The 100 Greatest Brooklynites of All Time: 100 to 91
Benjamin Augustus Middleton may not have been born in Bed-Stuy, but his adoptive family moved him there while he was still an infant. Less than 20 years later, he was dancing for Bob Fosse, and quickly landed starring roles in some of the era’s defining musicals: Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Pippin. For the latter, he won a Tony, after which he didn’t appear on a stage for more than a decade. Instead, he did more movies and television work—like, um, a little-seen miniseries called Roots.