Geoffrey Holder

Geoffrey Lamont Holder (August 1, 1930 – October 5, 2014) was a Trinidadian-American actor, dancer, musician, director, choreographer, and artist. He was a principal dancer for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, before his film career began in 1957 with an appearance in Carib Gold. For his theatre work, he won two Tony Awards, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Costume Design in a Musical for the original Broadway production of The Wiz.

In 1973, he played the villainous Baron Samedi in the James Bond film Live and Let Die. He also appeared in such films as Doctor Dolittle (1967), Annie (1982), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), and was the voice of Ray the Sun on the children's television series Bear in the Big Blue House (1998–2002). He also carried out advertising work as the pitchman for 7 Up.

Holder was a member of the executive committee of the Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East, a pro-Israel group.

Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on August 1, 1930, Holder was one of four children of Barbadian and Trinidadian descent born to Louise de Frense and Arthur Holder. He was educated at Tranquility School and Queen's Royal College in Port of Spain. He made his performance debut at the age of seven in his brother Boscoe Holder's dance company.

After seeing Holder perform in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands the choreographer Agnes de Mille invited him to work with her in New York. Upon arriving, he joined Katherine Dunham's dance school, where he taught folkloric forms for two years.

From 1955 to 1956, he performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet as a principal dancer. Previously, he made his Broadway debut in the 1954 Harold Arlen and Truman Capote musical House of Flowers. While working on House of Flowers, Holder met Alvin Ailey, with whom he later worked extensively, and Carmen de Lavallade, his future wife. After the show closed he starred in an all-black production of Waiting for Godot in 1957.

Holder began his movie career in the 1962 British film All Night Long, a modern remake of Shakespeare's Othello. He followed that with Doctor Dolittle (1967) as Willie Shakespeare, leader of the natives of Sea-Star Island. In 1972, he was cast as the Sorcerer in Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask). The following year he was a henchman—Baron Samedi—in the Bond movie Live and Let Die. Holder contributed to the film's choreography. In the film, his character was meant to fall into a coffin of live snakes, about which Holder had a phobia. He considered refusing to do the stunt but agreed to do it when it was revealed that Princess Alexandra would be visiting the set.

In addition to his movie appearances, Holder was a spokesman in advertising campaigns for the soft drink 7 Up in the 1970s and 1980s, declaring it the "uncola", and, in the 1980s, calling it "crisp and clean, and no caffeine; never had it, never will".