Ohio. He is best known for playing the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret, a role for which he won the 1967 Tony Award on Broadway and the 1973 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film version. A versatile stage performer who also won acclaim for Chicago and Wicked, he is one of relatively few performers to win both a Tony and an Oscar for the same part. In later years he has worked as a noted photographer and a stage director.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Joel Grey
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョエル・グレイ
- Reading
- じょえる・ぐれい
- Born
- April 11, 1932 (age 94)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Monkey
- Origin
- Cleveland, Ohio, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Singer / Photographer / Dancer / Stage actor / Film actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Alexander Hamilton High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1973 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
- 1972 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor
- 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical
- 1972 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor
- 1973 Best New Actor
- 1997 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
- Hollywood Walk of Fame star
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Singer — see all → · Photographer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.