Casey Likes (born December 25, 2001) is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing

Marty McFly Marty McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Back to the Future (franchise), ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He is a high school student living in the fictional town of Hill Valley (Back to the Future), Hill Valley, California ...

in the 2023

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 ...

production of '' Back to the Future: The Musical'' at the

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Originally designed by architect William Albert Swasey, it opened in 1911. The Winter Garden's current des ...

and originating the role of William Miller in the musical theatre adaptation of the film ''

Almost Famous ''Almost Famous'' is a 2000 American comedy drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe, starring Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It tells the story of a teenage journalist, played b ...

'' in 2019 in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

and then on Broadway in 2022. Beginning his career as a child actor, Likes has also acted in films and television and done some writing, directing and producing.

Early life

Likes was raised in

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, fourth-most populous city in Arizona ...

. His mother, Stephanie Likes, is also an actress and appeared in ''

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. '' ...

'' on Broadway and on a national tour. Likes attended Chandler High School where, in 2019, he starred as

Jean Valjean Jean Valjean () is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his ...

in the school's production of ''Les Misérables'', winning Best Lead Male at the 2019 ASU Gammage High School Musical Theatre Awards. This award made Likes a contestant in that year's

Jimmy Awards The National High School Musical Theatre Awards, more commonly known as the Jimmy Awards, are awards given annually to recognize musical theatre performances by high school students in the United States. Two main awards are given each year, Best ...

in New York City. At this competition, Likes was selected as one of the eight finalists.

Career

Likes began his career performing in school and community theatre in and around his hometown. His first professional stage role was William Miller in the new musical ''

'' at

The Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe is a professional theatre company in Balboa Park (San Diego), Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the ...

, California. The production ran from September to October 2019. When it transferred to

at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre from November 2022 to January 2023, Likes again played William Miller, garnering a 2023

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

. The Broadway cast recording of ''Almost Famous'', released on April 21, 2023, features Likes. Between his two runs in ''Almost Famous'', Likes appeared in season 2 of Crypt TV's web series, ''The Birch'', as Brian Moses (2021). In 2021, he wrote, directed and acted in a short film titled ''Thespians'', starring Broadway performers

Sydney Lucas Sydney Ellen Lucas (born July 11, 2003) is an American actress with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known for her portrayal of Small Alison Bechdel in both the original Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Lisa ...

Andrew Barth Feldman Andrew Barth Feldman (born May 7, 2002) is an American actor and singer. He began his acting career in musical theater by participating in local productions as a child. Feldman won a Jimmy Award for his high school's production of the musical ''C ...

, Rob McClure and Antonio Cipriano. Likes starred as Richie Shepherd in the

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

horror film '' Dark Harvest'' (2023). He also played

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...

, the bassist and co-lead singer of

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

, in the

Neil Bogart Neil E. Bogart (born Neil Scott Bogatz, February 3, 1943 – May 8, 1982) was an American record executive. He was the founder of Casablanca Records, which later became Casablanca Record and Filmworks. Life and career Born Neil Scott Bogatz i ...

biopic '' Spinning Gold'' (2023). Likes starred as Marty McFly in '' Back to the Future: The Musical'' at the

on Broadway from June 2023 until it closed on January 5, 2025. In the role, he was nominated for an

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town news ...

for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical. He directed and starred as Melchior Gabor in a production of '' Spring Awakening'' at Greasepaint Youtheatre in Scottsdale, Arizona, from April 4–13, 2025. Likes is set to star as J.D. in the

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 ...

revival of ''

Heathers ''Heathers'' is a 1988 American teen dark comedy crime film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann, in both of their respective film debuts. The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, K ...

''. The production is scheduled to play from June 22 through September 28, 2025 at

New World Stages New World Stages is a five-theater, Off-Broadway performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue. ...

in New York City.

Filmography

Film and television

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Likes, Casey 2001 births 21st-century American male actors Actors from Maricopa County, Arizona American male musical theatre actors American male television actors American male film actors American film editors Film directors from Arizona Film producers from Arizona American male screenwriters Living people Male actors from Arizona People from Chandler, Arizona