Norm Lewis (born June 2, 1963) is an American actor and

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

singer. He has appeared on Broadway and in London's West End, film, television, recordings and regional theatre. He is also noted for his wide vocal range. Lewis was the second African-American actor after Robert Guillaume to perform in the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's '' The Phantom of the Opera'' and the first one to do so in the Broadway production.Hetrick, Adam and Daniels, Karu F
"Norm Lewis Ends History-Making Engagement in Broadway's 'Phantom of the Opera
''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...

''. February 7, 2015. In 2023, he reprised the role in the show's sequel, '' Love Never Dies'', in the West End.Norm Lewis Will Lead LOVE NEVER DIES IN CONCERT at Theatre Royal Drury Lane This Summer
/ref> Lewis is also known for his many different performances as Inspector Javert in '' Les Misérables'', first playing the role in the 2006 Broadway revival and later reprising the role in the West End, in the 25th Anniversary Concert, and at The Muny in St. Louis. Some other major theatrical productions that he has been involved in include ''

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 (play), ...

'', '' The Little Mermaid'', ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a sung-through musical theatre, 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 ''Madama Butterfly'', and similarly tells th ...

'', and '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street''.

Early life

Norm Lewis was born in Tallahassee, Florida, and grew up in Eatonville, Florida. He graduated in 1981 from Edgewater High School, Orlando. He worked at the ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...

'' prior to his acting career.

Career

1992–2005: Early career, Broadway debut and ''Miss Saigon''

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 ( Bellport, New York) 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 Thomas. In 1997, he originated the role of Jake in '' Side Show''. 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 '' See W ...

's Broadway musical '' The Wild Party'' as Eddie Mackrel. Lewis was in

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, jazz pianist, and singer. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to ma ...

's short-lived musical '' Amour'' in 2002, which also featured Melissa Errico, Malcolm Gets, and Lewis Cleale. He played the racketeer Eddie Satin in the

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama, and the New York City Center 55th Street Theater) is a performing arts center at 131 West 55th Street (Manhattan), 55th Street between Sixth Avenue, Six ...

Encores! Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, E ...

staged concert of '' Golden Boy'' in March 2002. He played Billy Flynn in the Broadway revival of ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

'' 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 ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. It is based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, and p ...

'' (2001), ''

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 ...

'' (2003), and ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

''. In 2005, Lewis starred in the Public Theater'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 ...

2005 production of '' Dessa Rose''.

2006–2013: ''Les Misérables'', ''The Little Mermaid'', and Tony nomination

Lewis has played Javert in the musical '' Les Misérables'' 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-language production. He later reprised it in the West End production. At London's O2 Arena, he sang the role in the 25th anniversary concert of the show. Lewis again reprised the role opposite Hugh Panaro as Jean Valjean in The Muny, St. Louis production from July 15–21, 2013."Cast of St. Louis Muny 'Les Miserables'"
''Playbill''. 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 (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

and Hugh Wheeler, at the Casa Mañana Theatre,

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

, 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's

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater and former nightclub at 254 West 54th Street (Manhattan), 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Opened as the Gallo Opera House in 1927, it served ...

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 ''

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

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

) 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 as a musical for contemporary audiences." He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical at the 66th Tony Awards 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'', the 1998 cast recording of '' A New Brain'' as Roger Delli-Bovi, Scott Alan's ''Keys'' and 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 television series ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...

'', in the role of Senator Edison Davis. In 2013, Lewis starred as

Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's ''The Tempest''. Character Twelve years before the play begins, Prospero is usurped from his position as the rightful Duke of Milan by his brother Antonio, ...

in the Public Theater's PublicWorks Shakespeare in the Park production of ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

'' 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 Stephen Sondheim- Wynton Marsalis staged concert for Encores! titled ''A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Affair'', at

, 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: ''The Phantom of the Opera'' and further success

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 and joined fellow returning cast member Sierra Boggess, who returned as Christine Daaé 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 by ...

. Coverage in ''

'' 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, within the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. The current Broadway theater, completed in 1972, i ...

and played the role until March that same year. Lewis reprised his role of Sweeney Todd in 2017 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 ...

production of ''Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' receiving an AUDELCO Award for his performance. Lewis portrayed Caiaphas in the live televised concert production of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'' on April 1, 2018, Easter Sunday. In February 2019, Lewis played Harold Hill in the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

production of '' The Music Man''. When asked about appearing in the show, Lewis said "It’s one of those fun shows that is an American musical theatre classic, and I just think it is a good fit for me." Lewis was in the 2022 to 2023 North American tour of '' A Soldier’s Play'' as Captain Richard Davenport. In 2023, he reprised the role of the Phantom in the sequel to ''The Phantom of the Opera'', '' Love Never Dies'', in London's West End.

Theatre credits

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

Discography

*'' A New Brain: Original Cast Recording'', 1998 (as Roger Delli-Bovi) * ''Disney's The Little Mermaid: Original Broadway Cast Recording'', 2008 (as King Triton) *'' This Is the Life!'', 2008 *'' Les Miserables In Concert (25th Anniversary Edition)'', 2010 (as Inspector Javert) * ''Dracula, the Musical Concept Album'', 2011 (as Abraham Van Helsing / John Seward) * ''Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (Original Soundtrack of the NBC Television Event)'', 2018 (as Caiaphas) *''The Norm Lewis Christmas Album'', 2018

Film credits

Television credits

Awards and nominations

References

External links

www.normlewis.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Norm 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century 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 1963 births