Stark Sands (born ) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Tunny in the original Broadway cast of ''

American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...

'', and originating the role of Charlie Price in '' Kinky Boots'' on Broadway. He is a two-time

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominee. He is also known for the roles of Lance Sussman in ''

Die, Mommie, Die! ''Die, Mommie, Die!'' is a 2003 American satire (film and television), satirical black comedy film written by Drag queen, female impersonator Charles Busch, who also plays the lead role. Partly spoof and partly homage, it draws heavily on the tro ...

'' and Lt.

Nathaniel Fick Nathaniel C. Fick (born June 23, 1977) is an American diplomat, technology executive, author, and former United States Marine Corps officer. He was the Chief executive officer, CEO of Computer security software, cybersecurity software company En ...

in ''

Generation Kill ''Generation Kill'' is a 2004 book written by ''Rolling Stone'' journalist Evan Wright chronicling his experience as an embedded reporter with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the United States Marine Corps (the " Devil Dogs" mentioned on ...

''. He starred as Dash Parker in

FOX Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

's series '' Minority Report''.

Early life and education

Sands was born in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Stark is his mother's maiden name, and Bunker was his late father's middle name, as well as his maternal great-grandmother's maiden name. He has a fraternal twin brother, Jacob, and an older sister. Sands attended Highland Park High School, and went on to gain his BFA in acting from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(class of 2001).

Career

In 2002, Sands played Toby, a recurring love interest to the angst-ridden teen, Claire Fisher (played by

Lauren Ambrose Lauren Ambrose (born February 20, 1978) is an American actress. Ambrose gained recognition and critical acclaim for her starring role as Claire Fisher in the HBO drama series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005), for which she was nominated for tw ...

), on the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

television series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005) and co-starred in ''Me and Daphne'' (2002), a short film directed by Rebecca Gayheart and produced by

Brett Ratner Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the Rush Hour (film series), ''Rush Hour'' film series, ''The Family Man'', ''Red Dragon (2002 film), Red Dragon'', ''X-Men: The Last Stand'', ''Tower Heist ...

. He has also co-starred in the independent film ''Pack of Dogs'' (2002), directed by Ian Kessner. Sands made his feature-film debut opposite

Natasha Lyonne Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein ( ; born April 4, 1979) is an American producer, director, comedian, writer, actress, and artificial intelligence film studio head. Lyonne started her career as a child actress before expanding her career taking o ...

and

Jason Priestley Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian-American actor and television director. Priestly starred as virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–1998, 2000). His other television roles in ...

in ''

'' (2003), an adaptation of

Charles Busch Charles Louis Busch (born August 23, 1954) is an American actor, screenwriter, playwright and drag queen, known for his appearances on stage in his own camp style plays and in film and television. He wrote and starred in his early plays off-off- ...

's play of the same name. He also appeared in the films Chasing Liberty (2004), with

Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot ...

, as well as ''

Shall We Dance Shall We Dance may refer to: Films * ''Shall We Dance'' (1937 film), a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical * ''Shall We Dance?'' (1996 film), a Japanese film about ballroom dancing * ''Shall We Dance?'' (2004 film), an American remake of the ...

'' (2004), with

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...

and

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

. In 2007, he received a nomination for a

Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play The Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality supporting roles in a Broadway theatre, Broa ...

for his role in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

revival of ''

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry com ...

''. From May 2 to June 8, 2008, he performed the role of Alex in ''A Seagull in the Hamptons'' at the

McCarter Theatre McCarter Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional company on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. It was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1963. A two-time Tony Award winner, the McCarter’s legacy traces back to ...

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. Sands also participated in the seven-episode HBO miniseries ''

'' about the 2003 Iraq invasion, airing during the summer of 2008. In the miniseries he played Marine Lt.

. Sands previously played a U.S. Marine, Walter Gust, in '' Flags of Our Fathers''. Additional theater credits include the 2009 musical adaptation of '' Bonnie & Clyde'' at the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a nonprofit professional theater on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under the ...

, The

Classic Stage Company Classic Stage Company, or CSC, is a classical Off-Broadway theater company. Founded in 1967, Classic Stage Company is one of Off-Broadway's oldest theater companies. CSC is led by Producing Artistic Director Jill Rafson. John Doyle previously ...

's production of ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

'' which earned him the Actors' Equity Foundation's St. Clair Bayfield Award, which honors the best performance by an actor in a Shakespearean play in the New York metropolitan area. From June 25 to July 12, 2009, Sands appeared in the

Shakespeare in the Park Shakespeare in the Park is a term for outdoor festivals featuring productions of William Shakespeare's plays. The term originated with the New York Shakespeare Festival in New York City's Central Park, originally created by Joseph Papp. This conc ...

's production of ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'', featuring

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime ...

Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American singer and actress. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four acti ...

and

Raul Esparza Raul, Raúl, Raül, and Raüll are forms of a common first name in Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan. The name is cognate of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph and the French ...

. Sands played the role of Tunny in the Broadway production of ''

'', again playing a member of the military. He left the production on March 13, 2011;

David Larsen David Larsen (born April 23, 1980) is an American stage actor. A 1998 graduate of Hillsboro High School, Larsen starred in many of its productions, including the title role in ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat''. Larsen attended P ...

took over the role. Sands was in the 2010 HBO pilot ''The Miraculous Year'', which was not picked up by HBO. He was part of the main cast of the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

television series ''Rookies''. The show was picked up for mid-season, under the new name ''

NYC 22 ''NYC 22'' (pronounced NYC 2-2) is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on CBS from April 15 to August 11, 2012, as a mid-season replacement for '' CSI: Miami''. On August 29, 2012, CBS canceled the series after one ...

'', but was canceled after airing 13 episodes due to inadequate ratings. Sands played the character of Troy Nelson in the film ''

Inside Llewyn Davis ''Inside Llewyn Davis'' () is a 2013 period black comedy drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1961, the film follows one week in the life of Llewyn Davis, played by Oscar Isaac in his breakthrough ...

'' (2013). Sands played one of the lead characters, Charlie Price, in the musical '' Kinky Boots'' which opened at the

Bank of America Theatre CIBC Theatre is a performing arts theater located at 18 West Monroe Street in the Loop area of downtown Chicago. It is operated by Broadway In Chicago, part of the Nederlander Organization. Opened in 1906 as the ''Majestic Theatre'', it current ...

in Chicago, Illinois, for a four-week run in October 2012. He reprised his role when the show premiered on Broadway at the

Al Hirschfeld Theatre The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburg ...

on April 4, 2013, with previews beginning on March 3, 2013. For his role as Charlie, Sands was nominated for a

Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality leading roles in a musica ...

, but lost to his co-star Billy Porter. He played his final performance on January 26, 2014. In 2014, Sands was cast in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

pilot ''Salvation''. This was not picked up to series. Sands was cast in

's pilot, '' Minority Report'', as Dash, a precog. The series premiered on September 21, 2015. In 2016, Sands played the Templar in

's production of ''

Nathan the Wise ''Nathan the Wise'' (original German title: , ) is a play by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing from 1779. It is a fervent plea for religious tolerance. It was never performed during Lessing's lifetime and was first performed in 1783 at the Döbbelinsches ...

'' off-Broadway. Sands and his original co-star Porter returned to the Broadway production of ''Kinky Boots'' for a limited 15 week run, starting on September 26, 2017. He also appeared in

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

's 2017 drama film '' The Post''. In 2019, Sands was cast in the musical Swept Away as Big Brother. The production was originally announced to premiere in June, 2020, however it was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Swept Away premiered at the

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a Regional theater in the United States, regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley, California, Downtown Berkeley. Histor ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

on January 9, 2022 and had its final show on March 13, 2022. In 2022, Sands was cast in the North American tryout of

& Juliet ''& Juliet'' is a 2019 coming-of-age story, coming-of-age jukebox musical featuring the music of Swedish pop (music), pop songwriter Max Martin, with a book by David West Read. The story focuses on a "what if" scenario, where Juliet decided not ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, transferring from the West End. The production opened in

Toronto, Canada Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in the

Princess of Wales Theatre The Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2,000-seat live theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on King Street West, in Toronto's downtown Entertainment District. The theatre's name has a triple meaning: it honours Diana, Princess of Wales, ...

on June 22, 2022, and ended on August 14, 2022. & Juliet moved to Broadway in the 2022-23 season into the

Stephen Sondheim Theatre The Stephen Sondheim Theatre, formerly Henry Miller's Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 124 West 43rd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Owned by the Durst Organization and managed by the Rou ...

with Sands reprising his role. Previews began on October 28, 2022, and opening night was on November 17, 2022. He played his final performance on August 6, 2023. Sands reprised his role in Swept Away when it had a run at Arena Stage in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Previews began on November 25, 2023. Opening night was on December 6, 2023, and it played through January 14, 2024. On May 17, 2024 it was announced that Swept Away would move to Broadway in the fall of 2024, and that the main four cast members, including Sands, would reprise their roles.

Personal life

On July 9, 2011, Sands married British journalist Gemma Clarke at

Bovey Castle Bovey Castle, formerly the Manor House Hotel, is a large early 20th-century mansion on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, near Moretonhampstead, Devon, England. It is a Grade II* listed building and is now a hotel with 59 individually desig ...

, England. They met while Sands was vacationing in London. They have a son born in 2015 and a daughter born in 2018.

Filmography

Theatre

Awards

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sands, Stark 1970s births 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male Shakespearean actors American male stage actors American male television actors Grammy Award winners Living people Male actors from Dallas Male actors from New York City Musicians from Dallas Singers from New York City American twins Theatre World Award winners USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni Year of birth missing (living people)

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Filmography

Theatre

Awards

See also

References

External links