- Born
- Died
- Birth nameWilliam Harold Wheeler Jr.
- Harold Wheeler was born on June 14, 1943 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Hairspray (2007), Dreamgirls (2006) and All My Children (1970). He was married to Hattie Winston. He died on June 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- SpouseHattie Winston(December 16, 1978 - June 24, 2026) (his death, 2 children)
- ChildrenSamanthaMarian
- Has been nominated for Broadway's Best Orchestrations Tony Award five times: in 1997, with collaborator Don Sebesky for "The Life," in 1999 for "Little Me," in 2000 for "Swing!" in 2001 for "The Full Monty," and in 2003 for "Hairspray."
- Harold Wheeler was an American orchestrator, composer, conductor, arranger, record producer, and music director.
- In 2008, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the NAACP Theatre Awards.
- Wheeler first worked in the 1960s as the musical director for Burt Bacharach, making him the first African-American MD of a major pop artist.
- Harold Wheeler was the musical director on ABC's Dancing with the Stars for the show's first 17 seasons. He was replaced by former American Idol bandleader Ray Chew as musical director starting with the show's 18th season in 2014.
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