Jérôme Pradon (born 3 June 1964) is a French actor and singer who has performed in the West End, in Paris and in various other places around the world. He was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France.

Theatre

In 1991, Pradon made his musical debut in Alain Boublil and

Claude-Michel Schönberg Claude-Michel Schönberg (born 6 July 1944, in Vannes) is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with lyricist Alain Boublil. Major works include '' La Révolution Fran ...

's ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'', as Marius at the Theatre Mogador in Paris. This show led to his first West End appearance: playing the role of Chris in ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed roma ...

'' (1992–93). He followed this with a debut in Toronto, Canada, where he originated the title role of ''

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

'' (1994). In 1995, travelling back and forth between France and England, Pradon performed in several productions including La Java des Mémoires, directed by Roger Louret and ''

Assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. Assassin may also refer to: Origin of term * Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins Animals and insects * Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviida ...

'' by Stephen Sondheim. Later that year he played the role of student revolutionary Courfeyrac in the 10th anniversary run of ''Les Misérables''. Remaining in London, Pradon created the role of Guillaume in the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

winning production ''

Martin Guerre Martin Guerre, a French peasant of the 16th century, was at the centre of a famous case of imposture. Several years after Martin Guerre had left his wife, child and village, a man claiming to be him appeared. He lived with Guerre's wife and so ...

'', which made him the first actor to have performed major roles in all three Boublil and Schonberg musicals. After that came

Maury Yeston Maury Yeston (born October 23, 1945) is an American composer, lyricist and music theorist. He is known as the initiator of new Broadway musicals and writing their music and lyrics, as well as a classical orchestral and ballet composer, Yale Uni ...

's ''

Nine 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

'' at the

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

, where Pradon played Guido Contini, the sole male role. In 1998 Pradon performed in ''Killing Rasputin'', and in 2000 performed in ''Black Goes with Everything'' (a show celebrating the talent of Don Black) and Andrew Lloyd Webber's '' Whistle Down the Wind'' where he played the role of The Man alongside

Laura Michelle Kelly Laura Michelle Kelly (born 4 March 1981) is an English actress and singer, best known for originating the roles of Mary Poppins in ''Mary Poppins'' in the West End, for which she received the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and S ...

as Swallow. In 2000, he also appeared in the role of

Judas Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betr ...

in a production of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', opposite Glenn Carter as

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

. This production is available on DVD. Pradon attended the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe with his one-man show ''Crime of Passion'', a British premiere. This was followed by another one-man show, in Paris, ''Road Movie''. Not only did Pradon perform all five roles in the play, he translated the text into French. He later reprised this show in 2002. Also that year, he was a principal performer in ''Délit D’Ivresse'', the last piece by

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Ros ...

; took part in the spectacular gala charity concert ''A Night Of 1000 Voices''; played

Javert Javert (), no first name given in the source novel, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables.'' He was presumably born in 1780 and died on June 7, 1832. First a prison guard, and then a polic ...

in ''Les Misérables'' at the Palace Theatre, London, and performed at the Opening Gala for the first International Festival of Musical Theatre in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. 2003 saw the creation of the award-winning ''

Pacific Overtures ''Pacific Overtures'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by John Weidman, with "additional material by" Hugh Wheeler. Set in 19th-century Japan, it tells the story of the country's westernization starting in 185 ...

'', for which Pradon was nominated for an

for his portrayal of the murderous Shogun's mother and the hilarious French Admiral. This was followed by ''Et Si On Chantait?'', produced by

Pierre Cardin Pierre Cardin (, , ), born Pietro Costante Cardino (2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020), was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometric sha ...

, and the award-winnin
''Chance!''
2004 saw Pradon perform in ''One Day More!'' a symphonic concert celebrating Boublil and Schönberg's works; perform for Queen Elizabeth II and President Jacques Chirac at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

in a ''Les Misérables'' concert, as part of the marking of the 100th anniversary of the

Entente Cordiale The Entente Cordiale (; ) comprised a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom and the French Republic which saw a significant improvement in Anglo-French relations. Beyond the immediate concerns of colonial de ...

; and play King Herod in the Scandinavian tour of '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. In 2005, Pradon made his Liège debut in Maury Yeston's ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...

