Norm Lewis (born June 2, 1963) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, on Broadway, in film, television, recordings and regional theatre. Productions that he has been involved in include ''

Dessa Rose ''Dessa Rose'' is a novel by Sherley Anne Williams published in 1986 by HarperCollins. The book is a neo-slave narrative, incorporating many elements of traditional slave narratives. The book is divided into three sections: "The Darky", "The ...

'', ''

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 rom ...

'', '' The Wild Party'', and several others. Lewis was the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

actor to perform in the title role in Broadway's long-running production of ''Phantom of the Opera''.Hetrick, Adam and Daniels, Karu F
"Norm Lewis Ends History-Making Engagement in Broadway's 'Phantom of the Opera
'' Playbill''. February 7, 2015.

Early life

Lewis was born in Tallahassee,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

and grew up in

Eatonville Eatonville may refer to: * Eatonville, Florida, United States * Eatonville, Minnesota, United States, an alternative name for the former Dakota village Ḣeyate Otuŋwe * Eatonville, Mississippi, United States * Eatonville, Ontario, a neighbourhood ...

, Florida. He graduated in 1981 from Edgewater High School, Orlando. He worked at the '' Orlando Sentinel'' prior to his acting career.

Career

Lewis credits the kickoff of his career to Ralph Petillo, who ran Theatre on Park in Winter Park, Florida. Lewis was featured as Agwe in the

Gateway Playhouse Gateway Playhouse, also known as the Performing Arts Center of Suffolk County is a theatre located on the eastern edge of Bellport, New York on the grounds of the former Mott Estate. The street address is 215 South Country Road. It's the olde ...

(

Bellport, New York Bellport is a village in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 2,084 at the 2010 census. The Incorporated Village of Bellport is named after the Bell famil ...

) production of '' Once on This Island'' in 1992. Lewis made his Broadway debut in '' The Who's Tommy'' (1993). He was a replacement in ''

'' as John. In 1997 he played Jake in ''

Side Show In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. Types There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions: *The Ten-in-One offers a program of ten seq ...

''. He also appeared in

Michael John LaChiusa Michael John LaChiusa (born July 24, 1962) is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as '' Hello Again'', '' Marie Christine'', '' The Wild Party'', and ''Se ...

's Broadway musical '' The Wild Party'' as Eddie. Lewis was in Michel Legrand's short-lived musical '' Amour'' in 2002, which also featured Melissa Errico, Malcolm Gets, and

Lewis Cleale Lewis Cleale is an American theatre actor and singer from Houlton, Maine. Early life and education A graduate of the University of Miami's Frost School of Music (where he has been named Distinguished Alumnus) and of the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatr ...

. He played the racketeer Eddie Satin in the New York City Center Encores! staged concert of '' Golden Boy'' in March 2002. He played Billy Flynn in the Broadway revival of ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

'' in February 2004 and March 2004."Norm Lewis Broadway credits"
''Internet Broadway Database''. Retrieved June 30, 2011. He performed in several benefit concerts, including '' Dreamgirls'' (2001), ''

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

'' (2003), and '' Hair''. In 2005, Lewis starred in the

Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American L ...

's Shakespeare in the Park revival of a musical version of '' Two Gentlemen of Verona''. He played the role of Nathan in the

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 ...

2005 production of ''

''. Lewis has played Javert in the musical ''

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 ...

'' several times. He first starred in the role in the 2006 Broadway revival, making him the first African American actor to play the role in a professional English production. He later reprised it in the West End production. At London's

O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena (London) *O2 Arena (Prague) *The 3Arena The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decemb ...

, he sang the role in the 25th anniversary concert of the show. Lewis again reprised the role in The Muny, St. Louis production from July 15–21, 2013. In 2007 he originated the role of King Triton in the Broadway production of '' The Little Mermaid''. He went on to sing as King Triton on the original Broadway cast recording. In regional theatre, he played the title role in '' Sweeney Todd'', the musical by

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

and

Hugh Wheeler Hugh Callingham Wheeler (19 March 1912 – 26 July 1987) was a British novelist, screenwriter, librettist, poet and translator. He resided in the United States from 1934 until his death and became a naturalized citizen in 1942. He had attended L ...

, at the Casa Mañana Theatre, Fort Worth, Texas, beginning November 10, 2009. He had previously played this role at the Signature Theatre in 1999. Lewis was featured in the musical revue '' Sondheim on Sondheim'', which premiered in the

Roundabout Theatre 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 Elizab ...

