Will Swenson (actor)

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Will Swenson
Swenson in July 2011
Born (1972-10-26) October 26, 1972 (age 52)
Provo, Utah, United States[1]
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Spouse
​
(m. 2012)​
Children4

Will Swenson (born October 26, 1972)

LDS cinema
.

Early life

Two of Swenson's grandparents, James Nathan Hale and Ruth Hale, were playwrights; Ruth was also an actor.[2]

Swenson moved throughout the United States during his childhood. He attended

Disney at Walt Disney World, performing in Beauty and The Beast Live: On Stage and the Hoop Dee Doo Review.[4]

Career

Swenson is known among members of the LDS Church for his role as Jonathan Jordan in the

LDS Cinema mockumentary Sons of Provo
(2004).

Swenson appeared on

Stacee Jaxx in the musical Rock of Ages but did not go on to perform the role on Broadway because he was offered the starring role of Berger in the Broadway revival of Hair. He played Sir Sagramore in Camelot at Lincoln Center and Chris in the second national tour of Miss Saigon
.

He played the role of Berger in the

Orem, Utah.[9]

On October 8, 2009, Swenson appeared in the guest cameo slot for the extension performance of Katie Thompson's R.R.R.E.D.: A Secret Musical, as part of the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival. In 2010 in Toronto, Canada, Swenson played the lead role of "Tick"/"Mitzi" in the pre-Broadway North American company of

Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.[10]

In October 2013, Swenson was cast as

Inspector Javert in the 2014 Broadway revival of Les Misérables, which opened in March 2014 at New York's Imperial Theatre, where the musical had previously run for 13 years.[11]

In 2018, Swenson played Satan in the New Group's off-Broadway production of Jerry Springer: The Opera. In 2020, he appeared in the Netflix show Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as Pan.

In June 2022 Swenson began playing the role of Neil Diamond (Then) in the new musical A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical, based on the life and music of the performer, at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston. The show moved to Broadway later in 2022 officially opening on December 4, at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City. Swenson has said he grew up surrounded by and loving Diamond's music as the singer was one of his father's favorites. Swenson added that in his youth he would sing the songs and eventually could even sing them sounding like Diamond.

Personal life

Swenson met his first wife, Amy Westerby, while they were both performing in one of his grandmother's comedies, Hopsville Holiday. The couple have two sons, Bridger and Sawyer; they have since divorced.

Swenson and actress Audra McDonald became engaged in January 2012[12] and were married on October 6, 2012.[13] In October 2016, McDonald and Swenson had their first child, Sally.

In October 2020, Swenson joined other Broadway stars in a virtual letter-writing event hosted by nonpartisan voter advocacy group VoteRiders. The mission was to educate at-risk voters on their options in the upcoming election, focusing specifically on voters in Florida and Wisconsin.[14]

Theatre credits

Year Show Role Category
1999-2000 Miss Saigon Chris Scott US National Tour
2001 Jekyll & Hyde Dr. Henry Jekyll /
Mr. Edward Hyde 		Westchester Broadway Theatre
2004 Brooklyn Vocalist; u/s Street Singer, u/s Taylor Collins Broadway
2005 Two Gentleman of Verona Ensemble Off-Broadway
2006 Lestat Ensemble; u/s Armand, u/s Lestat Broadway
2007 Adrift in Macao Rick Shaw Off-Broadway
110 in the Shade Cody Bridger; u/s Bill Starbuck Broadway
Hair Berger 40th Anniversary Concert
2008 Camelot Sir Sagramore Lincoln Center
The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island Psychiatrist Off-Broadway
Hair Berger
Rock of Ages Stacee Jaxx
2009-2010 Hair Berger Broadway
2010 West End
Bonnie & Clyde Clyde Workshop
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Tick (Mitzi) Toronto
Broadway
2013 Murder Ballad Tom Off-Broadway
Little Miss Sunshine Richard Hoover
2014 Les Misérables
Inspector Javert
 Broadway
2014-2015
2015 The Rocky Horror Show Frank 'N' Furter Pioneer Theatre Company
Les Misérables
Inspector Javert
 Broadway
2016 Pericles Cleon Theatre for a New Audience
Disaster! Tony Broadway
The Pirates of Penzance The Pirate King Barrington Stage Company
2017 Hair Berger Lincoln Center
2017-2018 Waitress Earl Hunterson Broadway
2018
Jerry Springer - The Opera
 		Satan Off-Broadway
The Royal Family of Broadway Tony Cavendish Barrington Stage Company
Parade Tom Watson Workshop[15]
2019 Nantucket Sleigh Ride McPhee Lincoln Center
Fun Home Bruce Bechdel Workshop[16]
2021-2022 Assassins Charles J. Guiteau Off-Broadway
2022 A Beautiful Noise Neil Diamond (then) Boston
2022-2023 Broadway

