Gavin Creel

Gavin James Creel (April 18, 1976 – September 30, 2024) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter best known for his work in musical theater. Over his career he received a Grammy Award, a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards and a Laurence Olivier Award.

Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002 in the leading role of Jimmy in '' Thoroughly Modern Millie'' before starring as Claude in the 2009 Broadway revival of ''Hair'', both Tony Award–nominated performances. From 2012 to 2015, he starred as Elder Price in '' The Book of Mormon''; he received a Laurence Olivier Award for originating the role in the West End version of the musical and played the role in the U.S. National Tour and on Broadway. He received a Tony Award in 2017 for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in '' Hello, Dolly!'' on Broadway.

Creel's other stage credits include '' La Cage aux Folles'' (2004), '' She Loves Me'' (2016), '' Waitress'' (2019), and ''Into the Woods'' (2022) on Broadway; ''Mary Poppins'' (2006), ''Hair'' (2010) and ''Waitress'' (2020) in the West End; and the national tours of '' Fame'' (1998) and ''Into the Woods'' (2023). Primarily a theater actor, his most notable screen acting role is as Bill in '' Eloise at the Plaza'' and its Christmas-themed sequel.

Early life and education

Creel was born in Findlay, Ohio, on April 18, 1976. He was raised in a devoutly religious environment which he found highly alienating, and was drawn to theater as a way to escape it. He attended Findlay High School, graduating in 1994. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance in 1998.

Career

1997–2001: Early career

Creel began his professional career in regional theater. Some of his earliest credits are as part of the resident cast of Pittsburgh CLO, a repertory theater, for their 1997 and 1998 seasons; mostly ensemble roles, some of his eight productions there included '' Kiss Me Kate'', '' La Cage aux Folles'', and '' On the Town''.

Following college graduation, Creel played Nick Piazza in the opening cast of 1998 national tour of '' Fame''. In 1998–1999, the tour performed in cities including Toronto, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Following the tour, he continued to perform in regional theater before moving to New York City in the early 2000s. In 2001, he was the swing in the original off-Broadway production of '' Bat Boy: The Musical.'' He also took part in the 2001 workshop of '' Spring Awakening''.

2002–2012: Broadway debut and breakthrough

In 2002, Creel made his Broadway debut in the original production of '' Thoroughly Modern Millie'', originating the role of Jimmy Smith opposite Sutton Foster's Millie Dillmount. A breakthrough performance, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. In February 2003, Creel played Prince Eric in a workshop for Disney's stage adaptation of ''The Little Mermaid''. After he departed ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' in April 2003, he performed in the original Chicago production of Stephen Sondheim's '' Road Show'', then titled ''Bounce'', recorded the original cast album for '' Bright Lights, Big City'', among other productions and workshops. Of note, he made his screen acting debut in the 2003 film '' Eloise at the Plaza'' and its follow-up '' Eloise at Christmastime'' as Bill.

He returned to Broadway in 2004 in the revival of '' La Cage aux Folles,'' playing Jean-Michel throughout the production. In 2006, he made his West End debut in ''Mary Poppins,'' replacing the original Bert in the production. Also in 2006, he released his debut studio album ''Goodtimenation''. In 2008, Creel was set to star as Jesus alongside Joshua Henry as Judas/John the Baptist and Diana DeGarmo in a Broadway revival of '' Godspell'' at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, but on August 19, it was announced that the show was postponed indefinitely due to the loss of an investor. He returned to Broadway in 2009 in the revival of ''Hair''. For his starring role of Claude, he received his second Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He and the rest of the cast performed in London through 2010 when the production transferred to the West End. Following ''Hair'', he starred in the world premiere of ''Prometheus Bound'' at the American Repertory Theater.

