Gavin Creel
Creel in 2010
Born	Gavin James Creel (1976-04-18)April 18, 1976 Findlay, Ohio, U.S.
Died	September 30, 2024(2024-09-30) (aged 48) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Michigan (BFA)
Occupations	Actor singer songwriter librettist producer
Years active	1997–2024
Musical career
Genres	Pop musical
Instrument	Vocals
Musical artist
Website	www.gavincreel.com

Gavin James Creel (April 18, 1976 – September 30, 2024) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter best known for his work inmusical theater. Over his career he received aGrammy Award, aTony Award, aDrama Desk Award and aLaurence Olivier Award.

Creel made hisBroadway debut in 2002 in the leading role of Jimmy inThoroughly Modern Millie before starring as Claude in the 2009 Broadway revival ofHair, both Tony Award–nominated performances. From 2012 to 2015, he starred as Elder Price inThe Book of Mormon; he received aLaurence Olivier Award for originating the role in theWest End version of the musical and played the role in the U.S. National Tour and on Broadway. He received a Tony Award in 2017 for his performance as Cornelius Hackl inHello, Dolly! on Broadway.

Creel's other stage credits includeLa Cage aux Folles (2004),She Loves Me (2016),Waitress (2019), andInto the Woods (2022) on Broadway;Mary Poppins (2006),Hair (2010) andWaitress (2020) in the West End; and the national tours ofFame (1998) andInto the Woods (2023). Primarily a theater actor, his most notable screen acting role is as Bill inEloise at the Plaza and itsChristmas-themed sequel.

Creel was born inFindlay, Ohio, on April 18, 1976.^[1] He was raised in a devoutly religious environment which he found highly alienating, and was drawn to theater as a way to escape it.^[1] He attendedFindlay High School, graduating in 1994. He received hisBachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre at theUniversity of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance in 1998.^[2]

Creel began his professional career inregional theater. Some of his earliest credits are as part of the resident cast ofPittsburgh CLO, arepertory theater, for their 1997 and 1998 seasons; mostly ensemble roles, some of his eight productions there includedKiss Me Kate,La Cage aux Folles, andOn the Town.^[3]

Following college graduation, Creel played Nick Piazza in the opening cast of 1998 national tour ofFame.^[4] In 1998–1999, the tour performed in cities including Toronto, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.^[5] Following the tour, he continued to perform in regional theater before moving to New York City in the early 2000s. In 2001, he was the swing in the original off-Broadway production ofBat Boy: The Musical.^[4] He also took part in the 2001 workshop ofSpring Awakening.^[6]

In 2002, Creel made his Broadway debut in the original production ofThoroughly Modern Millie, originating the role of Jimmy Smith oppositeSutton Foster's Millie Dillmount. A breakthrough performance, he was nominated for theTony Award forBest Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. In February 2003, Creel playedPrince Eric in a workshop forDisney's stage adaptation ofThe Little Mermaid.^[7] After he departedThoroughly Modern Millie in April 2003, he performed in the original Chicago production ofStephen Sondheim'sRoad Show, then titledBounce, recorded the original cast album forBright Lights, Big City, among other productions and workshops.^[6] Of note, he made his screen acting debut in the 2003 filmEloise at the Plaza and its follow-upEloise at Christmastime as Bill.^[8]

He returned to Broadway in 2004 in the revival ofLa Cage aux Folles, playing Jean-Michel throughout the production. In 2006, he made hisWest End debut inMary Poppins, replacing the original Bert in the production. Also in 2006, he released his debut studio albumGoodtimenation. In 2008, Creel was set to star as Jesus alongsideJoshua Henry asJudas/John the Baptist andDiana DeGarmo in a Broadway revival ofGodspell at theEthel Barrymore Theatre, but on August 19, it was announced that the show was postponed indefinitely due to the loss of an investor.^[9] He returned to Broadway in 2009 in the revival ofHair. For his starring role of Claude, he received his second Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He and the rest of the cast performed in London through 2010 when the production transferred to the West End.^[4] FollowingHair, he starred in the world premiere ofPrometheus Bound at theAmerican Repertory Theater.^[10]

