Gavin Lee (born 15 October 1971) is an English actor who has appeared on the stage in musical theatre, notably as Bert in the musical Mary Poppins, in both the West End and on Broadway, and as Squidward Tentacles in the original Broadway cast of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical.
Gavin Lee | |
|---|---|
 Lee in 2019 | |
| Born | 15 October 1971 Woodbridge, Suffolk, England |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | Emily Harvey (m. 2005) |
| Children | 3 |
Early life edit
Lee is an alumnus of the Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts after which he has been involved in various musicals as a performer and choreographer.
Career edit
Lee appeared in the dance play Contact in the West End at the Queen's Theatre, opening in October 2002.[1]
In 2004, Lee auditioned to be the Bert understudy in the London production of Mary Poppins, but won the role outright. He originated the role of Bert in the original West End production. He also starred as Bert in the Broadway production of Mary Poppins.[2] He was chosen for the Broadway role because of his critically acclaimed performance as Bert in the West End production. He departed the Broadway production after nearly two years to launch the US National Tour, but returned to the Broadway production in August 2010 until January 2013. Lee was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical at the 2005 Olivier Awards and the 2005 Theatregoer's Choice Awards for originating the West End role of Bert. For his Broadway performance, Lee was nominated for the 2006 Outer Critics Circle Awards (Outstanding Actor in a Musical) and the 2007 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He also won the 2007 Drama Desk Award for Featured Actor in a Musical and an award for Outstanding Broadway Debut at the 63rd annual Theatre World Awards. In August 2007, Lee was added to Sardi's caricature gallery with other Broadway actors.[3]
In June 2008, Lee performed in a concert version of Show Boat at Carnegie Hall as Frank Schultz.[4] He has performed as part of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera film adaptation, appearing as one of the singers/dancers in the "Masquerade" scene.
Lee and former London co-star Laura Michelle Kelly performed as Bert and Mary Poppins in the America Celebrates 4 July at Fords Theatre in front of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on 6 June 2010. The special aired on 2 July 2010 on ABC.[5] Lee again reunited with Kelly when he returned to the role of Bert in the Broadway production of Mary Poppins on 24 August 2010.[6]
He took over the role of Jerry Travers in the West End production of Top Hat beginning 5 February 2013.[7] He joined the Broadway revival of Les Miserables as Thenardier beginning 3 March 2015.[8]
Lee played Squidward Tentacles in SpongeBob SquarePants, the Broadway Musical. The stage musical premiered at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, and ran from June to July 2016.[9] Lee reprised his role as Squidward for the Broadway run of the musical, starting with November 2017 previews at the Palace Theatre[10] and remaining until it closed in September 2018.[11] Lee was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Squidward.
In June 2019, he appeared at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, taking on the role of Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast.[12] He reprised the role in the 2021 UK tour.[13] The production then transferred to the West End's London Palladium for a limited engagement beginning June 2022.[14]
On February 17, 2020, he performed the Manhattan Concert Productions' 50th-anniversary celebration of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center. He played the Butler.
Lee returned to the Paper Mill Playhouse to play Max Detweiler in its production of The Sound of Music from December 2–January 1, 2023.[15] He then went on to star in the tribute revue Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, which opened at the Gielgud Theatre on 3 October 2023 following preview performances that began on 21 September.[16] The production is scheduled to run until 6 January 2024.[17]
Personal life edit
Lee is married to Emily Harvey, an American actress who was playing the role of Mme Firmin in London's The Phantom of the Opera during his own run in London in Mary Poppins. They have 3 children.
Theatre appearances edit
Cast recordings edit
Filmography edit
Television edit
- White Collar – Alan Woodford (5 episodes)
- The Good Wife – Jake Alister (Season 2, Episode 18 "Killer Song", 2011)[19]
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – Dennis Griscomb (2 episodes)
- The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage! – Squidward Tentacles (reprising his role from the Broadway musical)
- Little America – Henry (Season 1, Episode 4)
Awards and nominations edit
Tony Awards edit
Note: The year given is the year of the ceremony
| Year | Award | Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Best Actor in a Musical | Mary Poppins | Nominated |
| 2018 | Best Featured Actor in a Musical | SpongeBob SquarePants | Nominated |
Drama Desk Awards edit
Note: The year given is the year of the ceremony
| Year | Award | Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Mary Poppins | Won |
| 2018 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Won |
Laurence Olivier Awards edit
Note: The year given is the year of the ceremony
| Year | Award | Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Actor in a Musical | Mary Poppins | Nominated |
References edit
- ^ "Broadway hit 'Contact' at Queens in Oct 02" Archived 14 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine londontheatre.co.uk, accessed 13 March 2016
- ^ Gans, Andrew (21 May 2008). "Lee Will Join Brown for National Tour of Mary Poppins". Playbill. Archived from the original on 27 May 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
- ^ McBride, Walter (31 August 2007). "Brown & Lee Reveal Sardi's Caricatures". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 1 September 2007.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Principal Casting Complete for Carnegie Hall 'Show Boat'" Playbill, 7 May 2008, retrieved 23 November 2017
- ^ "Glover, Kelly, Van Dyke et al. Featured in July 4 Celebration to Air 7/2" broadwayworld.com, 2 July 2010
- ^ "Gavin Lee Will Return to Broadway Cast of 'Mary Poppins'" Archived 13 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Playbill
- ^ "Gavin Lee Set to Join West End's 'Top Hat', Feb 5" broadwayworld.com, Retrieved 3 March 2013
- ^ "Breaking News: 'Les Miserables' Announces New Leads for Second Year on Broadway; Plus Tony Nominee Ramin Karimloo Extends!" broadwayworld.com, Retrieved 31 January 2015
- ^ Rickwald, Bethany. "Gavin Lee, Nick Blaemire, and More Join 'The SpongeBob Musica'l Cast" theatermania.com, 19 February 2016
- ^ a b Barone, Joshua (5 June 2017). "SpongeBob SquarePants Musical to Open on Broadway". The New York Times.
- ^ "'SpongeBob' Musical Will Close on Broadway and Plan for a Tour" nytimes.com, Retrieved 13 January 2019
- ^ Clement, Olivia (30 April 2019). "Gavin Lee, Belinda Allyn, Tally Sessions, and More to Lead Paper Mill's Beauty and the Beast". Playbill. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ Wood, Alex (30 April 2021). "Disney's Beauty and the Beast tour announces full cast". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ Disney’s Beauty and the Beast will play London Palladium This Summer Playbill, January 21, 2022
- ^ Ashley Blanchet, Graham Rowat, and Gavin Lee to Lead Paper Mill's The Sound of Music Playbill, October 19, 2022
- ^ "Photos: Get a 1st Look at Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, Starring Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, More". 22 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Photos: Get a 1st Look at Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, Starring Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, More". 22 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Fish Got to Swim, Birds Got to Fly, Genres Got to Meld" nytimes.com, Retrieved 24 January 2019
- ^ "Killer Song" tv.com, retrieved 14 April 2019
External links edit
- Gavin Lee at the Internet Broadway Database
- Gavin Lee at IMDb