2012–2024: Continued theater roles

From 2012 until 2015, Creel starred in a series of productions of '' The Book of Mormon''. He first starred as Elder Price in the First National Tour of the show in 2012. He subsequently originated the role in the musical's original West End production; for this performance, he was awarded Best Actor in a Musical at the 2014 Laurence Olivier Awards, the most prestigious theatrical awards in the United Kingdom. Following his West End run, he returned to the touring production for a number of months before joining the Broadway cast in 2015. Creel played the suave salesman Steven Kodaly, opposite Jane Krakowski, in the 2016 Broadway revival of '' She Loves Me''. The show was a critical success and the production became the first Broadway show ever to be live-streamed. Since then, the recording has been part of the PBS series '' Great Performances''.

In 2017, he began playing Cornelius Hackl in the Broadway revival of ''Hello, Dolly!'' starring Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce, and later Bernadette Peters and Victor Garber. Santino Fontana temporarily filled in for him while Creel recovered from back surgery from March to May 2018. For his role, Creel was awarded the 2017 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical. In 2019, Creel assumed the role of Dr. Pomatter in the Broadway production of ''Waitress''. He subsequently played the role in the West End production of the musical in 2020. He starred alongside the show’s composer Sara Bareilles for both stints.

In 2021, Creel appeared in two episodes of '' American Horror Stories'' opposite Matt Bomer and Sierra McCormick on FX on Hulu. On August 29, 2021, Creel was featured in the Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) network's aired concert for the musical '' Wicked'' which was hosted by Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. Other featured artists were Rita Moreno, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana DeBose, Ali Stroker, Amber Riley, Mario Cantone, Jennifer Nettles, Stephanie Hsu, Alex Newell, Isaac Cole Powell, and Gabrielle Ruiz performing many of the musical's numbers.

In May 2022, Creel appeared as The Wolf and Cinderella's Prince in the New York City Center Encores! production and subsequent Broadway revival in June of ''Into the Woods''. He left the production July 23 for two weeks and was filled in for by Cheyenne Jackson and understudy Jason Forbach. He came back for a month and then left again on September 4 for 10 days and was filled in for by Andy Karl, He returned to the production September 16 and stayed with the cast through its closing date January 8, 2023. During the Broadway run he would star opposite Bareilles, Karl, Joshua Henry, Phillipa Soo, Brian d'Arcy James, Patina Miller, Stephanie J. Block, Krysta Rodriguez, Denée Benton, Julia Lester, Sebastian Arcelus, Montego Glover, Diane Phelan, and Joaquina Kalukango. He reprised these roles in the 2023 national tour opposite Glover, Block, Arcelus, Forbach, Phelan, Rodriguez, and Karl.

The first time Creel performed a song from his self-written musical was at Elsie Fest in 2019, where he debuted the song "The Only One". In 2021, Creel performed two shows of a self-described 'concert-cal' called ''Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice'', for which Creel was commissioned to write and perform the book, music, and lyrics by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In December 2022, two industry readings of ''Walk on Through'' were held at Pershing Square Signature Theatre Center. Creel spoke at length about working on this piece before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. It had its world premiere Off-Broadway in November 2023, running from November 13 to January 7, 2024.

Personal life

Creel divided his time between residences on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and in Carmel, New York.

Activism

Creel was gay and was heavily involved in gay rights activism. He was one of the founders, with Rory O'Malley and Jenny Kanelos, of Broadway Impact, an LGBT activist group that mobilized the New York theatre community in the pursuit of marriage equality. He was also a regular on the LGBT R FamilyVacations cruise with Rosie O'Donnell. From 2015 until his death, Creel was part of the board of trustees for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Relationships

In 2009, Creel dated fellow actor Jonathan Groff. He also dated Broadway actor Henry Gottfried for several years, whom he mentioned in his Tony acceptance speech. At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with Alex Temple Ward.

Illness and death

In July 2024, Creel was diagnosed with metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. He died from the disease under hospice care at his home in Manhattan on September 30, 2024, at the age of 48. Numerous actors who had worked with Creel publicly paid tribute to him.

