Activist, Author, Singer & Storyteller
Dr. Francois Clemmons
Speaking Fee: $10,000 and Below
Travels From:
Primary Topic Category: Bands and Music
Secondary Topic Category: African American & Black
Dr. Francois Clemmons At A Glance:
Dr. François S. Clemmons is an American singer, actor, published author, playwright, poet, and professor emeritus. He is perhaps best known for his role as "Officer Clemmons" on the PBS television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from 1968 to 1993. His recently published book, OFFICER CLEMMONS: A MEMOIR is an intimate debut detailing his incredible life story as well as his deep, spiritual friendship and mentorship spanning nearly forty years with Fred Rogers.
When he earned the role as Officer Clemmons on the award-winning television series, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” François Scarborough Clemmons made history as the first African-American actor to have a recurring role on a children’s program. A new, wide world opened for him—but one that also required him to make painful personal choices and sacrifices.
From New York to Russia, Berlin to California, Clemmons has performed for audiences around the world and remains a beloved figure, bringing joy to millions of adults and children, across generations and borders. His book, OFFICER CLEMMONS: A MEMOIR, details his incredible life story, beginning with his early years in Alabama and Ohio, marked by family trauma and loss, through his studies as a music major at Oberlin College, where Clemmons began to investigate and embrace his homosexuality, to a chance encounter with Fred Rogers that changed the whole course of both men’s lives, leading to a deep, spiritual friendship and mentorship spanning nearly 40 years.
Clemmons’ background is in vocal performance, having won the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions in Pittsburgh, and winning a position in the Met studio. He sang professionally with the Met for seven seasons in more than 70 roles, and he won a GRAMMY Award for Best Opera Recording as part of the cast of the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus recording of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Following his opera career, he had the opportunity to join Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and created the role of Officer Clemmons, the friendly local police officer in the “Neighborhood of Make-Believe.” In the role, he acted in the barrier-breaking scene in which Mister Rogers invites Clemmons to soak his feet in the wading pool together on a hot day—sending a powerful message of inclusion at a time when there was civil unrest over pool segregation policies across the U.S.
In 1986, Clemmons founded the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, a group devoted to the preservation and performance of American Negro spirituals. From 1997 until his retirement in 2013, he was the Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College. He continues to live and work in Vermont. In addition to his memoir, he has authored a series of children’s stories titled “Little ButterCup and the Majic Cane,” and a volume of poetry, “A Place of My Own.” Clemmons has also published a volume of choral arrangements of spirituals titled “Songs for Today,” and composed a stage musical, “My Name is Hayes,” based on the life of the great tenor Roland Hayes. To learn more, visit www.francoisclemmons.net
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“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?" - A Conversation on Race, Culture & the Arts with Dr. Francois Clemmons
Known to the world as the friendly policeman on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Dr. François Clemmons made history as the first African American actor to have a recurring role on a children’s television program. As a Grammy award-winning opera singer, conductor, educator and author, Clemmons has touched the hearts of thousands. In his interactive keynotes, both virtual and in-person, he shares his unexpected artistic and personal journey, often gracing audiences with song. Tailoring each event per audience, he also explores the intersection of race, identity and culture in arts and music, including no -holds barred Q&A sessions. He fosters a dialogue of courage and caring, illustrating the power of friendship to build bridges.
