Harry Tunney Waters Jr. (born April 13, 1953) is an American actor, singer, and theatre director, best known for his portrayal of Marvin Berry in Back to the Future (1985) and Back to the Future Part II (1989). His renditions of "Night Train" and "Earth Angel" are two of the ten tracks on the gold record winning soundtrack album Back to the Future: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack.[1][2] He created the role of Belize in the first production of Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes in 1991.
Harry Waters Jr. | |
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 Harry Waters Jr. in 2015, wearing the Marvin Berry costume and holding a doll of the character | |
| Born | Harry Tunney Waters Jr. April 13, 1953 |
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| Education | Princeton University, University of Wisconsin |
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Career
editBorn in Tulsa, Oklahoma and growing up in Denver, Colorado, Waters attended Princeton University and received his MFA in Directing from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. He worked as an actor in New York City on and off Broadway for more than a decade as well as at theaters around the country. Venues include the Mark Taper Forum, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks, and the San Jose Repertory Theatre.[3]
He was a member of the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop in Harlem, which has developed the work of new, African American playwrights, directors, designers, and actors since 1973.
In 1985, he was cast as Marvin Berry (a fictional cousin of Chuck Berry) in Back to the Future, a role reprised in Back to the Future Part II in 1989.[4]
In 1991, he created the role of Belize in the first production of Angels in America.[3]
He was a cast member of the 1992 Disney show Adventures in Wonderland portraying Tweedle Dee, based on the Lewis Carroll novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.[4]
He has worked in collaboration with novelist/playwright Jewelle Gomez on a play about James Baldwin, titled Waiting for Giovanni which was produced for the 2011-12 (San Francisco) New Conservatory Theater season. The project's development was sponsored by Intersection for the Arts.
Waters has taught acting, script development and has directed numerous productions around the country. He is currently a tenured professor in the Theatre Department at Macalester College.[5] As he approaches retirement, he was appointed as the Associate Dean of the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship.[6] Waters is an Honorary Member of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's most Prestigious Academic Honor Society.[citation needed]
Filmography
edit| Production | Type | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotline | TV movie | 1982 | Rick Hernandez | |
| Laverne & Shirley | TV Series | 1983 | Lamar | Season 8 Episode 16 Short on Time |
| Cagney & Lacey | TV Series | 1983 | Jimmy | Season 2 Episode 18 Chop Shop |
| Trapper John, M.D. | TV Series | 1984-1985 | Landis | Dark Side of the Loon S6 Ep9 Love Thy Neighbor S6 Ep14 |
| Back to the Future | Movie | 1985 | Marvin Berry | |
| Matt Houston | TV Series | 1985 | Guard | Season 3 Episode 16 The Honeymoon Murders |
| News at Eleven | TV movie | 1986 | Stage Manager | |
| What a Country! | TV sitcom | 1986-1987 | Robert Muboto | |
| 227 | TV series | 1986-1989 | Policeman / Perrier / Richard | Play It Again, Stan S4 Ep11 Redecorating Blues S1 Ep18 |
| What's Happening Now!! | TV sitcom | 1988 | Jerry | Happy Face S3 Ep17 |
| Back to the Future Part II | Movie | 1989 | Marvin Berry | |
| Amen | TV series | 1989 | Director | The Psychic: Part 2 S3 Ep15 |
| Faith | Movie | 1990 | Lester | |
| Death Warrant | Movie | 1990 | Jersey | |
| Adventures in Wonderland | TV series | 1992-1994 | Tweedle Dee | |
| Big Bully | Movie | 1996 | Alan | |
| Boys Life 2 | Movie | 1997 | Tony's Date | (segment "Nunzio's Second Cousin") |
| Expedition: Back to the Future | TV series | 2021 | Marvin Berry |
References
edit- ^ "Harry Waters Jr. | Discography | Discogs". Discogs. Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ a b "Playwrights' center". Archived from the original on 2022-07-27. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
- ^ a b "Where Are They Now? The Cast Of Back To The Future". Screen Rant. 2016-05-21. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
- ^ "Harry Waters Jr. - Macalester College". Archived from the original on 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ "Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship Staff". Archived from the original on 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
External links
edit- Harry Waters Jr. at IMDb
- Selected Works of Harry Waters Jr. bepress.com
- Filmography bfi.org.uk