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Michael Rupert | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael John Rupert (1951-10-23)October 23, 1951 (age 73) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer, composer, director |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Spouse | Will Chafin-Rupert |
| Awards | 1986Best Featured Actor in a Musical |
Michael John Rupert (born October 23, 1951,Denver, Colorado) is an American actor, singer,director andcomposer. In 1968, he made his Broadway debut inThe Happy Time as Bibi Bonnard for which he received aTony Award nomination and theTheater World Award. Later, he starred as the title role inPippin for three years on Broadway starting in 1974. He originated the role of Marvin in theWilliam Finn musicalsMarch of the Falsettos,Falsettoland andFalsettos. In 2007, he originated the role of Professor Callahan in the Broadway cast ofLegally Blonde. Rupert has been the nominee and recipient of severalTony andDrama Desk awards. He won a Tony for his performance inSweet Charity in 1986.
At 16 years old, Rupert made hisBroadway debut in 1968 inKander and Ebb'sThe Happy Time as the young Bibi Bonnard.[1] His performance earned him the 1968Theater World Award and his firstTony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Musical. At the22nd Tony Awards, Rupert performed "The Happy Time" and "A Certain Girl" fromThe Happy Time alongside his castmatesRobert Goulet andDavid Wayne.[2] He returned to California afterThe Happy Time, and appeared in local theater while in high school.[3] During this time he appeared in theDisney filmThe Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and as Gery in the 1975 film adaptation ofA Boy and His Dog.[4]
Rupert returned to Broadway in 1974 as a replacement in the role ofPippin.[5][6][7] In 1981, he appeared on Broadway inShakespeare's Cabaret.[5][6] He then originated the role of Marvin in twoWilliam Finn musicals,March of the Falsettos (1981) at theOff-BroadwayPlaywrights Horizons[8] andFalsettoland (1990), which initiated at Playwrights Horizons before moving to the Lucille Lortel Theater.[9] WhenMarch of the Falsettos andFalsettoland were performed together under the nameFalsettos in 1992, Rupert once again played the role of Marvin, for which he received a nomination for the 1992Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.[10] In 1986 he appeared as Oscar in the Broadway revival ofSweet Charity,[11] for which he won the 1986Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.[12] In the 1988 musicalMail, Rupert not only originated the role of Alex, but composed the music as well.[7][13] He was a replacement in the role of Stine inCity of Angels in 1989[6] and was inRagtime as a replacement Tateh in 1999.[6]
In 2003, he performed withBetty Buckley,Christian Borle,Carolee Carmello and Keith Bryon Kirk in theLincoln Center staging of William Finn'sElegies: A Song Cycle.[14] He originated the role of Professor Callahan inLegally Blonde (2007) on Broadway[15] and returned to the role on the National tour, starting in February 2010.[16][17] Rupert appeared as Kenneth Sharpe in the play7th Monarch Off-Broadway at the Acorn Theater, opening in June 2012.[18][19] He appeared in the Broadway revival ofOn the Town as Judge Pitkin, which ran from October 2014 to September 2015.[20]
In regional theatre, he starred as Norbert in a workshop production ofThe Happy Elf, composed by Harry Connick, Jr. at Montgomery College's Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center,Rockville, Maryland in a co-production with Adventure Theatre, Washington, DC in November 2010.[21]
His television credits include guest roles on series such asMy Three Sons,The Waltons,Marcus Welby, M.D. and its legal spin-offOwen Marshall: Counselor at Law,Another World,Emergency!,Cannon,Alice,The Partridge Family,Alias Smith and Jones,Hawkins,Cheers,Law & Order andNew York Undercover.[7][16] Also he was in theMTV broadcast ofLegally Blonde in 2007.[22]
In 1997, Rupert directed an Off-Broadway production of theThe Lunch Anxieties by Larry Kunofsky at theHarold Clurman Theatre. He directed J. Arlington Meyrelles III's musical,The Stars In Your Eyes, in an Equity workshop production in 1998.[23] Rupert directedThrill Me: Leopold & Loeb Story (2005) at the York Theatre.
Rupert composed the music, with book and lyrics by Jerry Colker, to the 1985 Off-Broadway music3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down, which won theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Book and was nominated for Outstanding Music.[24] The score forMail (1988) was also written by Rupert with Colker once again writing the book and lyrics. Rupert wrote the score toStrange Vacation (1998) and collaborated with Allan Heinberg.[23] He composed the score and co-wrote the book and lyrics with Matthew Riopelle for the musicalStreets of America (2007).[25][26] On August 18, 2008 the number "Racing to the Moon" was released Footlight Label as a single featuring three different performances: one by Rupert, another by actor Sebastian Arcelus, and an instrumental version by the guitarist David Timmons. His debut single, "Racing to the Moon" was released on August 18, 2008 on the Footlight label.[26]
Rupert lives in New York City with his life partner, Will Chafin.[16]
| Year | Production | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | The Happy Time | Bibi Bonnar | Original Broadway Cast |
| 1974-1977 | Pippin | Pippin | Broadway Replacement |
| 1977-1978 | US tour | ||
| 1979 | Festival | Troubador | Off-Broadway |
| Damn Yankees | Joe Hardy | Hartford Stage | |
| 1981-1982 | March of the Falsettos | Marvin | Original Cast |
| 1986-1987 | Sweet Charity | Oscar | Broadway revival |
| 1988 | Alex | ||
| 1989 | City of Angels | Stine | Broadway replacement |
| 1990 | Falsettoland | Marvin | Original Cast |
| 1992-1993 | Falsettos | Original Broadway Cast | |
| 1994 | US tour replacement | ||
| 1998 | Ragtime | Tateh | US tour |
| 1999-2000 | Broadway replacement | ||
| 2001 | A New Brain | Gordon Michael Schwinn | Studio Theatre |
| 2003 | Elegies: A Song Cycle | Original Performer | |
| Falsettos | Marvin | Skirball Cultural Center | |
| 2004 | Ragtime | Tateh | North Carolina Theatre |
| 2007-2008 | Legally Blonde | Professor Callahan | Original Broadway Cast |
| 2009 | The Full Monty | Harold Nichols | Paper Mill Playhouse |
| 2010 | Legally Blonde | Professor Callahan | US tour replacement |
| 2011 | Ogunquit Playhouse | ||
| 2012 | 7th Monarch | Kenneth Sharpe | |
| 2013 | On The Town | Judge Pitkin Bridgework | Barrington Stage Company |
| 2014-2015 | Broadway revival | ||
| 2017 | Sweet Charity | Director | Point Park University |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Musical | The Happy Time | Nominated |
| Theater World Award | Theater World Award | Won | ||
| 1985 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Music | 3 Guys Naked From the Waist Down | Nominated |
| 1986 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Sweet Charity | Won |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Won | ||
| 1992 | Tony Award | Best Actor in a Musical | Falsettos | Nominated |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |