Profile Text
Stokes Mitchell – 66th Annual Tony Awards – Arrivals – Beacon Theatre – New York City, NY, USA, 2012 – Keywords: Orientation: Portrait Face Count: 1 – False – Photo Credit: Charles Norfleet / PR Photos
Place of Birth: Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Date of Birth: October 31, 1957
Ethnicity: African-American
Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor, voice actor, and singer. A baritone, he has starred in many Broadway productions, including Ragtime , Kiss Me, Kate ; King Hedley II , and Man of La Mancha . His roles also include the series Trapper John, M.D. ; Foofur , The Further Adventures of SuperTed , Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone , New Kids on the Block , James Bond Jr. , The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , The Addams Family , Capitol Critters , Mr. Robot , The Path , Vampirina , Fam , Evil , and Centaurworld ; the films The Prince of Egypt (as Jethro’s singing voice), Jumping the Broom , Mapplethorpe , Tick, Tick… Boom! , and Shirley (2024); and the made-for-tv movies Double Platinum and Call Me Claus .
Brian is the son of Lillian, a school administrator, and George Mitchell, an electronics engineer. He was raised on military bases, where his father was a civilian engineer with the U.S. Navy; and was eventually settled in San Diago, California. Brian is married to actress Allyson Tucker, with whom he has a son.
Brian has been described as being of African-American, Scottish, German, and Native American ancestry, and also as having a German great-grandmother. It is not clear if any of these lineages have been verified/documented. His grandparents were all black. Brian identifies himself as black.
Brian’s paternal grandfather was Edward Mitchell (the son of Joseph W. Mitchell and Hattie Stevenson). Edward was born in Pennsylvania.
Brian’s paternal grandmother was Helen Powell (the daughter of Charles Powell and Matilda Smith). Helen was born in Pennsylvania.
Brian’s maternal grandfather was Frank Allen Stokes (the son of Thomas Stokes and Sarah Swett Price). Frank was born in Illinois. He was the President of the Northwest Chapter of the NAACP. Thomas and Sarah were born in Tennessee, and were listed as “Mulatto” or “Black” on U.S. Censuses.
Brian’s maternal grandmother was Lillian A. Hatcher/Hacher (who likely was the daughter of John Melvin Hatcher and Maggie Johnson). Lillian was born in Missouri, and was listed as “Mulatto” or “Black” on U.S. Censuses.
Sources: Obituary of Brian’s father – http://www.findagrave.com
Marriage record of Brian’s paternal grandparents, Edward Mitchell and Helen Powell – https://www.familysearch.org