Christian Borle
| Christian Borle | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Borle at the 2014 MontClair Film Festival | |
| Born |
Christian D. Borle October 1, 1973 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Theater and television actor, singer, dancer |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse(s) | Sutton Foster (2006–2010) |
Christian Borle (born October 1, 1973)[1] is an American actor featured in several Broadway productions. A two-time Tony Award winner for his roles in Peter and the Starcatcher as Black Stache and Something Rotten! as William Shakespeare, Borle also starred as Tom Levitt on the NBC musical-drama series Smash.
Early life
Borle was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Andre Bernard Borle (1930-2011),[2] a professor of physiology at the University of Pittsburgh.[3] His love for Star Wars and drawing made him want to become a comic book artist when he grew up, but it was only when a friend convinced him to audition for a school play in his sophomore year that he began to develop an interest in acting.[4] Borle attended the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University, graduating in 1995.[5][6] After he graduated, he moved to New York City and "landed his first acting job — but it wasn’t exactly Broadway. He worked as an elf at Macy’s Santaland."[7]
Career
Borle made his Broadway debut in 1998, understudying the role of Willard in the stage adaptation of the film Footloose. He was featured in the 2000 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, and was the dance captain and understudy of several characters for the short-lived 2002 musical Amour.
Borle appeared in a 2003 advertisement for California-based online auction company, eBay. In the 30-second TV spot, Borle plays a store clerk who breaks into song and dance when asked about a product. The song, "That's on eBay" was a parody of the standard "That's Amore". Also in 2003, he replaced Gavin Creel in the role of Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie. He married his co-star, actress Sutton Foster, who had played Millie, in September 2006.[8][9][10] On a radio interview in 2010 it was confirmed that Borle and Foster had separated.[11]
Borle performed Monty Python's Spamalot, in which he originated a number of roles, including Prince Herbert and the Historian. His performance earned him a 2005 Drama Desk Award nomination as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and a Broadway.com Audience Award as Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical. He is best known on Broadway, however, for originating Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. The musical is based on MGM's 2001 film of the same name.[12]
He was featured in the Encores! staged concert version of On the Town as Ozzie, running in November 2008.[13] He appeared in a workshop production of a new play titled Peter and the Starcatcher in 2009.[14] He played Bert in the Broadway production of Mary Poppins, replacing Adam Fiorentino in the role on October 12, 2009[15] and then left the cast July 15, 2010.
In 2010, he appeared in The Bounty Hunter, in which he played a golf caddy. In Fall 2010/Winter 2011, Borle played the role of Prior Walter in Signature Theatre Company's 20th anniversary production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America.[16]
On February 25, 2011, it was announced that Borle had joined Steven Spielberg's new NBC pilot Smash with Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, Katharine McPhee, Brian d'Arcy James, and Megan Hilty. The series follows a cross section of characters who come together to mount a Marilyn Monroe-themed musical (which is called Bombshell) on Broadway.[17] In May 2011, it was reported that NBC had picked up the show as a series for the 2011–2012 season.[18] In March 2012, NBC announced it would renew the series for a second season with 15 episodes.[19]
Borle was a member of the original cast in the Regional and Off-Broadway productions of Peter and the Starcatcher that ran until April 24, 2011.[20] He reprised the role of Black Stache on Broadway in April 2012, where his performance earned him his second Tony Award nomination and first win as Best Featured Actor in a Play.[21] He ended his run in the Broadway production of Peter and the Starcatcher on June 30, 2012, to take a break before taping for Smash began in August 2012.
