Jeremy Kushnier (; born September 30, 1975) is a Canadian

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

Early life

Jeremy Kushnier was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, Manitoba, Canada. Kushnier attended Miles MacDonell Collegiate, the Winnipeg School of Performing Arts, and the

Royal Winnipeg Ballet The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. History It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also fou ...

, all in Winnipeg. He is the brother of the actor Serge Kushnier and the musician Bryce Kushnier, involved with the electronic project Vitaminsforyou. Kushnier travelled by bus from

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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 ...

to audition for a role in ''

Footloose ''Footloose'' is a 1984 American musical drama film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Dean Pitchford. It tells the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town, where he attempts to overturn a b ...

'' in 1997.

Life and career

Kushnier is known for originating the role of Ren McCormick in the musical rendition of ''

'', and for his role in the

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 ...

-winning musical ''

Jersey Boys ''Jersey Boys'' is a jukebox musical with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and breakup of the 1960s rock 'n' roll group The Four Seasons. The mus ...

'' in the role of Tommy Devito and was one of the "Top 10 Great Chicago Performances of 2007". He starred in the Chicago cast, and then opened the Vegas production. He took over the role of Tommy on August 21, 2008 as part of the Toronto engagement of ''Jersey Boys'', which was part of the North American tour. He played Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine in the first national tour of the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

winning musical ''

Next to Normal ''Next to Normal'' is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her fam ...

''. In the Broadway revival of ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

'', he played a priest and understudied the roles of

Judas Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of ...

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

and

Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of Jesus and ultimately ordered his cruc ...

. He also performed on Broadway in the

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

show '' Paramour''. Kushnier replaced actor

Bradley Dean Bradley Dean (born June 18, 1970) is an American stage and screen actor. Early life Dean is originally from Pottsville, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. Career Theatre Broadway theatre Dean made his Broadway debut ...

in 2016 in ''Paramour'' because of creative differences. Head Over Heels in 2018. In February 2025, he's set to begin starring as Orin Scrivello in the Off-Broadway Revival (theatre), revival of ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 American film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986 film), a 1986 American film based on th ...

''. He was married to Jenny Lee Stern, but they have since divorced. He has two daughters.

Stage credits

Ref:

Broadway

* ''Footloose'' as Ren McCormack (October 22, 1997 – July 2, 2000) * ''Rent'' as Roger Davis (November 17, 2003 – January 17, 2005) *''

'' as Ensemble and understudy Jesus/Judas/Pilate (March 1 - July 1, 2012) *''

'' as Tommy Devito (October 9, 2012 - February 10, 2013) * ''Paramour'' as AJ (April 16, 2016 - April 16, 2017) *'' Head Over Heels'' as Basilius (June 23, 2018 – January 6, 2019) *'' Flying Over Sunset'' as understudy Aldous Huxley (November 11, 2021 - January 16, 2022)

Other theatre credits

*Oliver Twist in ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before opening in the W ...

'' at Rainbow Stage, Winnipeg Manitoba (1988) *Ensemble in ''

The Who's Tommy ''The Who's Tommy'' is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Pete Townshend and a book by Townshend and Des McAnuff. It is based on the 1969 rock opera '' Tommy'' by The Who. Productions The musical opened at La Jolla Playhouse in San Di ...

'' in the Toronto production and Canada tour (1995) *Roger Davis in ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' in the US Tour (2001) *Radames in Disney's ''Aida'' in the United States national tour (2002-2003) *Judas in ''

'' at the Kansas City Starlight Theatre (2005) *Roger in ''Rent'' in the World Tour (2006) *Jerry in ''

The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film is set ...

'' at Maine State Music Theater (2006) *Tommy DeVito in ''

'' in the Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and US Tour productions (2007-2009) *Freddie Trumper in ''

Chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

'' at the Signature Theatre (2010) *Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden in ''

'' in the first US Tour (2010–2011) *Pilate in ''

'' in the pre-Broadway

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a nonprofit professional theater on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under the ...

production (2011) *Mordcha in ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

'' at the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a repertory theatre organization that operates from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shak ...

(2013) *Captain Walker in ''

'' at the Stratford Festival (2013) *Riff Raff in ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror genres from the 193 ...

'' at the

Bucks County Playhouse The Bucks County Playhouse is located in New Hope, Pennsylvania. When the ''Hope Mills'' burned in 1790, Benjamin Parry rebuilt the grist mills as the ''New Hope Mills.'' The town was renamed for the Mill (grinding), mills. The building was sa ...

(2013-2014) *Eddie Lawrence in ''

Shear Madness ''Shear Madness'' is an interactive theatre, interactive whodunit play, and one of the longest-running nonmusical Play (theatre), plays in the world.

'' in the Off-Broadway production (2015-2016) *Uncle Ernie in ''

'' at the

Ridgefield Playhouse The Ridgefield Playhouse is a theater located in Ridgefield, Connecticut, with a capacity of 500. It hosts a variety of entertainment events such as the showing of films, plays and musical performances. History The Ridgefield Playhouse was open ...

(2016) *Archibald Craven in ''The Secret Garden'' at the

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts is a theater in Houston, Texas, United States. Opened to the public in 2002, the theater is located downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a c ...

(2017) *Rev. Shaw Moore in ''Footloose'' at

The Muny The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) is an amphitheater located in St. Louis, Missouri. The theatre seats 11,000 people with about 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first come, first s ...

(2019) *Bishop Maffeo Barberini in ''Galileo: A Rock Musical'' at the

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a Regional theater in the United States, regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley, California, Downtown Berkeley. Histor ...

(2024) *Orin Scrivello in ''

'' in the Off-Broadway revival (2025)

Music

Jeremy Kushnier's first CD, ''In Time'' (2002), is a celebration of relationships, life and love. Growing up, Jeremy's influences ranged from The Beatles to Billy Joel. Loving the singer/song writer genre he quickly developed his own style of writing, ranging from light ballads to edgy rock and roll. #Angel light #Randi #The ride's on me #Brooklyn baby #Your little tragedy #In time #Back away #Feminenemy #Here for you #The smile in her eyes Kushnier's second album "Jeremy Kushnier" in 2006 (produced by Jonathan Dinklage) is a more grounded look at life through clearer glasses. This EP conceived and produced with his friend and musical director Jonathan Dinklage is an acoustic blend of rock and pop that gleans its inspiration from an era of analog tape and tube warmth. A time when one good take could make an album. This album was recorded with a group of musicians with the feel and talent to pull this inspiration together in a truly creative and original way. There is an honesty in this recording that keeps it grounded without taking itself too seriously. Jeremy's writing continues to fuse his love of singer songwriters with his self-proclaimed pop addiction. From the moody Allison to the B52's-esque Lullaby this follow up to his first release "In Time" is sure to leave you wanting more. #Why #Lullaby #Allison #The one about Drew #Stars Soundtrack: *"One Tree Hill" (one episode, 2006) *Can't Stop This Thing We've Started (2006) TV episode (performer: "Allison")

Movies credits

Actor: *''The Adulterer'' (2000) .... AaronGrandfather Films — The Adulterer page
.

References

External links

Jeremy Kushnier website
* * *
Jeremy Kushnier
at Internet Off-Broadway Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Kushnier, Jeremy 1975 births Living people Canadian male film actors Traditional pop music singers Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States Male actors from Winnipeg Musicians from Winnipeg 21st-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian singers Canadian male musical theatre actors 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors Singers from Manitoba