From 2012 until 2015, Creel starred in a series of productions ofThe Book of Mormon. He first starred as Elder Price in the First National Tour of the show in 2012. He subsequently originated the role in the musical's original West End production; for this performance, he was awardedBest Actor in a Musical at the2014 Laurence Olivier Awards, the most prestigious theatrical awards in the United Kingdom.^[4] Following his West End run, he returned to the touring production for a number of months before joining the Broadway cast in 2015.^[11]

Creel played the suave salesman Steven Kodaly, oppositeJane Krakowski, in the 2016 Broadway revival ofShe Loves Me. The show was a critical success and the production became the first Broadway show ever to belive-streamed. Since then,the recording has been part of thePBS seriesGreat Performances.^[12]

In 2017, he began playing Cornelius Hackl in the Broadway revival ofHello, Dolly! starringBette Midler andDavid Hyde Pierce, and laterBernadette Peters andVictor Garber.Santino Fontana temporarily filled in for him while Creel recovered from back surgery from March to May 2018.^[13] For his role, Creel was awarded the 2017 Tony Award forBest Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical.

In 2019, Creel assumed the role of Dr. Pomatter in the Broadway production ofWaitress. He subsequently played the role in the West End production of the musical in 2020. He starred alongside the show’s composerSara Bareilles for both stints.^[14]

In 2021, Creel appeared in two episodes ofAmerican Horror Stories oppositeMatt Bomer andSierra McCormick onFX on Hulu.^[15] On August 29, 2021, Creel was featured in the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) network's aired concert for the musicalWicked which was hosted byKristin Chenoweth andIdina Menzel. Other featured artists wereRita Moreno,Cynthia Erivo,Ariana DeBose,Ali Stroker,Amber Riley,Mario Cantone,Jennifer Nettles,Stephanie Hsu,Alex Newell,Isaac Cole Powell, andGabrielle Ruiz performing many of the musical's numbers.^[16]

In May 2022, Creel appeared asThe Wolf andCinderella's Prince in theNew York City CenterEncores! production and subsequent Broadway revival in June ofInto the Woods.^[17] He left the production July 23 for two weeks and was filled in for byCheyenne Jackson and understudyJason Forbach.^[18] He came back for a month and then left again on September 4 for 10 days and was filled in for byAndy Karl,^[19] He returned to the production September 16 and stayed with the cast through its closing date January 8, 2023. During the Broadway run he would star opposite Bareilles, Karl,Joshua Henry,Phillipa Soo,Brian d'Arcy James,Patina Miller,Stephanie J. Block,Krysta Rodriguez,Denée Benton,Julia Lester,Sebastian Arcelus,Montego Glover, Diane Phelan, andJoaquina Kalukango.^[20] He reprised these roles in the 2023 national tour opposite Glover, Block, Arcelus, Forbach, Phelan, Rodriguez, and Karl.^[21][22]

The first time Creel performed a song from his self-written musical was at Elsie Fest in 2019, where he debuted the song "The Only One".^[23] In 2021, Creel performed two shows of a self-described 'concert-cal' calledWalk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice, for which Creel was commissioned to write and perform the book, music, and lyrics by theMetropolitan Museum of Art.^[24] In December 2022, two industry readings ofWalk on Through were held at Pershing Square Signature Theatre Center.^[25] Creel spoke at length about working on this piece before and during theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[1] It had its world premiereOff-Broadway in November 2023, running from November 13 to January 7, 2024.^[26]

Creel divided his time between residences on theUpper West Side ofManhattan and inCarmel, New York.^[1][27]

Creel was gay and was heavily involved ingay rights activism.^[1][28] He was one of the founders, withRory O'Malley and Jenny Kanelos, ofBroadway Impact, an LGBT activist group that mobilized the New York theatre community in the pursuit ofmarriage equality.^[29] He was also a regular on theLGBT R FamilyVacations cruise withRosie O'Donnell.^[30] From 2015 until his death, Creel was part of the board of trustees forBroadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.^[31]

In 2009, Creel dated fellow actorJonathan Groff.^[32] He also dated actor Henry Gottfried for several years, whom he mentioned in his Tony acceptance speech. At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with Alex Temple Ward.^[1]