Borle played Max Dettweiler in the live television production of The Sound of Music Live!, which aired on December 5, 2013.[22][23] He also played Mr. Darling and Mr. Smee in the live TV production of Peter Pan Live!, which aired on December 4, 2014.[24]
He won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for Something Rotten!,[25] which opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on March 23, 2015 in previews and officially in April.[26]
Borle plays Marvin in the Broadway revival of Falsettos directed by James Lapine. He is joined by Andrew Rannells and Stephanie J. Block who will play Whizzer and Trina, respectively.[27] Borle left the cast of Something Rotten! on July 16, 2016, to prepare for Falsettos, which opened on September 29, 2016 in previews, offiicially on October 27, 2016.[28][29]
On May 9, 2016 it was announced that Borle will play Willy Wonka in the Broadway production of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, which opens in March 2017.[30]
Borle also makes an appearance with his former wife Sutton Foster, in Gilmore Girls : A Year in the life. His musical talents were much appreciated in Episode 3 for the Star's Hollow musical walking through history of the quirky small town. The two had "found Gilmore Girls together and became fans of the show long before there were talks of a revival. For both actors, being a part of the Stars Hollow world was a special experience because they already loved the show before they became involved with it." It was a great cameo appearance.[31]
Personal life
Borle started dating actress Sutton Foster in college,[32] and married her on September 18, 2006. During a radio interview in 2010, it was confirmed that they had gone their separate ways.[11][33] In 2012, Foster said that she and Borle remained friends [34] and continue to support each other's work.[35][36]
Theatre credits
| Year(s) | Production | Location | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Who's Tommy | Offenbach, Germany | Pinball Lad 1 |
| 1997–98 | West Side Story | National Tour | Riff |
| 1998 | Footloose | Broadway | Willard Hewitt (Replacement) |
| 2000 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Broadway | Apostle |
| 2001 | The Baby and Johnny Project | Off-Broadway | Billy Kostecki |
| Just So | Regional | Kangaroo / Cooking Stove / Bushbuck | |
| The 3 Musketeers, One Musical For All | Regional | Planchet (Original American Cast) | |
| 2002 | Amour | Broadway | Dance Captain, Advocate (Understudy) / Bertrand (Understudy) / Dusoleil (Understudy) / Newsvendor (Understudy) / Painter (Understudy) |
| Thoroughly Modern Millie | Broadway | Jimmy Smith (Replacement) | |
| Prodigal | Off-Broadway | Kane Flannery / Zach Marshall (Original Cast) | |
| 2003 | Elegies: A Song Cycle | Off-Broadway | Original Performer |
| 2004 | Snoopy! The Musical | Concert | Snoopy |
| Time After Time | Reading | H.G. Wells | |
| 2005 | The Flamingo Kid | Workshop | Performer |
| Spamalot | Broadway | Historian / Not Dead Fred / French Guard / Minstrel / Prince Herbert (Original Broadway Cast) | |
| 2007 | Legally Blonde | Broadway | Emmett Forrest (Original Broadway Cast) |
| 2008 | On the Town | Concert | Ozzie |
| 2009 | Peter and the Starcatcher | Regional | Black Stache |
| Mary Poppins | Broadway | Bert (Replacement) | |
| 2010 | Angels in America | Off-Broadway | Prior Walter |
| 2011 | Peter and the Starcatcher | Off-Broadway | Black Stache |
| 2012 | Broadway | Black Stache (Original Broadway Cast) | |
| 2014 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Lincoln Center | Adolfo Pirelli |
| 2015 | Something Rotten! | Broadway | The Bard (William Shakespeare) (Original Broadway Cast) |
| 2016 | Falsettos | Broadway | Marvin (2016 Revival Cast) |
| 2017 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Broadway | Willy Wonka (Original Broadway Cast) |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Stonewall | Bar Patron | |
| 2001 | The Accident | Delivery Guy | short |
| 2010 | The Bounty Hunter | Caddy | |
| 2014 | Shutterflies | Lieutenant Burns | short |
| Dinner | Father | short | |
| 2015 | Blackhat | Jeff Robichaud |
TV
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Ghost Stories | Trevor Mooney | 1 episode |
| 2001 | Law & Order | Tanto | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Legally Blonde: The Musical | Emmett Forrest | Filmed stage production |
| 2012–13 | Smash | Tom Levitt | 32 episodes |
| 2013 | The Sound of Music Live! | Max Detweiler | TV movie |
| 2013–15 | The Good Wife | Carter Schmidt | 5 episodes |
| 2014 | Lifesaver | Dr. Graham Permenter | TV movie |
| Lucky Duck | Lucky | TV movie; voice role | |
| Masters of Sex | Frank Masters | 3 episodes | |
| Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Live from Lincoln Center | Adolfo Pirelli | Filmed stage production | |
| Sofia the First | Slickwell | 1 episode | |
| Peter Pan Live! | Smee/George Darling | TV movie | |
| 2016 | Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life | Carl | Episode: "Summer" |
Awards and nominations
References
- ↑ U.S. Public Records Index, Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010.
- ↑ "Andre Borle Obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ↑ "With NBC's 'Smash,' Christian Borle has arrived - SFGate". SFGate.com. Retrieved 2014-11-06.
