Stephen Bogardus (born March 11, 1954) is an American actor. He originated the role of Whizzer 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 ...

musical, ''

Falsettos ''Falsettos'' is a sung-through musical theatre, musical with a book by William Finn and James Lapine, and music and lyrics by Finn. The musical consists of ''March of the Falsettos'' (1981) and ''Falsettoland'' (1990), the last two installment ...

''.

Biography

Born in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, Bogardus graduated from

Choate Rosemary Hall Choate Rosemary Hall ( ) is a Independent school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational, College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1890, it took its present na ...

in 1972 and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1976, where he was a member of the Princeton Nassoons and the

Princeton Triangle Club The Princeton Triangle Club is an American theater troupe at Princeton University, located in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1891, it is one of the oldest collegiate theater troupes in the United States. Triangle premieres an original stud ...

.Stephen Bogardus Biography
ingenuitypro.com, retrieved January 25, 2010

Career

Bogardus studied acting at

HB Studio The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency prog ...

. His first role was as one of the Sheriff's men in a local production of ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

'' on MacArthur Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut. He made his first

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

appearance in a stage adaptation of the film ''

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg ''The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' () is a 1964 musical romantic drama film written and directed by Jacques Demy, with music by Michel Legrand. Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo star as two young lovers in the French city of Cherbourg, separate ...

'' at

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp is a pioneering figure in American theater, known for creating Shakespeare in the Park, which aimed to make classi ...

Public Theater The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: A ...

in 1979. His additional

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

credits include ''

March of the Falsettos ''March of the Falsettos'' is a 1981 musical with book, lyrics, and music by William Finn. It is the second in a trilogy of musicals, preceded by '' In Trousers'' and followed by '' Falsettoland''. ''March of the Falsettos'' and ''Falsettoland'' l ...

'' (1981), '' In Trousers'' (1985), '' Falsettoland'' (1990), and '' Love! Valour! Compassion!'' (1994), which transferred to

the following year, and ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervan ...

'' (2002). He received both

Obie The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

and

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 ...

nominations for his performance in ''Love! Valour! Compassion!,'' and reprised his role in the 1997 film. He was featured in the

City Center A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms that exist in ...

concert series

Encores! Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, E ...

in '' Sweet Adeline'' (1997) and ''

Allegro Allegro may refer to: Common meanings * Allegro (music), a tempo marking that indicates to playing quickly and brightly (from Italian meaning ''cheerful'') * Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement Artistic works * L'Allegro (1645), a poem b ...

'' as Joseph Taylor Jr. (1994). His Broadway work includes ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'' (1980) as understudy Tony, ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' (November 1987 - June 1988) as Grantaire and understudy

Javert Javert (), no first name given in the source novel, is a fictional character and a 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 police i ...

, in addition to other roles, ''Safe Sex'' (1987), ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...

'', ''

'' (1992) as Whizzer, ''

King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

'' (Concert, 1997), ''

High Society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

'' (1998), '' James Joyce's The Dead'' (April 4, 2000 to April 16, 2000, as Gabriel Conroy), ''Man of La Mancha'' (2002, Dr. Carrasco), and ''Old Acquaintance'' (2007). In 1990, he toured the United States as the American chess player Freddie Trumper in

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''Jesus C ...

's ''Chess''. A year later, he portrayed Stine in the tour of ''City of Angels''. In 2008, he starred as Bob Wallace in the Broadway and U.S. touring productions of '' White Christmas'', a role he had performed in 2005 at the Wang Center in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and in 2006 in St. Paul. In 2013, he portrayed Colonel Ricci in an Off-Broadway production of ''Passion''. In 2014-2016, Bogardus originated and appeared on Broadway in the role of Daddy Cane in

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...

and Edie Brickell's ''Bright Star''. In the late 2010s, he performed on various

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

productions portraying Joe Boyd in ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., d ...

'' in 2017 and Nick Laine in ''Girl from the North Country'' in 2018. In regional theatre, Bogardus appeared in ''

M. Butterfly ''M. Butterfly'' is a play by David Henry Hwang. The story, while entwined with that of the opera '' Madama Butterfly'', is based most directly on the relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, a Beijing opera sin ...

'' at the Arena Stage,

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 ...

;

William Finn William Alan Finn (February 28, 1952 – April 7, 2025) was an American composer and lyricist. He was best known for his musicals, which include ''Falsettos'', for which he won the 1992 Tony Awards for Tony Award for Best Original Score, Best O ...

's, ''Elegies'', Canon Theatre, Los Angeles; and ''James Joyce's The Dead'' at the Ahmanson Theater, Los Angeles and the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

, Washington, D.C. Bogardus' extensive television credits include small roles on the daytime

soaps Soap is a surfactant cleaning compound used for personal or other cleaning. SOAP is a computer network protocol (originally an acronym for Simple Object Access Protocol), a protocol specification in computer networks. Soap or SOAP may also refer ...

'' Another World'', ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...

'' and ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...

; and'' numerous guest appearances on

prime time Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

series, including ''

Cagney and Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...

'', ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', '' Ed'', ''

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

'' and ''

Conviction In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is Guilty (law), guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a ...

''. In June 2020 he unsuccessfully ran for the presidency of the labor union

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American trade union, labor union representing those who work in Theatre, live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions w ...

, challenging incumbent Kate Shindle.

Personal

Bogardus is married to dancer Dana Moore. In 1998, they appeared opposite each other in ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

'', with Bogardus as lawyer Billy Flynn and Moore as Velma Kelly. In 2002, they appeared together in ''

'' as Lola and Mr. Applegate at the Boston Center for The Arts,

, Massachusetts.Creasey, Beverly
"What Happened in Boston, Willie"
, theatermirror.com, retrieved January 25, 2010 They have an adopted son, Jackson Bogardus.

Broadway credits

* ''

'' (1980) as Mouth Piece and understudy Tony * ''

'' (1987) as Grantaire/Bamatabois/Ensemble and understudy

* ''

'' (1990) as Car Salesman/Bookkeeper * ''

'' (1992) as Whizzer * ''

'' (1997) as Joab * '' Love! Valour! Compassion!'' (1998) as Gregory Mitchell * ''

'' (1998) as Mike Connor * '' James Joyce's The Dead'' (2000) as Gabriel Conroy * ''

'' (2002 revival) as Duke/Dr. Carrasco * ''Old Acquaintance'' (2007) as Preston Drake * '' White Christmas'' (2008) as Bob Wallace * '' Bright Star'' (2016) as Daddy Cane * ''

'' (2017) as Joe Boyd

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * *
Biography at filmreference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bogardus, Stephen 1954 births American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male television actors Living people Choate Rosemary Hall alumni Princeton University alumni Male actors from Norfolk, Virginia 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors