'Hero' Hits All the Right Notes

Noah S. Gray-Cabey ’16 makes an impression on anyone who meets him. From across Harvard Yard, any observer would notice his freshly-sculpted Mohawk and wrestler’s physique—wide shoulders and thick arms fill out his signature charcoal pea coat. But for those who get to know him, it is Gray-Cabey’s easygoing nature, admirable sense of modesty, and innate impulsiveness that resonate beyond the first impression.

It is partly this sense of spontaneity that has led Gray-Cabey to acquire a list of interests and accomplishments beyond that of the typical Harvard freshmen.

At age five, he became the youngest pianist ever to play an accompanied solo at the Sydney Opera House. In addition, he performed on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as a child and starred in two hit television series— “My Wife and Kids” and “Heroes.” And at age 15, he opened his Harvard acceptance letter.

Yet instead of sharing his resume of accomplishments, Gray-Cabey prefers to talk about other interests, like his wrestling training at a mixed martial arts gym in Central Square. He also might mention a nutrition tip that he picked up in his freshman seminar or rattle off film trivia.

For Gray-Cabey, all of his abilities—from his acting to his knowledge of nutrition—play into his goal of being “the ultimate Renaissance man.”

“If you are successful at everything then you can’t be held down,” he says. “That’s an idea that I try to live by, being well rounded with acting, music, athletics, and academics.”

As with any accomplished person with diverse interests, persistent hard work has been crucial to Gray-Cabey’s success. But the former child star’s laundry list of accomplishments also has been encouraged by another trait—a penchant for impulsive decision making.

Embodying these characteristics, Gray-Cabey has succeeded everywhere from the concert hall to the gym.

“HEROIC” BEGINNINGS

Gray-Cabey set off on the path to becoming a Renaissance man before he could articulate this ambition.

After listening to his father play, a four-year-old Gray-Cabey insisted on studying the piano, attempting to emulate what he had heard.

“[My parents] didn’t push me into anything,” Gray-Cabey reflects. “In fact, when I asked him how to play piano, he told me no, that I was too young.”

This initial resistance from his parents did not stop him. Gray-Cabey badgered his father, Shawn Cabey, and the elder Cabey eventually submitted to his son’s requests. These lessons with his father led Gray-Cabey to become one of the most successful child pianists in the world.

From age four to six, Gray-Cabey’s burgeoning talent took him around the world—from an accompanied solo at the Sydney Opera House to a non-profit concert at an orphanage in Jamaica. During this period he appeared on “Jay Leno,” “Good Morning America,” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

Despite his success as a pianist, Gray-Cabey did not hesitate to leave concert halls for production sets.

When a producer for the family sitcom “My Wife and Kids” contacted Gray-Cabey about appearing as a musical guest, the six year old immediately told his parents that he wanted to accept.

Reflecting on the new opportunity, Gray-Cabey said that although he had never considered becoming an actor, he was enthusiastic about pursuing new opportunities even at that age.

Gray-Cabey’s first role on the show was small, just a few sentences of dialogue and a few notes on the piano.

“Then they kept giving me more lines and extra stuff to say, and it just kind of snowballed from there,” he says.

That snowball eventually avalanched into an acting career rivaling his musical one. Gray-Cabey and his family moved from Newry, Maine to California, where he became a permanent member of the cast. His television acting continued after the end of “My Wife and Kids” with guest appearances on shows ranging from “Grey’s Anatomy” to “CSI Miami.”

In 2006, he joined the cast of “Heroes” as Micah Sanders, a young boy who could communicate with and control technology.

Comparing “Heroes” to his previous work, Gray-Cabey described the job as far more intense.

The pinnacle of that intensity came during a long night filming his final scene of the show. After being fired at with blanks during hours of filming, Gray-Cabey contracted pneumonia.

But not even severe sickness could dampen his spirits.

“That night was pretty awesome,” he says.

FROM HOLLYWOOD TO HARVARD

Staying true to his ambition of becoming a Renaissance man, Gray-Cabey balanced his acting career with his pursuit of academic achievement. At age 11 he started high school after six years of homeschooling.

Despite his hectic filming schedule, which forced him to miss countless days of school, Gray-Cabey managed to maintain an academic record that eventually would earn him a spot at Harvard.

“I just had to do a lot of juggling of schoolwork and acting, which is tough,” said Gray-Cabey, who missed more than 60 days of class his sophomore year.

At age 15, he graduated from high school and was admitted to Harvard.

“I just always wanted to go to Harvard,” Gray-Cabey says. “I feel like there are a lot of people here who aren’t just pure academics, a lot of people who just have a lot of different interests.”

A fitness-lover, Gray-Cabey participated in First-Year Outdoor Program as a member of the class of 2015.

Inspired by gap year stories told by his fellow participants, Gray-Cabey decided to take a year off just a few days before the beginning of the term. Like most of his impulsive choices, the change in plans suited Gray-Cabey, who calls it “the best decision I ever made.”

During that time, he acted in an independent movie called “The Volunteer.” In the yet to be released film, Gray-Cabey plays the nephew of a woman who quits her job to volunteer at a soup kitchen.

When his gap year finished at the end of the summer, Gray-Cabey finally made the move to Cambridge.

THE RENAISSANCE CONTINUES

Despite his success as an artist and performer, Gray-Cabey rarely discusses his past accomplishments at Harvard.

“He said to us, if we hadn’t found out, he wouldn’t have told us,” said James R. M. Watkins ’16, one of his suitemates.

Although he goes to great lengths to avoid attention—he refuses to play the piano in front of his roommates—other students do sometimes recognize him from his days as a child star.

“It’s kind of hilarious,” Gray-Cabey says of people identifying him. “I think my roommates get a kick out of it more than I do.

”The curly haired child who once appeared on television screens across America now sports a pierced ear and a Mohawk, both of which were fashioned in the suite across from his own. Someone suggested transforming his appearance, and he immediately agreed to the makeover, his roommates said.

This impulsive nature carries over into his day-to-day life.

“He’ll hear something and take it as gospel truth,” Michael S. Loughlin ’16 said of his suitemate’s willingness to follow nutrition tips from his freshman seminar.

After learning of the health benefits of olive oil, Gray-Cabey proceeded to slather it over everything he ate, adding the new diet to his already intense exercise regimen.

This new health-conscious lifestyle is another instance of his continued pursuit to become the ultimate Renaissance man.

Just as his decisions at Harvard reflect his history of embracing new opportunities to better himself, Gray-Cabey’s open-mindedness shows no sign of disappearing anytime soon.

Although he has taken a break from pursuing acting or music on campus so far, he hopes to take the stage again at some point.

“I’ll to continue to run with [acting] while I can and keep with it as long as it’s enjoyable,” Gray-Cabey said. “If something else presents itself, I’ll take it.”