Phillip Cole, Plattsburgh State Dance Instructor, in "The Reagans" on Sunday

Cole, a theatre dance faculty instructor at Plattsburgh State University of New York and actor, played a White House butler in the movie.

The two-night mini-series was original set to air earlier this month, but was pulled by CBS under political pressure. The film has been turned into a three-hour movie to air on Showtime on Sunday, Nov. 30 (7 p.m.)

Cole, auditioned in September for the mini series and was then hired. He spent one weekend in Los Angeles where it was shot. "It was quickly put together, I think, to get it done and into the November sweeps," said Cole.

An article about the controversial miniseries appeared in the Nov. 17 issue of PEOPLE magazine along with several photos. One of the small photos includes a scene from the movie where Cole is standing behind Nancy Reagan, played by actor Judy Davis, who is waving some plates.

"I was surprised to hear and then see my photo in the magazine," said Cole.

It is not the first film for Cole, a full member of the Association of Canadian Television, Film and Radio Artists. He also has several small scenes in "Shattered Glass ," a film about an over-eager young journalist whose startling, exposé-style stories for a national magazine are found to be untrue.

He also appeared in "The Human Stain ." The film, staring Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman, is the story of Coleman Silk (Hopkins), a distinguished professor at a prestigious New England college whose professional life is shattered by allegations of racism and whose personal life is infected with the cancer of a lie he has been living for fifty years. Both films opened Oct. 31.

Cole was also an assistant choreographer on the film "The Jackie Gleason Story ", starring Brad Garrett ("Everybody Loves Raymond ").

 

Cole's Background

Cole is a native of New Orleans, an American citizen and a Canadian resident. A graduate of Wilberforce University in Ohio, he has studied at the London Dance Center, and the Choreographic Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. While in England, he created The Reading University Jazz Dance Workshop in Birkshire, England.

Cole has taught at Antioch College in Ohio and the Federal City College in Washington, D.C. He has performed with the great dance legend Katherine Dunham in the National Wolftrap Production Company and has performed in numerous off-Broadway productions as an actor.

His desire to create led him to return to Washington, D.C., where he founded his own dance company, The Cole Harrison Dance Company, which performed his choreographic works throughout the U.S. and abroad.

In 1977, he was invited to Montreal to join the dance company of Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal by its founder Eva Von Gensy. One year later Phillip became the co-owner and co-artistic director of his own dance school in Montreal, The Dance Factory Inc., for 16 years, which specialized in jazz, classical ballet, tap, modern dance and African dance.

Cole has been involved with the Plattsburgh State for more than 15 years. Starting as a guest teacher for the Adirondack Jazz Dance Theater in the early 1980s, he has continued his association with the university as an adjunct lecturer and is currently in his fourth year at the college.

He has taught all of the theater dance courses at the college and directed the Theater Dance Group. He also continues to direct the Summer Safari Dance Program for Children.
As an actor, Cole has also managed to continue performing in theater productions such as "The Death of Bessie Smith", "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope", "Eubie", and "Fool Blast."

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