Gavin Creel

Gavin James Creel was a Tony and Olivier Award-winning actor who was born on April 18, 1976 in Findlay, Ohio. After graduating from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance with a BFA in musical theatre in 1998, he was cast as Nick Piazza in the national tour of Fame that same year. After moving to New York, he landed his Off-Broadway debut in Bat Boy: The Musical in 2001 and went on to star as Jimmy Smith in the Broadway premiere of Thoroughly Modern Millie, earning his first Tony nomination in 2002. His next Broadway outing was in the 2004 revival of La Cage aux Folles, playing the role of Jean-Michel.

Creel then made the trip across the pond and made his West End debut, taking over the role of Bert in Mary Poppins in 2006. He would return to Broadway as Claude in the 2009 revival of Hair (earning his second Tony nomination) and transferred with the production, as did the entire cast, back to London in 2010.

The next stage of his career revolved around the role of Elder Price in the hit musical The Book of Mormon. He first portrayed the character in the 2012 national tour, which led to him originating the role and winning his first Olivier Award in the 2013 West End premiere. He subsequently assumed the role in the Broadway production in 2015.

Creel went on to star as Steven Kodaly in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2016 revival of She Loves Me and began performances as Cornelius Hackl alongside Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly! on March 15, 2017. The role earned him his first Tony Award and the production continued through to August 25, 2018. He returned to the Broadway stage to star as Dr. Pomatter opposite Sara Bareilles in her hit musical Waitress from January 7 to February 3, 2019, and played Cinderella's Prince in the critically acclaimed 2022 revival of Into the Woods.

Creel died of cancer in 2024 at age 48.