Famed cabaret actor Joel Gray set out for a stroll through the busy streets of New York City on Friday.
The star (born Joel David Katz) beamed as he walked the busy streets of Manhattan’s West Village, and was joined by two male friends who walked arm in arm with him.
The Oscar, Tony and Golden Globe winner, now 91, enjoyed the outdoors on a day when temperatures fluctuated between the mid 50s and low 70s.
He seemed to struggle at times, but the two male buddies made sure he didn’t fall.
With his infectious grin, the actor, singer, dancer, photographer and theater director stepped out in a long military jacket with gray sweatpants and matching sneakers.
Beaming: Joel Gray, 91, appeared to be in high spirits as he went for a walk with the help of two male friends in the West Village area of New York City on Saturday
Gray began his career at age 10 in the early 1940s in the Cleveland Play House’s Curtain Pullers children’s theater program, appearing in productions such as Grandmother Slyboots, Jack of Tarts and a starring role in their main stage production On Borrowed Time.
And in 1952, at the ripe old age of 20, he appeared as a leading man at the famous Copacabana nightclub in New York City.
In a prominent role, Gray played the master of ceremonies in the 1966 musical Cabaret on Broadway, for which he won the Tony Award.
Gray reprized the role in the 1972 film adaptation, directed by Bob Fosse from a screenplay by Jay Presson Allen, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in March 1973.
Its Oscar win was part of a cabaret fast-sweep that saw Liza Minnelli take home Best Actress and Fosse for Best Director, though it lost Best Picture to The Godfather.
A stage actor at heart, Gray’s Broadway credits include Come Blow Your Horn (1961), Stop the World – I Want to Get Off (1962), Half a Sixpence (1965), George M! (1968), Goodtime Charley (1975), The Grand Tour (1979), Chicago (1996), Wicked (2003) and Anything Goes (2011).
The Cleveland native showcased his breadth of entertainment, appearing as a panelist for the television game show What’s My Line? (1967) as well as the first Mystery Guest during its syndication in 1968.
He also had a string of guest roles during his nearly eight decades on television, culminating in an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his recurring role as Jacob Prossman on the series Brooklyn Bridge (1992-1993).
Out and about: The Oscar, Tony and Golden Globe winner wore a green coat and gray sweatpants to the outing
Longevity: Gray has had a nearly eight-decade career in entertainment that began when he was 10 in 1952 and lasted until his last television appearance in 2022
As for his personal life, Gary married actress and singer Jo Wilder in 1958, but the union ended in divorce in 1982, but not before they welcomed their daughter Jennifer Gray, best known for her role in Dirty Dancing, and a son James Gray who is the chef.
But after 24 years of marriage and two children, Gray publicly came out as a gay man in 2015 at the age of 82.
In an interview with People, he called the time he was married to the actress the “happiest of my life” and claimed he didn’t live a double life but was “madly in love” with a woman.
As he slowly came to terms with this “other part of who I am,” he revealed that everyone who was close to him had known about his sexuality for many years.
His daughter Jennifer later revealed how she found out during a chat with her then-boyfriend Matthew Broderick’s mother, Patricia Broderick, in the late 1980s.
Breakout: Gray is best known for his role as Master of Ceremonies in the 1966 musical Cabaret on Broadway, for which he won a Tony Award; He would reprise the role in the 1972 film adaptation, directed by Bob Fosse, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Personal life: The actor, singer, dancer, photographer and theater director was married to actress and singer Jo Wilder from 1958 to 1982; They are pictured in 1982
Family life: Gray and Wilder had two children, including Dirty Dancing actress Jennifer Gray; they are all pictured together in 1987; Jennifer later revealed that she found out that her father was gay from Mathew Broderick’s mother, Patricia Broderick, in the late 1980s
She decided to use a homophobic slur to ask if Gray knew her father was gay, claiming Patricia, a playwright, blurted out, “You know your father is af*g.”
“All I know, all I knew at the time, was that it felt like it was a sniper attack. The idea was that I’m a fool and that everyone knew it but me,” she told People in April 2022 while promoting her memoir Out Of The Corner.
“Maybe she offended my ignorance,” she said of her motivation. “I don’t know what she was thinking. She was, um, she was a tricky personality. I don’t know how else to put it. She was a truth teller, truth bombs. A Cassandra. She was like, come what may.’
Despite his advanced age, Gray has worked throughout the years, with his most recent credits being a role in the FX drama thriller The Old Man (2022) starring Jeff Bridges and the musical biographical film Tick, Tick. .. boom! (2021).