In July 2024, Creel was diagnosed withmetastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.^[1] He died from the disease underhospice care at his home in Manhattan on September 30, 2024, at the age of 48.^[1][33][34] Numerous actors who had worked with Creel publicly paid tribute to him.^[35]

Theaters inToronto, theWest End and onBroadway announced that they woulddim their lights as a tribute to Creel.^[36][37][38] Initially, only one-third of Broadway's 41 theaters planned towards dimming their lights in honor of Creel, but after public outcry, the tribute was announced to be extended to all Broadway venues.^[39] In London, acandlelight vigil was held in Creel's memory at theActors' Church inCovent Garden on October 6, 2024, with the lights dimming on the four West End theaters he performed in on December 3, 2024.^[38] The New York City public memorial service was held at theSt. James Theatre on December 2, 2024, with contributions by Gavin's family, colleagues, and members of the Broadway community. This was followed by the dimming of the lights on December 3, 2024.^[40]

Adapted fromAbout The Artists andBroadway World.^[3][41]

• 2016:The Ceiling Fan (producer) • short film
• TBA:The Delicate Medium (associate producer) • short film (released posthumously)

Albums

• 2006:Goodtimenation (Creel/Roth)
• 2012:Get Out (self-released)

EPs

• 2010:Quiet (self-released); No. 44 at theBillboard'sTop Heatseekers^[50]

Singles

• 2011: "Noise (Equality Now)"
• 2012: "Whitney Houston"

Guest appearances

• 2002: "Lullaby of Broadway" withMarc Kudisch &David Nehls fromBroadway Romances Manhattan
• 2005: "'Til Then" fromZEITGEIST by Dan Lipton
• 2007: "Young at Heart" fromOver the Rainbow (Universal)
• 2010: "Greenwich Time" fromLove on a Summer Afternoon: Songs of Sam Davis (PS Classics)
• 2017: "Christmas Broadway Bus Stop" withLaura Bell Bundy &Eden Espinosa
• 2019: "Do You Hear the Bells?" withThe Laurie Berkner Band fromWaiting for the Elevator
• 2020: "Witchcraft/I Put a Spell on You" fromI Put a Spell on You (Broadway Records)
• 2020: "If It Be Your Will" withShoshana Bean &Shayna Steele fromSing Your Hallelujah (Shotime Records)
• 2021: "Something Wonderful" fromR&H Goes Pop!
• 2021: "A Moment Forever Ago" fromCentral Park Season Two, The Soundtrack

• 2002:Thoroughly Modern Millie (RCA Victor)
• 2005:Hair(Actors Fund of America Benefit Recording) (Sh-K-Boom)
• 2005:Bright Lights, Big City (Original Cast Recording) (Sh-K-Boom)
• 2006:It's Only Life (A New Musical Revue) (PS Classics)
• 2009:Hair (New Broadway Cast Recording) (Sh-K-Boom)
• 2011:Fine and Dandy (World Premiere Recording) (PS Classics)
• 2012:Flashdance – The Musical (Roth Music Inc.)
• 2012:Fugitive Songs – A Song Cycle (Warner/Chappell)
• 2016:She Loves Me (2016 Broadway Cast Recording) (Ghostlight Records)
• 2017:Hello, Dolly! (New Broadway Cast Recording) (Masterworks Broadway)
• 2019:Three Points of Contact (Very Intense Records)
• 2019:The Man in the Ceiling (World Premiere Recording) (Ghostlight Records)
• 2022:Into the Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording) (Craft Recordings)

Source:^[51]

• 2022 Hermitage Fellow at the Hermitage Artist Retreat
• LGBT culture in New York City
• List of LGBT people from New York City

• Gavin Creel (official website)
• Gavin Creel atAllMusic
• Gavin Creel atBillboard
• Gavin Creel onDiscogs
• Gavin Creel at theInternet Broadway Database
• Gavin Creel at theInternet Off-Broadway Database
• Gavin Creel atIMDb 
• Gavin Creel atRotten Tomatoes
• Gavin Creel at theTCM Movie Database

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