Joshua Strickland (born October 23, 1983) is an American singer and actor from Charleston,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. He attended high school at the Charleston County School of the Arts, where he studied vocal with Robin A. Rogers. He attended the

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...

, where he studied voice with Deanna McBroom. During 5th grade, Josh was "discovered" by teacher and Producer/Founder/CEO of The Charleston Youth Company, Chuck Long. He performed with this company for 8 years receiving drama, voice, and dance instruction. This company has been serving the talented students since 1978.

Career

Strickland appeared on

season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008 * "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu ''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

's ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' and in March 2007 as himself on ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...

''. He starred as

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's production of ''Tarzan'' on

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 ...

at the

Richard Rodgers Theatre The Richard Rodgers Theatre (formerly Chanin's 46th Street Theatre and the 46th Street Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 226 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1925, it was ...

. The production's run ended after some 14 months and Strickland performed the final show along with the rest of the original cast, minus

Shuler Hensley Shuler Paul Hensley (born March 6, 1967) is an American singer and actor. Early life Hensley was born in Atlanta, Georgia. The youngest of three children, Hensley grew up in Marietta, Georgia. His father, Sam P. Hensley Jr., is a former Georgia ...

, who had left the production to work on the new Mel Brooks musical ''

Young Frankenstein ''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Victor Fra ...

'' and was replaced by

Rob Evan Robert Buchen known professionally as Robert "Rob" Evan is an American actor and singer, best known as the lead performer in numerous Broadway musicals, a performer in national and international tours of musical productions, and a featured vocal ...

. The final performance was on July 8, 2007. In 2009, Strickland became an original cast member of ''

Peepshow A peep show, peepshow, or, a peep booth is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the deve ...

'' in Las Vegas. He has befriended his costar

Holly Madison Holly Madison (born Hollin Sue Cullen; December 23, 1979) is an American television personality, best known as a former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner and for her appearance in the reality television show ''The Girls Next Door''. She also starred in h ...

and could be seen regularly in her television reality show ''

Holly's World ''Holly's World'' is an American reality television series starring former ''The Girls Next Door, Girls Next Door'' co-star Holly Madison. The series, which follows Madison's new life and career in Las Vegas, premiered December 6, 2009 on the E! ...

''. He is also a friend of

Laura Croft Laura Croft (born January 30, 1983) is an American model. She was the Playmate of the Month for the July 2008 issue of ''Playboy'' magazine. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Croft attended Edward H. White High School, then attended Flagler C ...

, Miss July 2008 Playboy Playmate as well as stage Actress/Dancer

Angel Porrino Angel Porrino (born May 6, 1989) is an American television personality, actress, dancer and showgirl, best known for appearing on the E! network's reality television show ''Holly's World'' as Holly Madison's personal assistant/best friend. She w ...

. On February 16, 2011, Strickland debuted his first ever solo artist single on iTunes titled "Report to the Floor." The track was co-produced by Grammy Award winning producer

Damon Elliott Damon William Elliott (born March 21, 1973) is an American record producer, songwriter and composer. Throughout his career he has worked with various artists spanning across hip hop, R&B, pop, pop rock, gospel, reggae and country. He also prod ...

and by Norwegian pop/dance producer Axident. This was closely followed by his second single titled "Last Dance". As of September 12, 2013, Strickland was cast as one of the lead roles in ''VEGAS! the Show'', performing as Elvis and other iconic artists in the world famous "Vegas themed" musical showing at the Saxe Theater inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino's Miracle Mile Shops. Strickland was immediately cast by David Saxe after the closing of ''Peepshow'' and subsequently replaced longtime ''VEGAS! the Show'' Elvis performer, Lou Gazzara.

Selected appearances

In addition to ''American Idol'' and ''Tarzan'', Josh has also appeared in: * The U.S. national tour of ''

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 ...

'' as the

understudy In theatre, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to ap ...

for the characters of Mark and Roger * Carolina Idol 2002 *

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

’s '' Star Search 2004'' * The

Spoleto Festival USA Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of America's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due ...

as a guest vocalist with

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musician

Kevin Mahogany Kevin Bryant Mahogany (July 30, 1958 – December 17, 2017) was an American jazz vocalist who became prominent in the 1990s. Particularly known for his scat singing, his singing style has been compared with those of Billy Eckstine, Joe William ...

* as a guest vocalist with

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( ; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time and the best-sel ...

* ''

'' (2009) * ''Disney's Broadway Hits at Royal Albert Hall'' (2016) * '' The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II'' 2020

References

External links

* *
PlayBill.com - Biography page for Josh StricklandBroadway.com - Buzz Star File for Josh StricklandQ&A: Josh StricklandOfficial siteBio on DavidSaxe.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strickland, Josh American male musical theatre actors American Idol participants 1982 births Male actors from Charleston, South Carolina Living people American gay actors Musicians from Charleston, South Carolina 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers