Leading and supporting African-American actor, Austin Stoker has been recognized since the 70s. Born and raised in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, West Indies, he attributes his affinity for the performing arts to being - since age 6 - a devoted participant in the over two-hundred-year-old Trinidad carnival - reportedly "The World's Most Colorful Festival". At 16, Austin's dream was to attend London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. That dream never came true. But as chance would have it, he was invited to join the Geoffrey Holder Dance Group in his Trinidad home-town, which brought him to New york and landed in a Broadway show playing the steel-drum, the musical instrument invented in Trinidad. As an all-round percussionist and singer, Austin worked with the group steadily for three years in concerts and clubs, until he was drafted into the U.S. Army.