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater w ...

in 2010. The production, conceived and directed by James Lapine, also featured Barbara Cook and Vanessa L. Williams. His rendition of "Being Alive" was one of the evening's outstanding highlights. Lewis appeared in a revised version of ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', ...

'', as Porgy, first at the Loeb Drama Center (

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

) in August through September 2011 and then on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre starting in previews on December 12, 2011. This American Repertory Theater production was "re-imagined by Suzan-Lori Parks and

Diedre Murray Diedre Murray is an American cellist and composer specializing in jazz and musical theater. She also works as a record producer and curator. As a performer she has worked with Leroy Jenkins, Marvin "Hannibal" Peterson, Henry Threadgill, Muha ...

as a musical for contemporary audiences." He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for his performance. Lewis released his first solo album, '' This Is the Life!'' in 2008 under the Seahorse Productions label.Listing
, normlewis.com. Retrieved June 27, 2010. His other notable recordings include the cast recordings of ''Side Show'', ''The Who's Tommy'', and the 1998 cast recording of ''

A New Brain ''A New Brain'' is a musical with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Finn and James Lapine. Though many of Finn's previous musicals were to some extent autobiographical, ''A New Brain'' dealt directly with his own harrowing experience ...

'' as Roger Delli-Bovi, for Scott Alan's ''Keys'' and for the 2001 New York cast recording of '' Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens'' in aid of the Momentum Aids Project. In 2012, Lewis joined the cast of the ABC

political thriller A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The st ...

television series '' Scandal'', in the role of Senator Edison Davis. In 2013, Lewis starred as Prospero in the Public Theater's PublicWorks Shakespeare in the Park production of '' The Tempest'' at the Delacorte Theater. He was one of five professional actors heading a cast of 200 community participants. He is an investor in the company Lolly Clothing, which was created by his good friend and fellow Broadway actor Chad Kimball. He appeared in the

- Wynton Marsalis staged concert for Encores! titled ''A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Affair'', at New York City Center, from November 13 to November 17, 2013. The concert was directed by John Doyle and also featured Bernadette Peters, Jeremy Jordan, and Cyrille Aimée.

2014–present

On May 12, 2014, Lewis assumed the role of the titular Phantom in '' The Phantom of the Opera'' on Broadway. This made him the first black actor to play the role on Broadway and the third worldwide. He succeeded

Hugh Panaro Hugh Panaro (born February 19, 1964) is an American actor and singer known for his work on Broadway. Early life Panaro was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and resided in the East Oak Lane section of the city with his family. As a schoolchild, ...

and joined fellow returning cast member Sierra Boggess, who returned as Christine on the same date. On February 7, 2015, Lewis ended his tenure as the Phantom with a performance at the

Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to: Australia * Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished * Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed ...

. Coverage in '' Playbill'' credited him for his "impressive Broadway resumé". Being succeeded by actor James Barbour, Lewis remarked that he had been a fan of the musical for many years and felt that obtaining the part finally had been akin to winning the lottery. Lewis is a recipient of the 2014 AUDELCO Special Achievement Award. In 2016, Lewis reprised his role of King Triton for a live Hollywood Bowl concert production of '' The Little Mermaid''. He also began playing Agwe in ''Once on this Island'' on January 8, 2018, at the

Circle in the Square Theatre The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, in the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is one of two Broadway theaters that use a thrust stage that extends ...

and continues to perform the role. Lewis portrayed Caiaphas in the live televised concert production of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'' on April 1, 2018,

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samue ...

Sunday.

Theatre credits

Sources: Lortel.org; PlayBillVault"Norm Lewis Broadway"
''Playbill''. Retrieved March 4, 2016.

Discography

*'' This Is the Life!'', 2008 *''The Norm Lewis Christmas Album'', 2018

Concerts

Lewis has performed at numerous venues, including

(where his concert was filmed for the TV special ''Norm Lewis: Who Am I?''), Joe's Pub, Apollo Theater, and the

New Jersey Performing Arts Center The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in downtown Newark, New Jersey, United States, is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), more than nine million visitors ...

Film credits

Television credits

Awards and nominations

References

External links

www.normlewis.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Norm 20th-century African-American male singers 21st-century African-American people 21st-century American male actors 1963 births African-American male actors American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors Edgewater High School alumni Living people Male actors from Tallahassee, Florida Orlando Sentinel people People from Eatonville, Florida