George Akram
'''George Akram'''
George Akram
 | The relevance of particular information in (or previously in) this article or section is disputed. |
George Akram Drija Vivas (born October 4, 1983) is a Venezuelan American actor, dancer and singer. He has performed on Broadway, television and film.
He became the first Venezuelan to star on a Broadway musical portraying the role of Bernardo in the 2009 revival of West Side Story[1][2].
Life and career
Akram was born in Caracas, Venezuela[3]. The son of Anita Vivas, a highly recognized dancer and choreographer for the network RCTV and Venevisión; and Antonio Drija, the first Venezuelan to become a performer for Cirque Du Soleil [4]. He is brother of songwriter and singer Victor Drija.
His first job, at the age of 6, was as a host for a kid's TV show called "Video Time" on RCTV; which led to his appearance in significant national events, sports opening ceremonies and many commercials.
At age 16, George successfully hosted one of South America's biggest live summer shows Rugemanía on Venevisión; where he had the opportunity to show his versatility as a host, actor, dancer and singer five times a week. At 17, after finishing his first appearance starring in a musical called "Celebremos La Vida", Akram decided to emigrate to the United States.
In his first four years in Florida, George had the tremendous honor to be part of several major events including the Latin Grammy Award, Billboards Latin Music Awards, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Selena Vive, Festival de Viña del Mar in Chile, Premio Lo Nuestro, among others sharing stage with esteemed artists like Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Celia Cruz, Shakira, Alejandro Sanz, David Bisbal, Daddy Yankee, Gilberto Santa Rosa and many more.
Theatre
In 2008 by the hand of legend Arthur Laurents, George was given the opportunity to play the role of Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, in the Broadway Revival of West Side Story[5] at the Palace Theater in New York. Worth mentioning, George completed the longest running Broadway production of WSS in January 2011[6], winning the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.
Following the Broadway run, Akram joined the world tour of Between Worlds The Musical[7], in 2016 Carmen: An Afro Cuban Jazz Musical[8] Directed by Moisés Kaufman and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel: El Amor Brujo from Manuel de Falla at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and Hollywood Bowl[9] (2015 and 2019)
Also, Akram has reprised his role as Bernardo in the Hollywood Bowl concerts of West Side Story, alongside Karen Olivo and Jeremy Jordan. 2016 Salzburg Opera Festival with opera legend Cecilia Bartolli and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel with The Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar; and in 2019, the world premier in a StageAround Theatre in Tokyo, Japan; becoming the world’s first Broadway Musical being perform in this format.
Film and Television
Akram's first major role was in the film KM 72 playing Carlos Verastegui (2015). He also participated in Vijay And I (2013) alongside Patricia Arquette; Stuck On You (2006) alongside Meryl Streep and Greg Kinnear and Sins Of Our Youth (2014) alongside Ally Sheedy.
He also played several television roles during this period. He appeared on the TV series NCIS: Los Angeles in the 2017 episode “From Havana with Love”[10] as Perez Bianco. In 2018, he played the recurring role of Brad in the series Jane the Virgin on The CW and Alejandro the newscaster for Amazon Prime’s Borderline in 2015. He later appeared on the ABC drama Grey’s Anatomy. Also the participation in the telenovelas Las Dos Caras de Ana for Televisa and Escándalos: Todo es real excepto sus nombres for all Latin America.
Broadway and Theatre Credits
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Celebremos La Vida | Mateo | Teresa Carreño Theatre, Venezuela |
| 2003 | El Hombre De La Mancha | Ensemble | Manuel Artime, Miami. FL |
| 2005-06 | Visa Para Un Sueño | Anti-Ego | Actor’s Playhouse. Miami, FL |
| 2009-11 | West Side Story | Bernardo | Broadway |
| 2012-2015 | Siudy: Between Worlds | El Amor | World Tour |
| 2015 | El Amor Brujo | The Ghost | Walt Disney Concert Hall |
| 2016 | Carmen: An afro Cuban Jazz Musical | Willy Duarte | Olney Theatre |
| 2016 | West Side Story | Bernardo | Salzburg Opera Festival |
| 2019 | El Amor Brujo | The Ghost | Hollywood Bowl |
| 2019 | West Side Story | Bernardo | Tokyo |
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Stuck on you | Dancer #2 | Farelly Brothers |
| 2013 | Vijay And I | Puerto Rican Singer | Sam Garbarski |
| 2014 | Sins Of Our Youth | Julio | Gary Entin |
| 2015 | KM72 | Carlos Verastegui | Samuel Henriquez |
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Nuestra Navidad | Himself-Dancer | Tv Special |
| 2006 | Las Dos Caras de Ana | Lino | 3 Episodes |
| 2009 | The 63rd Annual Tony Awards [11] | Himself-Performer | |
| 2014-15 | Escándalos: Todo es real excepto sus nombres | Brian/Sergi | 2 Episodes |
| 2015 | Borderline | Alejandro the newscaster | 2 Episodes |
| 2015 | The 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors [12] | Himself-Performer | Rita Moreno’s Tribute |
| 2017 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Perez Bianco | Episode: From Havana with Love |
| 2018 | Jane the Virgin | Brad | Recurring Season 4 |
| 2018 | Grey’s Anatomy | Bartender | 2 Episodes |
References
See also
A skilled painter, his art work was exhibited in Las Vegas, NV at The Zumanity Theater by invitation from Cirque Du Soleil in 2006.
In 2013 he became and official artist for the vinyl toy FONZO[13] doing exhibits in New York and Miami.
External links
1
https://www.broadway.com/buzz/133821/george-akram-savors-his-dream-role-in-west-side-story/
2
http://www.yosoyvenezolano.com/noticias-entretenimiento/cultura-venezolana/broadway-con-v-de-venezuela/
3
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/9/west-sides-dynamic-revival/
4
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/theater/30longrun.html
5
https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2016/02/15/review-carmen-afro-cuban-jazz-musical-olney-theatre-center/
6
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-bowl-falla-flamenco-review-20190712-story.html
7
https://parade.com/561021/paulettecohn/ncis-los-angeles-star-daniela-ruah-talks-dirty-dancing-and-motherhood/
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