Talk:Michael DeLorenzo

Year of birth
(talk) i dont agree he was born in 1965 he was born in 1959 27 October 2017 (UTC) 07:04
 * I share your concern, but we need reliable sources. References to his age early in his career may be all we need. If he doesn't disclose his age, then we might remove the year completely per WP:DOB. --Ronz (talk) 21:49, 3 January 2018 (UTC)
 * It doesn't appear that birth records are available in New York for living persons. --Ronz (talk) 15:59, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
 * http://www.fameforever.com/series/interview55.php Here's what's supposedly a copy of an article from 1985 Tiger Beat saying he was 23 at the time, that he was 7 when he made his film debut as an extra in Popi, and played the character Chino in West Side Story in 1980. This is not a reliable source, but might help us determine where to look. --Ronz (talk) 16:34, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
 * http://www.grabbagmedia.com/theemployer/theemployer_presskit.pdf Primary source for the 2013 movie The Employer. Says he was 7 at Bellet Hispanico, 10 when at the Royal Canadian Ballet, 14 with the American Ballet Theater. --Ronz (talk) 16:34, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
 * http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-04-06/features/9704060055_1_star-wars-ballet-cartoon-network Primary source (interview). Had to give up ballet at age 15. I don't see a problem using this if it isn't inconsistent with other high-quality sources. --Ronz (talk) 16:38, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
 * It's not consistent with other high-quality sources, nor other interviews. --Ronz (talk) 02:15, 19 February 2019 (UTC)
 * http://www.southjersey.com/articles/?articleID=1081 Doesn't appear reliable. Has info about a salary dispute at New York Undercover, as well as details on early life. Might be helpful in finding better sources. --Ronz (talk) 16:46, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
 * https://books.google.com/books?id=6OpZBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA239&lpg=PA239&dq=west+side+story+1980+cast+delorenzo&source=bl&ots=XOz-hxg1xB&sig=V8y4v2Uo13SQKjMdhnF3UQlmfpU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi1tOK2477YAhVh6YMKHdKcBLoQ6AEIYzAO#v=onepage&q=west%20side%20story%201980%20cast%20delorenzo&f=false Latino Image Makers in Hollywood: Performers, Filmmakers and Films Since the 1960s. Appears unreliable. Has information similar to that of the southjersey.com link above. --Ronz (talk) 17:02, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
 * https://issuu.com/centertheatregroup/docs/5_stand_up_tragedy Primary source. Program from the 89 performance of Stand-Up Tragedy. --Ronz (talk) 18:24, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
 * http://articles.latimes.com/1989-05-31/entertainment/ca-950_1_stand-up-tragedy-new-york-teacher-mark-taper-forum "Bronx-born and raised, 26-year-old Michael DeLorenzo (who plays the central role of the troubled student Lee) knows firsthand the realities of the play's setting." I think that's enough to pull the year from the article. --Ronz (talk) 18:24, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
 * http://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/03/archives/premieres-in-dance-for-school-concert.html "The ballet side of the program suggested one should keep an eye on Alba Cruz and two freshmen, Manuel Gomez and Michael DeLorenzo." This looks like where the '59 may be coming from, though it would be WP:OR to use. --Ronz (talk) 19:52, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
 * http://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/29/archives/dance-us-terpsichore-new-works.html Verifies that he was with the group in '76. --Ronz (talk) 20:38, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
 * http://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/13/archives/the-dance-us-terpsichore-troupe-professionals-students-blend-in.html A review of US Terpsichore's program the previous year. --Ronz (talk) 17:43, 8 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Richard Thomas (dancer) has info on the dance company. --Ronz (talk) 17:48, 8 January 2018 (UTC)
 * https://sites.google.com/site/famemagazinecovers/michael-delorenzo-spills-the-beans-on-the-cast-of-fame-interview-1983 I've been trying to find a usable version of this interview, apparently from "The Official Fame Magazine". If we can find a copy, I think we could use it for early life details. --Ronz (talk) 21:10, 4 January 2018 (UTC)

To summarize, there are enough sources above to make any date other than '59 suspect. However, I don't believe we that any of them are high enough quality for us to say he was born in '59 in the article. --Ronz (talk) 17:22, 7 January 2018 (UTC)


 * https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/2909718/ Jefferson City Post-Tribune. Thursday, March 10, 1977. Page 3 "We received the news that Michael DeLorenzo would not be dancing because of an injured knee. Two other dancers took his role. " --Ronz (talk) 17:58, 8 January 2018 (UTC)


 * https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/209039907/ Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan. Page 25. November 17, 1994. "I toured with the American Ballet Theatre, at 15." --Ronz (talk) 20:39, 30 January 2018 (UTC)

