âAll the people close to me have known for years who I am. Yet it took time to embrace that other part of who I always was.â â Joel Grey . Picture: Joel Grey (b. April 11, 1932, as Joel Katz), backstage, âCabaret,â New York City, 1967. Photo © Raymond Jacobs. . Joel Grey, who turns eighty-five today, is an American actor, singer, dancer, and photographer, best-known for his portrayal of the Master of Ceremonies in the stage and film versions of âCabaret,â a role for which he won a Tony Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. . After appearing in a number of Broadway hits in the early 1960sâincluding âCome Blow Your Hornâ (1961), âStop the World â I Want to Get Offâ (1962), and âHalf a Sixpenceâ (1965)âGrey originated the role of the Master of Ceremonies in âCabaretâ in 1966. âCabaret,â based on John Van Drutenâs âI Am a Cameraââwhich, in turn, was based on Christopher Isherwoodâs âGoodbye to Berlinââoffered a glimpse into the queer community in late Weimar Germany, with ominous political developments casting shadows over the showâs events. From its debut, âCabaretâ caused a sensation, and the film nearly swept the 1973 Academy Awards (with Grey winning Best Supporting Actor, Liza Minnelli winning Best Actress, and Bob Fosse winning Best Director). . Since the 1970s, Grey has appeared prolifically on and off Broadway (originating, for example, the role of the Wizard of Oz in âWickedâ) and has appeared regularly on television and film. . In 1958, Grey married Jo Wilder; they divorced in 1982. The couple had two children: chef James and actor Jennifer (of âDirty Dancingâ fame). . In January 2015, during an interview with People magazine, Grey acknowledged a well-known âsecret." âI donât like labels,â he said, âbut if you have to put a label on it, Iâm a gay man.â #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #JoelGrey (at New York, New York)