Biography

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.
- IMDb mini biography by: Willie Reale

A past recipient of the MacArthur Foundation genius grant for his continuing work with the 52nd Street Project, a mentoring program for kids in theater.

Younger brother of composer Robert Reale.

In 2003, was nominated for two Tony Awards for "A Year with Frog and Toad": as Best Book (Musical) and, his lyrics with brother/collaborator Robert Reale's music, as Best Original Musical Score.