Broadway star Ben Vereen, best known for his performances in Jesus Christ Superstar and Pippin , has filed for divorce from Nancy Bruner, his wife of 36 years.
According to NBC Chicago , the 65-year-old actor filed the petition on Thursday in L.A. County Superior court, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.
Bruner and Vereeen reportedly met on the set of one of Ben’s plays and were married in July 1976. TMZ notes that the couple, who have several children together, separated in March 2012, so the split seemed to be inevitable unfortunately.
According to the divorce documents, Vereen is asking a court to terminate his estranged wife’s ability to collect spousal support.
Aside from his performances in Jesus Christ Superstar and Pippin (for which he won a Tony Award), Vereen has appeared in nearly 20 Broadway shows including Sweet Charity , Chicago , Wicked , Hair , and A Christmas Carol .
Off-stage, Ben has also made guest appearances in numerous television programs including Grey’s Anatomy , Star Trek: The Next Generation , Law & Order , and, most recently, How I Met Your Mother .
Vereen’s best known TV role, however, was when he played Chicken George in Alex Haley’s landmark TV miniseries Roots for which he received an Emmy nomination in 1977.
