NASSAU, Bahamas (Dec.
10) -- Mr. Cedric Scott, the well-known actor, producer, director and
businessman, has been named Honorary Consul for The Bahamas for the jurisdiction
of Los Angeles, California, the Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Immigration has announced.
Mr. Scott, who left The Bahamas in his late teens to attend
college, studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and
continued his post-graduate education at the University of Georgia, from where
he obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree.
Upon graduation, he went England and worked in the English
theatre as both an actor and director, appearing in plays from the classics,
SHAKESPEARE and THE GREEKS to the contemporary “SLOW DANCE ON THE KILLING
GROUND”.
Having been offered a contract to shoot a film in Hollywood,
Mr. Scott returned to the United States, where appeared as a featured player in
numerous movies and television productions, among them, “THE PLAYER,” “GHOST
DAD,” “JAWS,” “A WEDDING,” and “WELCOME TO L.A.” During this period, Mr. Scott also served as the Assistant Director
of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA), the oldest theatre school in
the English-speaking world, which boasts such graduates as Spencer Dennis
Haysbert, Robert Redford, Spencer Tracy, Edward G. Robertson and Jason Robards
Jr.
Deciding to pursue producing, Mr. Scott teamed with Mr.
Sidney Poitier as President of Verdon-Cedric Productions and during this
period, he was involved in the production of
“FAST FORWARD”, “LITTLE
NIKITA”, “SHOOT TO KILL”, “GHOST
DAD”, “SNEAKERS,” “SEPARATE BUT EQUAL”, and “CHILDREN OF
THE DUST”.
Mr. Scott subsequently formed his own p r o d u c t i o n
company, Mary Ann-LaGlo Productions. Among films produced under this banner are
“HOPE”, “FREE OF EDEN”, “MANDELA AND DEKLERK”, and “TO SIR WITH LOVE 2”. Films currently near production are “SECOND LIFE”, “WHO MURDERED SIR HARRY OAKES”, “THE GOLDEN
13”, “MYRTLE FAYE RUMPH”, “SOUL SISTER,”, “WE THE PEOPLE”, “KWELA MAN”, and “CHASING
A LIFE.”
Over his career, Mr. Scott’s productions have been nominated
for several Golden Globe and Emmy Awards.
For his production of the film, “MANDELA AND DEKLERK”, he was nominated
for a CABLE ACE AWARD and the GOLDEN LAUREL
AWARD. The production of “FREE OF
EDEN” won on Mr. Scott the prestigious INTERNATIONAL
FILM/VIDEO COMPETITION. The jurors’ comment was: “This program is impressive,
illuminating various lessons of life as the main character comes into her own.
Very positive. Many issues covered in a skillful way. A Great vehicle for new
artists to learn from the seasoned mentor.”
For his outstanding effort and dedication to bringing
non-whites and women into the
field of film, television, communication and entertainment,
Mr. Scott has received awards from such organizations as the NAACP; Y.E.S. TO
JOBS; THE LOS ANGELES BLACK WOMEN IN MEDIA COALITION and the late MAYOR TOM
BRADLEY, LOS ANGELES. In 1998, Mr. Scott was honoured by the BAHAMAS TOURISM
CENTER in Los Angeles during
the 25th Anniversary Celebration
for Bahamas Independence for his outstanding contribution to the Arts and
Entertainment Industry. And in April
1999, THE 13th BAHAMAS COMPANY OF THE BOYS BRIGADE presented Mr. Scott with the SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE AWARD for
continued contribution to the Arts. In February, Mr. Scott received the EXCELLENCE
in MEDIA/ ANGEL AWARD for his production “FREE OF EDEN”.
Recently, Mr. Scott was honoured by The University of
Georgia Graduate School as one of its fifty most outstanding, “UGA graduate
degree holders who exemplify the intellectual legacy of the University”. And
later, Mr. Scott was invited by the Dean of The School of Theatre and Film, at
the University of Georgia, to spend a week at the UGA Campus and to screen one
of his films. During his visit Mr. Scott met with students and faculty advising
them on the Theatre and Film Industries.
Commenting on his appointment as Bahamas Honorary Consul,
Mr. Scott said it has always been of paramount importance to him to give back
to The Bahamas. To that end he has returned on numerous occasions to The
Bahamas to premier his films and contribute all proceeds to charitable and
community causes.
“One must say, in all honesty, that the decision by Prime
Minister Perry Christie, supported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred
Mitchell, to bestow on me such an honour is most humbling,” Mr. Scott said. “I
am surprised and honoured and I am looking forward to filling that role to the
fullest.”
In welcoming Mr. Scott to his diplomatic team, Foreign
Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell said a reception will be held in
Los Angeles in the near future to officially introduce Mr. Scott as The
Bahamas’ Honorary Consul for that jurisdiction.
Mr. Scott is the son of the late Mr. John Louis Scott and
Mrs. LaGloria Mackey-Scott. After hismother’s death on his second birthday, he
and sister, Allardyce Scott-Fitzgerald, were raised by their grandmother, Mrs.
Mary-Ann Scott, on Nassau Street North in Nassau. Cedric is married to Yuki
Morita- Scott and together they have three daughters: Aly, Tia and LaGloria.
As a young boy growing up in Nassau, Mr. Scott was an
excellent baseball player and he gives credit to the late Andre Rodgers, the
first Bahamian to play professional baseball, and Andre’s brothers, who were
all excellent baseball players and also lived on Nassau Street North, for
helping him perfect his baseball skills.
