Michael Davis
André Carthen
André Carthen is an understated, but magnetic, man.
The actor, dancer, chef, community activist and local hero is also the Celebrity Grand Marshall of the Palm Springs 2022 Pride week celebrations. According to Ron deHarte, the president of Palm Springs Pride, “as ambassador for Pride Week festivities, Carthen will represent all that is Palm Springs Pride, as well as ride in a vintage automobile in the Pride parade.”
Carthen will turn 60 in December. He has a regal quality, an elegant demeanor and velvety voice. With his influence in, and commitment to, the Coachella Valley community, movie-star good looks, genuine attitude, poise and dancer’s carriage, he is a great pick for this year’s celebrations.
Carthen’s rich resume tells the story of a man and career with tremendous breadth and gravitas. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Carthen’s grandmother was half Cherokee and his grandfather was a successful truck owner. He did very well for a man who did not know how to read or write. Little André watched his mother, Gwendolyn, in the kitchen, preparing meals for him and the many foster children she cared for. From track and field athlete, varsity football player and Disney diplomat, to modeling, Broadway, TV and film work, Carthen’s star has shone bright. In the entertainment world, he has covered all the bases and is a member of “all the unions, including Equity and AFTRA.”
Early in life athletic talents led Carthen to explore movement and dance, and he attended college in Eureka, California. Work at Florida’s Disneyworld for 6 1/2 years opened the world to him, and although he won’t say which character he played, he became a stalwart and went on to a stint at Tokyo Disneyland. Back in California, he worked as a stunt man at Universal Miami Vice Stunt Spectacular, doing jetski and hovercraft tricks for Philip Michael Thomas, the show’s Ricardo Tubbs character. He says, “It was really fun, but there was no padding like when I played football.” Another role he could sink his teeth into was Dracula, where he flew over the audience as the show opened. Carthen explodes the notion of a triple threat with his varied talents, and as we were chatting he casually mentioned choreographing for Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. The duo, who were recently featured in the Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul, are still going strong, married and performing for more than fifty years.
Broadway beckoned and Carthen performed alongside Vanessa Williams in the Kiss of the Spider Woman in the mid-90s. It was a tremendous opportunity, but he had to learn the show in a few days. Voiceover work for TV, such as Nike ads and Rugrats, kept him busy, as well as his adopted daughter, now 29. Carthen lived with his daughter in Hollywood for many years, with a second home in Cathedral City. He toured Europe in Sophisticated Ladies; a musical revue based on the music of Duke Ellington, and played Harry Belafonte in HBO’s Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, alongside Oscar-winner Halle Berry.
Inspired by his mother’s kitchen, he later became a passionate baker and cook. He has worked with Janet Jackson and is now Kathy Ireland’s Brand Ambassador chef. From stage and screen to kitchen, Carthen says: “I’ve been blessed to work with an array of amazing beautiful women.” Baking is his favorite genre and he says that “people always remember the first and last bite of a meal.” When I asked what his favorite dessert recipes were, he said without hesitation, “Apple pecan bread pudding with Grand Marnier on top.” He’s also got a soft spot for cheesecakes, cookies ‘n’ cream, coffee, kahlua, and cream, and sweet potato.
Today, Carthen lives full time in the north end of Palm Springs. Gwendolyn, his mother, who is 80 and still a force in his life, lives nearby. At first, he says he did not wholeheartedly embrace the desert, but he has grown to love escaping to Palm Springs’ sleepy town vibe. Despite the hustle and bustle during the season, he loves how even celebrities are treated as normal people in the area.
Despite his many successes, it is perhaps his work with the Brother’s of the Desert and sitting on the Palm Springs Police Department LGBTQ Advisory Committee that makes him a local hero. As a founding member of the Brothers of the Desert (or B-O-D), Carthen is focused on making a difference. The vision of BOD is to have a dynamic, vibrant, and socially just community in the Coachella Valley, where black gay men and their allies can thrive. It is a community building organization that puts on an annual wellness summit the second weekend of November and hosts a variety of events and gatherings to foster a sense of belonging for gay men of color. As someone who bridges the Hollywood, LGBTQ and Black and Brown communities, he truly represents the pillars and future of the Coachella Valley Community.
