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Sam Harris' career has spanned more than two decades in the public eye and run the gamut from singer/songwriter to stage, film, television actor to writer, producer, director. Born in Oklahoma, Sam performed in his first play when he was five and was known to jump on any makeshift stage, be it a wooden crate or a dining room table, and belt out a tune.
He left home at the age of 15 to pursue his career and received the Frank Sinatra Pop Singing Award where the legendary Chairman of the Board said to an enthusiastic audience, "This kid's got `it'! Sam, don't get any better till I get out of the business." It was the validation he needed to leave school for the real world. In an oversized tailcoat and Converse sneakers, Sam became a household name on Star Search in its premiere season. 25 million viewers tuned in week after week to follow him as he created his own pop, gospel and theatre brand of emotionally charged performances, finally winning the grand prize and the hearts of America.
Broadway called and Sam moved to New York, where he received a Drama Desk nomination for his role in Tommy Tune's Grease. Immediately following, he toured for 15 months in the Broadway National tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, where sales records were broken all over the country. Soon after, Sam next starred in Cy Coleman's The Life, for which he received the Drama-League Award as well as Tony, Outer Critic's Circle and Drama Desk nominations. Soon after, Sam went to work on the development of The Jazz Singer, playing the legendary Al Jolson, known as "the greatest entertainer in the world." While the Broadway production was thwarted, Sam was clearly in a new league when the New York Times remarked, "Who else could play this role? Sam Harris is the only performer today whose charisma and raw magnetism is absolutely Jolson-esque." While he continued to tour nationally, Sam also co-produced the television special "Love Letter to New York" and supervised and arranged several songs and supervised segments of "Michael Jackson's 30 Year Anniversary Special". Sam then moved back to Los Angeles and had barely unpacked when he returned to New York in Mel Brook's smash hit The Producers on Broadway.
Throughout his career, Sam has made appearances on numerous television shows and specials and in countless live productions, working with the legends who influenced him such as Stevie Wonder, Elizabeth Taylor, Sammy Davis Jr., Elton John, Al Green and, most importantly, a long time collaboration and friendship with the great Liza Minnelli. He has performed at the White House. He has made guest appearances on every talk show. (In the 80's a very young Sam appeared on shows such as Arsenio Hall, The Joan Rivers Show, Merv Griffin, Geraldo, American Bandstand, Soul Train, etc.) As the "Star Search Poster Boy" image finally began to take a back seat to other aspects of his career, he has appeared on numerous shows such as The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Rosie, The View, Barbara Walters Show, and, in an historic time, performed a stirring "You'll Never Walk Alone" on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the week following September 11th, 2001. Sam also appears with popular symphonies such as The Boston Pops. He also participated in Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" Tour and makes guest appearances on television and at numerous, charity, political and social awareness events close to his heart. As "Perry Pearl" on the CBS sitcom, "The Class", Sam's chameleonic career took a new turn as a series regular on network television. Popular columnist Liz Smith wrote, "Sam Harris is the comic breakout of the television season!"
Another monumental influence of this creative shift was the adoption of Cooper Atticus Harris-Jacobsen, and the subsequent marriage to his long time partner, Danny. The couple have been together for 16 years. The adoption and their marriage was covered by every major news source and Sam became an icon of the modern family and equal rights. With the passing of Proposition 8, Sam was moved to co-write and record "My Reclamation" - which is quickly becoming the anthem for equal marriage rights.
Sam now maintains a busier life than ever - balancing his roles as father, husband, actor, recording artist, writer and all around entertainer. He recently completed a recurring role on "Rules of Engagement," an appearance on "Tyra" about marriage rights, created an original role in the musical "The First Wives Club," and is currently developing a television series and the now, re-ignited musical in which he stars as the darkly complex and charismatic Al Jolson, while he continues to perform in concert all over the country.
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