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1996 Treasure Chest Thor Short film
2002
The Singles Ward
 		Jonathan Jordan
2003 The R.M. Kori Swenson
2004 Sons of Provo Will Jensen Also executive producer
Dear John Tyson Short film
2007
The Singles 2nd Ward
 		Jonathan Jordan
2010 The Switch Actor on stage
2013 Gods Behaving Badly Ares Unreleased
2014 This Is Where I Leave You Young Mort Altman
2017 The Greatest Showman Philo Barnum

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2002 All My Children Purse-snatcher Episode: August 14, 2002
2006 As the World Turns Vanya Episode: December 18, 2006
2007 Six Degrees Photoshoot man Episode: "Slings and Arrows"; uncredited
2008 Live from Lincoln Center Sir Sagramore Episode: "Camelot"
2009 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Joe Lazar Episode: "
Rock Star
"
Late Show with David Letterman Berger Episode: April 30, 2009
2012 The Good Wife Justin Varney Episode: "Pants on Fire"
Pzazz 101 Will Episode: "Method Acting"
2016 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Mitch Hampton Episode: "Broken Rhymes"
2016–17 No Tomorrow Pete 2 episodes
2020 Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Pan 5 episodes
2021 The Bite Brian Ritter
2022 First Kill Sebastian Fairmont Recurring role
2025 Elsbeth Axel Frostad Episode: "Hot Tub Crime Machine"

Web series

Year Title Role Notes
2014 Submissions Only Fred Planer Episode: "Having Foresight"

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2009 Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Musical Hair Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical Nominated
2018 Obie Award Performance Jerry Springer: The Opera Won
2022 Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Assassins Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Nominated
Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical Nominated
2023 Drama League Award Distinguished Performance A Beautiful Noise Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b "Will Swenson". Playbill. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Milzoff, Rebecca (March 31, 2009). "Hair's Will Swenson on Pantsless Acting and His Former Career in LDS Cinema". Vulture. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
  3. ^ "Famous Mormons". Truman Library. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2008. I don't practice Mormonism at all anymore, but I grew up in a Mormon family.
  4. ^ Smart, Jack (September 17, 2020). "9 Questions With... Will Swenson". Backstage. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  5. ^ "The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Shepherd". IMDb. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  6. ^ Hetrick, Adam (March 6, 2009). "Hair, with Swenson, Creel, Allen, Levy, Case and Sheik, Returns to Broadway March 6". Playbill. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Shenton, Mark (November 12, 2009). "Broadway's Hair to Let It All Hang Out at West End's Gielgud Theatre". Playbill. Archived from the original on November 16, 2009.
  8. ^ Gans, Andrew; Hetrick, Adam (May 21, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: Burkhardt to Succeed Swenson in London's Hair". Playbill. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  9. ^ Orellana, Roxana (April 25, 2010). "Tony-Award winner to star in Hale Center show". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  10. ^ "Swenson & Sheldon Lead Pre-Broadway PRISCILLA in Toronto; Opens Oct. 26". BroadwayWorld. May 17, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
  11. ^ "Utah's Will Swenson lands role in 'Les Miz' revival". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 24, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  12. ^ Hetrick, Adam (January 3, 2012). "Audra McDonald and Will Swenson Are Engaged". Playbill. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  13. ^ Kennedy, Mark (October 7, 2012). "Broadway stars Audra McDonald, Will Swenson wed". The Record of Passaic County. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.
  14. ^ Strause, Jackie (October 7, 2020). "Broadway Stars to Host Virtual Party to Educate At-Risk Voters". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Rosky, Nicole (December 27, 2018). "BWW Exclusive: Ben Platt, Michaela Diamond & More Lead Michael Arden-Helmed PARADE Reading". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  16. ^ Fujishima, Kenji (October 15, 2019). "Will Swenson, Kate Baldwin, and More Join Fun Home Reading at Funeral Home". TheaterMania. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
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