The LaGuardia High School has him as graduating in 1982 which would put his birth year at 1965. (https://alumniandfriends.org/our-community/notable-alumni/#actors_actresses)--Janelovely (talk) 17:11, 30 January 2018 (UTC)
 * That's original research and ignores the references. --Ronz (talk) 01:14, 31 January 2018 (UTC)


 * According to Ancestry's New York birth records, he was born in 1959. And he was born in Manhattan rather than The Bronx. ancestry.com record GoldenAgeFan1 (talk) 23:59, 21 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks. As a primary source, it doesn't help us much. It's consistent with all the early references about his age and year of birth. Being born in Manhattan is surprising. I can't find anything else that verifies it. However, I did find references saying he lived on the west side of the Bronx, so it seems a likely possibility. I've removed the birth location since he may have been born in the next borough. --Ronz (talk) 17:53, 22 February 2018 (UTC)

Per changes to WP:DOB, especially the outcome of the 2021 RfC, this should be revisited. If we have BLP-quality sources for his date of birth, even just the year, we should use them. We should be careful using any sources that doesn't clearly identify him vs simply give the name "Michael DeLorenzo". --Hipal (talk) 17:28, 19 March 2022 (UTC)

This site lists celebs born on Halloween and has Michael's as October 31, 1959 (Age 63 as of this writing). Reliable source? https://www.wonderwall.com/celebrity/celebrities-who-were-born-halloween-october-31-birthdays-3016873.gallery?photoId=1039025 Ala Bahma (talk) 16:14, 10 November 2022 (UTC)

How fans can help
The best way forward is by identifying references that are both independent and reliable. As I pointed out above, even if we can't use them, they still can lead us to sources that we can use.

I don't want to discourage editors from editing this article, but given the editing history of this article and the requirements of Biographies of living persons, this is a very difficult article for new editors to work on. Without more and better sources, it's hard for anyone to work on it.

I'm also wondering if fans have some idea of how private he is about his age, or if he'd object to having his correct date of birth included in this article. WP:DOB requires that we be very cautious under such circumstances. --Ronz (talk) 17:32, 8 January 2018 (UTC)


 * I’ve been a fan forever!! Michael DeLorenzo is a very serious artist and he connects with his fans with social media and stuff...BUT he’s generally known to be very private person. Not sure about his age stuff... BUT who wants any of their private information (i.e. birth dates) our there in the identity theft world --Janelovely (talk) 17:08 30 January 2018 (UTC)
 * I'm glad to have you helping. My impression is that he's a private person. With the large range in birth years that he's indicated or have otherwise been documented, I think it's probably best to leave the year out. --Ronz (talk) 01:23, 31 January 2018 (UTC)

High school years
Somewhere in all the searching I've been doing, I recall reading that he dropped out of the High School of Performing Arts after his first year (we have a NYTimes article verifying that he danced in a concert there as a freshman) to join US Terpsichore. After injuring his knee (sourced above), he finished high school at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. http://www.laguardiahs.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=314217&type=d At this point, I think some mention of US Terpsichore is due. LaGuardia probably as well. Dropping out, probably not but it would depend upon what sources verify it. He was in Slipping Into Darkness and Fame during this time as well. I wonder if we can find what US Terpsichore performances he was in. --Ronz (talk) 01:11, 9 January 2018 (UTC)


 * He didn’t drop out of school and he graduated from the famous high school. See the school alumni list https://alumniandfriends.org/our-community/notable-alumni/#actors_actresses. --Janelovely (talk) 16:54 30 January 2018 (UTC)
 * That's original research and ignores the sources that show he was in high school in 1974 at the High School of Performing Arts. --Ronz (talk) 01:19, 31 January 2018 (UTC)
 * It appears he dropped out of the High School of Performing Arts after his first year, danced with US Terpsichore for almost three years until he injured his knee in '77, possibly attended some high school at Lincoln Square Academy, and graduated in '82 from LaGuardia. During this time he was in Slipping Into Darkness, Fame (movie), West Side Story, and the beginning of Fame (tv). He certainly was busy attending school, dancing, then transitioning to acting. We may not have the sources to be able to provide a complete narrative of all that he apparently did during this time. --Ronz (talk) 17:30, 31 January 2018 (UTC)

He attended Manhattan School of Arts which is basically LaGuardia and then transfer to Lincoln Square Academy and graduated there. He never dropped out of school but gets confused since he was part of Fame and Fame is based on his first school and also he was a working actor performer while in school it seems.
 * You're ignoring sources and have offered none. That's not going to work.
 * He was a freshman in '74, and graduated in '82. US Terpsichore was formed in '75, and toured nationally in '76 and '77. He injured his knee in '77. --Ronz (talk) 03:19, 25 February 2019 (UTC)