Take a closer look at some of Hollywood's top-tier talent at the beginning of their careers.

Child Stars, Then and Now

Take a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s top-tier talent at the beginning of their careers.

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Willie Reale grew up in Park Ridge, New Jersey with four brothers and a sister.

Mr. Reale has an Academy Award nomination in the best song category for his work as a lyricist on the movie Dreamgirls, with composer Henry Krieger. Also with Henry he wrote the song "No Dames" for the Coen Brothers Hail Caesar. He won 3 Emmy awards as the writer/producer behind the recent reinvention of 1970's literacy classic, The Electric Company, now airing on HBO. He has written extensively in television drama on the shows The Sinner, Billions, Blue Bloods and Homicide: Life on the Streets to name a few.

He has collaborated with his brother, composer Robert Reale on several musical theater projects including A Year with Frog and Toad, Johnny Baseball and Once Around the City. He has two Tony Nominations.

In 1981, He founded The 52nd Street Project, an organization that brings inner-city children together with professional theater artists. He served as the theater's artistic director for 18 years. The 52nd Street Project's programs are replicated across the country and in Europe. In June of 1994, he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in recognition of his ingenuity in creating theater and theater education programs for young people. The 52nd Street Project was recognized by a "Coming Up Taller" Award from the Clinton White House.

He sits on the board of the 52nd Street Project and the Writers Guild Initiative. He is married to the writer Jené LeBlanc. They each have two children from a prior marriages. Claire and Cyrus Cohen and Augustus and Leonardo Reale.

Composer of Off-Broadwy musical &#39;Once Around the City&#39;, June 2001. Book and music by brother Robert Reale, directed by Mark Linn-Baker.

(May 25 to 29, 1982) His play, &quot;Fast Woman,&quot; was performed in the &quot;Prevailing Winds&quot; 1981-1982 Apprentice/Intern Spring Showcase production at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky with the 1981-1982 Acting Apprentice Company in the cast. Robert Spera was director.

(May 14, 2010) Richard Dresser; Robert Reale and his play, &quot;Johnny Baseball,&quot; was performed in the American Repertory Theatre and Festival No. 02; America: Boom, Bust and Baseball production at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Diana Paulus was artistic director and also director.

Other works

Willie Reale

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