Gavin Creel, 'Hair' and 'Hello, Dolly!' Tony Award-winning actor, dies at 48

Broadway actor Gavin Creel died on Monday at the age of 48.

Tony Award-winning star, known for his leading roles Perfectly modern Millie, hair and recent revivals in the woodHis activism and positivity among others and in the Broadway community, died in July 2024 after being diagnosed with metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. She was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering before being transferred to hospice care. at home

Her partner Alex Temple Ward confirmed her death.

Known for his energetic and exuberant performances and his resonant voice on Broadway, Creel won a Tony Award for his role as Cornelius Hackle opposite the legendary Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce in the 2017 revival. Hello, Dolly! Directed by Jerry Jacks. Critics praised her portrayal of the enthusiastic store clerk, with THR Critic David Rooney noted that Creel's voice “never sounded sweeter”, adding that “Creel and [Taylor] Trenshaw gives 'Put On Your Sunday Clothes' such an exhilarating lift that when the gentlemen start strutting around in their finery, an explosion of Easter-egg color floods the stage, we're all airborne.”

He recently appeared in the 2022 revival on Broadway in the woodThe production starred Sara Bareilles as the “gloriously hammy” Cinderella in The Prince and the Wolf, with whom she also co-starred. the hostess

Just last winter, Creel appeared off-Broadway Walk On Through: Confessions of a Museum NoviceA musical that Creel wrote and composed 17 songs about his own experience of falling in love with the Metropolitan Museum of Art after receiving a commission from the museum.

His breakout role came in 2002, when he played Jimmy Smith opposite rising star Sutton Foster in a Broadway production. A thoroughly modern Milli. He received a Tony nomination for that role and then carried that momentum into other roles, including playing Jean-Michel in the 2004 revival. The Cage aux Folles.

He returned to Broadway in the Public Theater's 2009 revival of Claude Hooper's Bukowski, a Midwesterner who turns into a hippie tribe. the hairopposite Will Swenson. During that production, Creel became an outspoken voice in the theater community for the passage of the federal Marriage Equality Act and founded the non-profit organization Broadway Impact with Rory O'Malley and Jenny Canelos. The group raised money to raise awareness for LGBTQ+ issues, and Creel confirmed the hairThe company may participate in the Equality March in Washington DC in 2009 so its producers may cancel a performance.

Creel appeared in the West End as Bart in 2006 Mary Poppins and reflected on his role in the West End transfer the hair In 2010. Creel then won the 2014 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Elder Price. Book of Mormon, which he played on a US tour and will play on Broadway.

Apart from this, his acting Hello, Dolly! Creel appeared in the 2016 revival she loves me Opposite Laura Benanti and Jane Krakowski.

Born to James and Nancy Creel on April 18, 1976, Gavin grew up in Findlay, Ohio, where he showed a gift for singing, acting and directing. He was introduced to music after singing “Gary, Indiana” by elementary school teachers Nancy Glick and Meredith Wilson. music manMedium was sold for life.

After graduating from Findlay High School in 1994, Gavin attended the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance in the Musical Theater Department, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1998. There he met his vocal teacher and lifelong friend. friend, Melody Racine, with whom he studied during college and in his later years.

Even after graduation, Gavin regularly returned to Michigan to teach masterclasses, give voice lessons, and workshop his own material while working with students. She and her best friend and fellow Michigan alumni Celia Keenan-Bolger, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Gavin Creel established the Activist Artist Endowed Scholarship Fund. Encouraging students to engage in social justice work while in school. He also hosted a retirement celebration in 2016 for Department Chair Brent Wagner at the August Wilson Theater in New York City. Maize and Blue on Broadway.

In addition to acting on stage, Creel played the role of singer waiter Bill in films Eloise at the Plaza And Eloise at Christmastime Alongside Dame Julie Andrews. In 2021, she starred in Ryan Murphy's miniseries, American Horror Storyopposite Matt Bomer, and in 2022, Gavin's solo concert was filmed for the premiere episode of PBS. Stars at the Westport Country Playhouse.

Creel also wrote his own music, including pop songs inspired by artists such as Whitney Houston, and produced several albums with Robbie Roth, including Good timing (2006), calm down (2010), get out (2012), and his mono the noise (2011), which raises funds and awareness for marriage equality.

In 2019, Creel received a commission from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's MetLiveArts Department resulting in Walk On Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice.

He is survived by his mother Nancy Clemens Creel and father James William Creel, his sisters Heather Alice Creel and Alison Jo Creel and his wife Jane Kolb, his partner Alex Temple Ward and his dog Nina.

Funeral services are private. A memorial will be planned in the future. The family requests that gifts in Gavin's memory be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.