Theaters in Toronto, the West End and on Broadway announced that they would dim their lights as a tribute to Creel. Initially, only one-third of Broadway's 41 theaters planned towards dimming their lights in honor of Creel, but after public outcry, the tribute was announced to be extended to all Broadway venues. In London, a candlelight vigil was held in Creel's memory at the Actors' Church in Covent Garden on October 6, 2024, with the lights dimming on the four West End theaters he performed in on December 3, 2024. The New York City public memorial service was held at the St. James Theatre on December 2, 2024, with contributions by Gavin's family, colleagues, and members of the Broadway community. This was followed by the dimming of the lights on December 3, 2024.

Acting credits

Theatre

Adapted from ''About The Artists'' and ''Broadway World''.

Television

Other works

* 2016: ''The Ceiling Fan'' (producer) • short film
* TBA: ''The Delicate Medium'' (associate producer) • short film (released posthumously)

Discography

Solo discography

;Albums
* 2006: ''Goodtimenation'' (Creel/Roth)
* 2012: ''Get Out'' (self-released)

;EPs
* 2010: ''Quiet'' (self-released); No. 44 at the ''Billboard'''s Top Heatseekers

;Singles
* 2011: "Noise (Equality Now)"
* 2012: "Whitney Houston"

;Guest appearances
* 2002: "Lullaby of Broadway" with Marc Kudisch & David Nehls from ''Broadway Romances Manhattan''
* 2005: "'Til Then" from ''ZEITGEIST'' by Dan Lipton
* 2007: "Young at Heart" from ''Over the Rainbow'' ( Universal)
* 2010: "Greenwich Time" from ''Love on a Summer Afternoon: Songs of Sam Davis'' (PS Classics)
* 2017: "Christmas Broadway Bus Stop" with Laura Bell Bundy & Eden Espinosa
* 2019: "Do You Hear the Bells?" with The Laurie Berkner Band from ''Waiting for the Elevator''
* 2020: "Witchcraft/I Put a Spell on You" from ''I Put a Spell on You'' ( Broadway Records)
* 2020: "If It Be Your Will" with Shoshana Bean & Shayna Steele from ''Sing Your Hallelujah'' (Shotime Records)
* 2021: "Something Wonderful" from '' R&H Goes Pop!''
* 2021: "A Moment Forever Ago" from ''Central Park Season Two, The Soundtrack''

Cast recordings

* 2002: '' Thoroughly Modern Millie'' ( RCA Victor)
* 2005: ''Hair'' ''( Actors Fund of America Benefit Recording)'' ( Sh-K-Boom)
* 2005: '' Bright Lights, Big City (Original Cast Recording)'' ( Sh-K-Boom)
* 2006: ''It's Only Life (A New Musical Revue)'' (PS Classics)
* 2009: ''Hair (New Broadway Cast Recording)'' ( Sh-K-Boom)
* 2011: '' Fine and Dandy (World Premiere Recording)'' (PS Classics)
* 2012: '' Flashdance – The Musical'' (Roth Music Inc.)
* 2012: ''Fugitive Songs – A Song Cycle'' (Warner/Chappell)
* 2016: '' She Loves Me (2016 Broadway Cast Recording)'' (Ghostlight Records)
* 2017: '' Hello, Dolly! (New Broadway Cast Recording)'' (Masterworks Broadway)
* 2019: ''Three Points of Contact'' (Very Intense Records)
* 2019: ''The Man in the Ceiling (World Premiere Recording)'' (Ghostlight Records)
* 2022: '' Into the Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording)'' (Craft Recordings)

Source:

Awards and nominations

See also

2022 Hermitage Fellow at the Hermitage Artist Retreat
* LGBT culture in New York City
* List of LGBT people from New York City

References

External links

* (official website)
*
* Gavin Creelat ''Billboard''

Gavin Creel
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Creel, Gavin
1976 births
2024 deaths
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American male singers
21st-century American singers
Activists from Ohio
American gay actors
American LGBTQ musicians
American LGBTQ rights activists
American male musical theatre actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
Deaths from sarcoma
Film producers from Ohio
Findlay High School alumni
Laurence Olivier Award winners
LGBTQ people from Ohio
Male actors from Ohio
People from Carmel, New York
People from Findlay, Ohio
People from the Upper West Side
Tony Award winners
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni