John Howard Gallagher Jr. (born June 17, 1984) is an American actor and musician best known for originating the role of Moritz Stiefel in the 2006 rock musical '' Spring Awakening'', which earned him a

Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The award has been given since 1947, but the nominees who did not win have only been publicly announced since 1956. Winner and ...

. He also played Johnny in Green Day's

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 Stree ...

musical, '' American Idiot'', Lee in the 2011 Broadway production of ''

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

,'' and Edmund in the 2016 Broadway revival of '' Long Day's Journey Into Night''. He portrayed Jim Harper in

Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. Sorkin has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime ...

's drama series '' The Newsroom'', starred in the HBO mini-series '' Olive Kitteridge'', and played Emmett DeWitt in ''

10 Cloverfield Lane ''10 Cloverfield Lane'' is a 2016 American science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Dan Trachtenberg in his directorial debut, produced by J. J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber and written by Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken, and Dami ...

''.

Early life

Gallagher was born in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, and was raised there with his two older sisters. His parents, John and June Gallagher, are folk musicians. He attended Brandywine High School. He eventually went on to play in numerous bands, including Not Now Murray, What Now, Annie's Autograph, and Old Springs Pike. Gallagher played

Tom Sawyer Thomas Sawyer () is the titular character of the Mark Twain novel ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: '' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), '' Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894), and '' Tom Sawyer, ...

as a child actor at the Delaware Children's Theatre. Before and throughout his '' Spring Awakening'' run, he was in the folk-rock group Old Springs Pike. On January 23, 2008, his fellow band members announced his departure. The next day, Gallagher made an official announcement confirming his departure on his MySpace page. Old Springs Pike later officially changed their name to

the Spring Standards The Spring Standards is an independent three-piece folk-rock band based in New York City. Biography James Cleare, Heather Robb, and James Smith first sang together in the last summer of the 20th century. Having just turned 16, the three teens ...

Stage career

2000–2005: Early career

Gallagher has appeared in three plays by playwright

David Lindsay-Abaire David Lindsay-Abaire ( Abaire; born November 14, 1969) is an American playwright, lyricist and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2007 for his play '' Rabbit Hole'', which also earned several Tony Award nominations. Early ...

. He originated the role of Jeff in Abaire's hit play '' Kimberly Akimbo'', appeared in the ill-fated United Kingdom production of ''

Fuddy Meers ''Fuddy Meers'' is an American play by David Lindsay-Abaire. It tells the story of an amnesiac, Claire, who awakens each morning as a blank slate on which her husband and teenage son must imprint the facts of her life. One morning Claire is abduc ...

'', and he received critical acclaim for his role in '' Rabbit Hole'', which marked his

debut. He also appeared in the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has g ...

Production of the

David Marshall Grant David Marshall Grant (born June 21, 1955) is an American actor, singer and writer. Life and career Grant was born in Westport, Connecticut, to physician parents. Immediately after graduating from Connecticut College with an M.F.A. and receivin ...

play ''Current Events''.

2006–2011: Broadway and ''Spring Awakening''

Gallagher originated the role of Moritz Stiefel in '' Spring Awakening'' on Broadway after performing the role Off-Broadway and in workshops at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

. The rock musical, with music by

Duncan Sheik Duncan Sheik (born November 18, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Sheik is known for his 1996 debut single " Barely Breathing", which earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. He has composed m ...

and a book and lyrics by

Steven Sater Steven Sater is a Tony Award, Grammy Award, and Laurence Olivier Award-winning American poet, playwright, lyricist, television writer and screenwriter. He is best known for writing the book and lyrics for the Tony Award-winning 2006 Broadway musi ...

premiered Off-Broadway at the

Atlantic Theatre Company Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their ac ...

on May 19, 2006, and ran through August 5, 2006.Pincus-Roth, Zachar
"'Spring Awakening' Advance Approaches $2 Million"
playbill.com, December 12, 2006 '' Spring Awakening'' opened on Broadway at the

Eugene O'Neill Theatre The Eugene O'Neill Theatre, previously the Forrest Theatre and the Coronet Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 230 West 49th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and ...

on December 10, 2006. Gallagher won the 2007

Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The award has been given since 1947, but the nominees who did not win have only been publicly announced since 1956. Winner and ...

for his performance. On December 16, 2007, he left '' Spring Awakening'' and was succeeded two days later by Blake Bashoff. Gallagher starred in productions of the dramas, '' Port Authority'', by

Conor McPherson Conor McPherson (born 6 August 1971) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director of stage and film. In recognition of his contribution to world theatre, McPherson was awarded a doctorate of Literature, Honoris Causa, in June 2013 by the Un ...

and ''Farragut North'' by Beau Willimon. Both plays were productions of the

Atlantic Theater Company Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their act ...

, the same theater that premiered '' Spring Awakening''. Gallagher starred in '' American Idiot'', a musical based on the Green Day album of the same name, along with fellow Spring Awakening alumni Brian Charles Johnson and

Gerard Canonico Gerard Canonico (born July 23, 1989) is an American actor and singer, best known for his roles in Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, including Gavroche in ''Les Misérables'' and Rich Goranski in '' Be More Chill''. He appeared in the films '' No ...

. ''American Idiot'' premiered in

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 Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

at the Berkeley Repertory Theater on September 4, 2009. The show's run ended on November 15, 2009. It began previews on Broadway at the St. James Theatre March 24, 2010 and officially opened on April 20, 2010. It was later nominated for three 2010

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the 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 ...

s, of which it won two. Gallagher played Johnny, or " Jesus of Suburbia". Gallagher departed '' American Idiot'' on February 27, 2011, and was succeeded by Van Hughes The show's run ended on April 24, 2011. After leaving '' American Idiot'', Gallagher was featured in the Broadway production of The

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

's ''

''. The production was directed by Ian Rickson, and opened on April 21, 2011, at the

Music Box Theatre The Music Box Theatre is a Broadway theater at 239 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1921, the Music Box Theatre was designed by C. Howard Crane in a Palladian-inspir ...

(239 West 45th Street). He played the role of Lee until leaving the production on July 17, 2011.

2016–present: Return to stage acting

He starred as Edmund Tyrone in

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabet ...

's revival of

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...

's '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', alongside

Jessica Lange Jessica Phyllis Lange (; born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. She is the 13th actress to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having won two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, along with a Screen Actors ...

and

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, and author. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's s ...

. The show was directed by Jonathan Kent and opened on April 19, 2016, at the American Airlines Theatre. In 2022, he starred in the world premiere production of ''Swept Away'' at the

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley. History The company was founded in 1968, as the East Bay's first resident p ...

. Based on the music of ''

The Avett Brothers The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band from Concord, North Carolina. The band is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett (banjo, lead vocals, guitar, piano, kick-drum) and Seth Avett (guitar, lead vocals, piano, hi-hat) along with Bob C ...

'', the musical reunited Gallagher with ''Spring Awakening'' director Michael Mayer. Of note, Gallagher named the Avett Brothers his favorite band in a 2007 ''New York'' magazine article.

Film and television work

Gallagher has appeared in several television programs, including ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

'', '' Law & Order: SVU'', '' NYPD Blue'', '' Ed'', ''

Love Monkey ''Love Monkey'' is an American comedy-drama television series starring Tom Cavanagh. The series was created by Michael Rauch, based on the book of the same name, by Kyle Smith. It was a co-production of Paramount Television and Sony Pictures Te ...

'', and Hallmark Hall of Fame's film '' The Flamingo Rising''. He played Jim Harper in

's '' The Newsroom'' which aired on HBO. He also appeared in HBO's mini-series '' Olive Kitteridge'', based on the

Pulitzer Pulitzer may refer to: *Joseph Pulitzer, a 20th century media magnate * Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award *Pulitzer (surname) * Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain *Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-pr ...

-winning novel of the same name, in the role of Christopher Kitteridge. Gallagher's film credits include '' Pieces of April'', Woody Allen's ''

Whatever Works ''Whatever Works'' is a 2009 American comedy film directed and written by Woody Allen and starring Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Ed Begley Jr., Michael McKean, and Henry Cavill. It was released on June 19, 2009, received mi ...

'', ''

Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...

'', '' The Heart Machine'',

Kenneth Lonergan Kenneth Lonergan (born October 16, 1962) is an American film director, playwright, and screenwriter. He is the co-writer of the film ''Gangs of New York'' (2002), and wrote and directed '' You Can Count on Me'' (2000), ''Margaret'' (2011), and ' ...

's '' Margaret'', and a lead role in '' Short Term 12'' opposite

Brie Larson Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers (born October 1, 1989), known professionally as Brie Larson, is an American actress. Known for her supporting roles in comedies as a teenager, she has since expanded to leading roles in independent films and blockb ...

. Short Term 12's director,

Destin Daniel Cretton Destin Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his films '' Short Term 12'' (2013), '' The Glass Castle'' (2017), ''Just Mercy'' (2019) and the Marvel Studios film ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' (2021). He h ...

described Gallagher as having an innate quality, that the actor "feels like a big brother anyone would want to have." In 2016, he starred in the thriller film ''

''. As of June 2015, he filmed ''

The Belko Experiment ''The Belko Experiment'' is a 2016 American horror thriller film directed by Greg McLean and written by James Gunn, who also produced the film with Peter Safran. It stars John Gallagher Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, John C. McGinley, Melon ...

'', a horror thriller film directed by Greg McLean and written by

James Gunn James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker and executive. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1997). He then began working as a directo ...

. In 2016, Gallagher starred as the antagonist in horror-thriller film ''

Hush Hush may refer to: Film and television * ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young * ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi * ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...

''. In 2018 he starred in '' The Miseducation of Cameron Post'', and in 2020 he played Liam Dempsey Jr. in season 3 of ''

Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...

''.

Music

Gallagher has been writing music since his early adolescent years, playing guitar, bass, drums and harmonica.Lindsey Sullivan
"Johnny Gallagher on Debut Solo Album 'Six Day Hurricane,' Dropping the 'Jr.' & Jamming With Jeff Daniels"
'' Billboard'', January 19, 2016. Retrieved on December 25, 2016. He frequently performs in live spaces such as

Rockwood Music Hall Rockwood Music Hall is a music venue at 196 Allen Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Owner Ken Rockwood, aka "The Professor", opened the establishment in 2005 as a small bar and music venue. Today, the venue features ...

in New York. On January 15, 2016, Gallagher released his debut album "Six Day Hurricane" via Rockwood Music Hall Recordings, under the name Johnny Gallagher.Andrea Towers
"John Gallagher, Jr. announces album Six Day Hurricane, releases first single"
''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'', November 23, 2015. Retrieved on December 25, 2016. The album was recorded in Brooklyn in 2012, over the course of six days during Hurricane Sandy.Pamela Thomas
"Interview: Johnny Gallagher on the release of his debut LP Six Day Hurricane"
''The Reel Spin'', January 15, 2016. Retrieved on December 25, 2016. Regarding the decision to release his music after a three-year delay, Gallagher said: "I knew I had to do it now, or I was going to go another year or see another birthday without putting my music out, and I can't live with that." The album, produced by close friend and collaborator Thad DeBrock, includes nine songs originally selected for a previous live performance, including singles "Two Fists Full," "Dangerous Strangers," and "Sarasota Someone."

Filmography

Theater

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * *
Review
of John Gallagher Jr's performance in ''American Idiot'' on Broadway, April 21, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gallagher, John Jr. 1984 births Living people Male actors from Wilmington, Delaware 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors Musicians from Wilmington, Delaware Tony Award winners Singers from Delaware