The legendary Tony-winning performer celebrates his birthday today, and many people are likely unaware that he was born in Wichita Falls.
Happy 86th birthday to Tommy Tune. He was born in Wichita Falls on February 28, 1939. Tommy achieved fame on Broadway in New York City. However, before heading to the Big Apple. He traveled all across Texas. He attended high school in Houston. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from the University of Texas at Austin in 1962, and his Master of Fine Arts in Directing from the University of Houston.
Fun fact: Tommy Tune learned to dance from Patrick Swayze’s mother in Houston. Patsy Swayze ran the Swayze School of Dance. She is pictured below with her son in 1997. Patsy sadly passed away in 2013.
Tommy first appeared on Broadway in 1964 in the production ‘Baker Street’. He has appeared in thirty Broadway productions throughout his career. He received his first Tony Award nomination in 1974 for a production of ‘Seesaw’, which he won. Throughout his career, he won ten Tony Awards, but his most recent was likely the highest honor.
The Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre is intended to “honor an individual for their body of work.” Tommy has been an integral part of many theatre productions throughout his career, and it was great to see him receive national recognition for his efforts. Tommy currently lives in New York, but he also has a home in New Mexico. In 2021, he was named Honorary President of the American Guild of Variety Artists, a labor union representing non-actor stage performers.