''. In 2006, he performed at the Les Musicals Festival in Béziers and was also nominated as Best Actor for the year of 2005. Later that year, Pradon starred as several different characters in the Molière Award winning ''Le Cabaret Des Hommes Perdus''. This multi-award-winning musical was such a hit that it extended its run into 2007. From Paris to London, Pradon took on the role of

Aragorn Aragorn is a fictional character and a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. Aragorn was a Ranger of the North, first introduced with the name Strider and later revealed to be the heir of Isildur, an ancient King of Ar ...

in the European premiere of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...

''. In 2008, Pradon took over the role of Scar in the West End production of Disney's

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance ...

. Pradon's next project was ''L'Opera De Sarah'', which was performed in Paris in 2009. He next appeared in the French production of '' Mamma Mia!'' in the part of Sam. in 2019 he played the role of George in ''

Aspects of Love ''Aspects of Love'' is a musical with music and book by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart. It is based on the 1955 novella of the same name by David Garnett. The piece focuses on the romantic entanglements of actr ...

'' at the

Southwark Playhouse Southwark Playhouse is a theatre in London, located between Borough and Elephant and Castle tube stations. History The Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company was founded in 1993 by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson. They identified the need for a ...

TV and film

TV and film appearances include his first paid acting job ''Marcheloup'', ''L'été ‘36'', ''Cas De Divorce'' and ''Hélas Pour Moi'' directed by Jean Luc Goddard. '' Sharpe’s Company'' took Pradon to

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

for filming and onto British screens. ''Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' was filmed during his time in ''Napoleon''. ''The Brylcreem Boys'' (for which he was asked to emphasize the French accent more) was released in limited UK cinemas in 1999. Also that year, ''

Simon Sez ''Simon Sez'' is a 1999 action film starring Dennis Rodman, Dane Cook, and John Pinette. The film was directed by Kevin Alyn Elders, and the score was composed by Brian Tyler. The film received extremely negative reviews and became a box offic ...

'', seeing Pradon play the villain of the movie, was released in the US. French productions include ''Belle Grand-Mere'', ''La Jeune Fille et La Tortue'' directed by Stéphane Ly-Cuong; the award winning ''Crimes En Serie'', ''Avocats et Associés'' and film festival winne
Paradisco
also directed b
Stéphane Ly-Cuong
English speaking productions include RTS Award nominated ''Aristocrats''; Oscar nominated ''Vatel'' directed by Roland Joffé; ''The Dancer'' playing The Director; the International Emmy award winning 2000 version of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', playing

for which his performance received rave reviews and a new collection of fans;

Peter Ackroyd Peter Ackroyd (born 5 October 1949) is an English biographer, novelist and critic with a specialist interest in the history and culture of London. For his novels about English history and culture and his biographies of, among others, William ...

's ''London'' and ''

Carrie and Barry ''Carrie & Barry'' is a British television sitcom first broadcast on BBC One between 2004 and 2005, it stars Neil Morrissey, Claire Rushbrook, Mark Williams and Michelle Gomez. Produced by Hartswood Films, it reunited Morrissey with writer ...

'' starring Neil Morrissey. In 2004, he organised the casting for and performed the part of André in the French dubbing of the 2004 ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...

'' movie. 2006 saw the sitcom '' The Complete Guide to Parenting'', starring Peter Davison, that was broadcast on ITV, with Jérôme playing the part of Roland, and 2007 saw Jérôme starring in ''Trafalgar'', directed by Fabrice Hourlier.

Radio

Radio credits include National Music Day, numerous appearances on ''Friday Night Is Music Night'' and ''Somewhere In The Desert''. Pradon is also a songwriter. He has written songs for Jean Guidoni's Tigre de Porcelaine album as well as for himself (he released the single "Tendrement", 1987). He is working on a pop, rock and electro album.

Discography

*The Lord of the Rings (2007) *Le Cabaret Des Hommes Perdus (2006) *Les Bienheureux De La Marge Brute (2005) *Chance! (2004) *Crime of Passion (2001) *Jesus Christ Superstar (2000) *Killing Rasputin (1999) *Martin Guerre (1996) *Les Misérables - 10th Anniversary Concert (1995) *Napoleon (1994) *Les Misérables (1991) Singles *Tendrement (1987)

External links

Jérôme Pradon's official website
*
I Will Make You Proud - Fansite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pradon, Jerome 1964 births Living people People from Boulogne-Billancourt French male stage actors French male musical theatre actors French male film actors French male television actors