- ↑ "You Just Can't Forget About the Boy!". Columbia.edu. Columbia Scholastic Press Association. 2004-01-16. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
- ↑ Walters, Ken. "Carnegie Mellon Congratulates Christian Borle on Tony Award Win" cmu.edu, June 8, 2015
- ↑ "'Smash' Premiere" cmu.edu, accessed July 16, 2016
- ↑ Rouvalis, Christina. "Christian Borle Feature" shineatshadyside.org, Winter 2011-2012, accessed July 16, 2016
- ↑ Jones, Kenneth. "Gimme Jimmy: Christian Borle Is New Juvenile Lead in Bway's Millie April 29", playbill.com, April 29, 2003; "Off-stage, it's known in the theatre community that Christian is romantically linked to Millie herself, Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster."
- ↑ "Broadway's Sutton Foster & Christian Borle Engaged" April 2006
- ↑ Smith, Liz. "IN NEW YORK", Daily Variety, September 19, 2006, p. 4 wrote: "BROADWAY BABY Sutton Foster, whose most recent triumph is "The Drowsy Chaperone (five Tony wins and a nomination for Sutton), was wide awake Monday when she wed longtime boyfriend Christian Borle of "Spamalot" fame. The couple met and worked together on Sutton's first smash, Thoroughly Modern Millie, which brought her the theater's highest honor. Sutton and Christian recently bought their first home. In fact, the deal was closed the day "Drowsy" opened."
- 1 2 "Mary Poppins" stars Christian Borle and Laura Michelle Kelly playbillradio.com
- ↑ "Star File" Broadway.com
- ↑ Gans, Andrew."A Helluva Town: Encores! Launches New Season with On the Town", playbill.com, November 19, 2008
- ↑ Jones, Kenneth. "Peter Pan Is Back! Starcatchers Workshop, With Borle, Elrod, Green, Begins in CA" Archived February 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine., playbill.com, February 13, 2009
- ↑ "Laura Michelle Kelly and Christian Borle to Sweep Into Mary Poppins Oct. 12", playbill.com, October 12, 2009
- ↑ "Signature Theatre Company: Announcing the Cast of ANGELS IN AMERICA". Signaturetheatre.blogspot.com. 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ↑ "Christian Borle Joins SMASH!". Broadwayworld.com. 2011-02-25. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ↑ May 11, 2011: "NBC Picks Up Whitney Cummings & Emily Spivey Pilots, 'Smash' & 'Prime Suspect'" deadline.com
- ↑ "NBC's ‘Smash’ Renewed For Second Season", Deadline.com. March 22, 2012
- ↑ "BWW TV: Finding the Characters in PETER AND THE STARCATCHER!". broadwayworld.com. February 25, 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "'Peter and the Starcatcher' Lands on Broadway March 28" playbill.com, March 28, 2012
- ↑ Audra McDonald, Laura Benanti and Christian Borle Join Cast of NBC's Sound of Music Archived December 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Playbill, Retrieved September 16, 2013
- ↑ 'Sound of Music Live!' with Carrie Underwood: NBC announces more cast, releases poster Entertainment Weekly, Retrieved September 16, 2013
- ↑ "UPDATE: Neil Meron Confirms Christian Borle Casting for NBC's PETER PAN!". Broadway World. August 7, 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
- ↑
- ↑ Hetrick, Adam. " 'Something Rotten!' Puts a Shakespearean Twist On Broadway Musical Comedy, Starting Tonight" playbill.com, March 23, 2015
- ↑ Paulson, Michael. "‘Falsettos’ Revival Casts Its Leads: Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells and Stephanie J. Block" nytimes.com, March 31, 2016
- ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "Christian Borle Sets 'Something Rotten!' Departure" Playbill, June 23, 2016
- ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Marvin’s Back with Whizzer, as 'Falsettos' Revival Begins" Playbill, September 29, 2016
- ↑ "Christian Borle to Play Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Broadway; Theater Set". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
- ↑ https://www.bustle.com/articles/197109-the-guy-in-the-stars-hollow-musical-has-a-special-connection-to-gilmore-girls
- ↑ "Broadway Buzz: Sutton Foster broadway.com
- ↑ Lee, LUAINE. "With NBC's 'Smash,' Christian Borle has arrived" kansascity.com, February 20, 2012
- ↑ "Sutton Foster Previews Her New ABC Family Show BUNHEADS". We Love Soaps. May 31, 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
- ↑ "Christian Borle on the Thrill of Jumping from Smash to Peter and the Starcatcher". broadwayworld.com. April 9, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
- ↑ "Q&A: Christian Borle". timeout.com. April 11, 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
External links
- Christian Borle at the Internet Broadway Database
- Christian Borle at the Internet Movie Database
- Christian Borle at Playbill Vault