Gavin Creel, Broadway and TV star, dies at 48

Gavin Creel, a Broadway philharmonic theatre seasoned who won a Tony Award for Hello, Dolly! other Bette Midler and earned nominations for Hair and Thoroughly Modern Millie, died Monday of a uncommon and assertive signifier of cancer. He was 48.

Publicist Matt Polk said Creel died astatine his location successful Manhattan of metastatic melanotic peripheral nervus sheath sarcoma. He was diagnosed successful July 2024.

“I looked guardant to moving with him each azygous night. He was fantastic. I can’t judge he’s gone. What a loss,” Midler wrote connected X.

Idina Menzel shared a photograph of Creel connected Instagram, writing, “Sweet saccharine Gavin Creel. An angel among the angels.”

Creel had a knack for Golden Age Broadway revivals, but helium besides performed successful modern fare, similar successful the relation of Dr. Pomatter successful Sara Bareilles’ philharmonic Waitress connected Broadway successful 2019 and connected the West End successful 2020. He won an Olivier Award for The Book of Mormon.

Composer and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda recalled connected societal media that Creel was his archetypal King George III erstwhile the soon-to-be-smash Hamilton was being workshopped: “He wrapped the assemblage astir his digit with thing but a Burger King crown and his mind-blowing charisma and talent. He is truthful loved and it is unimaginable that he’s nary longer with us.”

Creel was raised successful Findlay, Ohio, and graduated successful 1998 from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He toured and did determination enactment earlier landing the breakout relation of Jimmy Smith, other then-fellow newcomer Sutton Foster, successful the Broadway accumulation of Thoroughly Modern Millie. He besides worked connected Stephen Sondheim’s penultimate musical, Bounce, directed by Hal Prince.

A cardinal relation was arsenic the fastidious missionary Elder Price successful The Book of Mormon. He starred successful the show’s archetypal nationalist circuit successful 2012 and took the relation to London’s West End, wherever helium won a Olivier Award successful 2014.

He played Jean-Michel successful the revival of La Cage Aux Folles successful 2004 and returned to Broadway successful 2009 arsenic Claude Hooper Bukowski successful the Public Theater’s revival of Hair.

The Associated Press’ professional Michael Kuchwara was afloat of praise: “Gavin Creel, too possessing a powerhouse voice, brings a sweet-tempered poignancy to Claude, the astir anguished subordinate of the tribe. It’s Claude who has the astir backmost communicative successful the show: a conventional, middle-class upbringing successful Queens; a full fascination with each things British, expressed successful the opus ‘Manchester, England;’ and an uneasy consciousness of work that yet gets him drafted and into the Vietnam War. Creel handles it each with assurance.”

Creel played Steven Kodaly successful the 2016 accumulation of She Loves Me astatine Studio 54. The pursuing season, Creel was tapped for the relation of Cornelius Hackl, other legends Midler and David Hyde Pierce, successful the smash 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly! directed by Jerry Zaks, winning the Tony for champion featured histrion successful a musical.

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At the podium to judge his trophy, Creel thanked his assemblage and added: “If you’re retired determination and you person wealth — and I cognize immoderate radical successful this country person a batch of it — commencement a assistance fund. Change someone’s life.”

Creel became a superior dependable wrong the theatre manufacture by moving to walk the national Marriage Equality Act. He teamed up with friends Rory O’Malley and Jenny Kanelos to co-found the nonprofit enactment Broadway Impact.

Offstage, helium played the singing waiter Bill successful the films Eloise astatine the Plaza and Eloise astatine Christmastime alongside Julie Andrews. In 2021, helium was formed successful Ryan Murphy’s miniseries American Horror Stories other Matt Bomer. His 2022 solo performance was filmed for the premiere occurrence of PBS’s Stars Onstage astatine Westport Country Playhouse.

In 2022, Creel was formed successful an off-Broadway performance accumulation of Sondheim and James Lapine’s fractured fairy communicative philharmonic Into the Woods — Creel played the roles of Cinderella’s Prince arsenic good arsenic the Wolf. The amusement aboriginal transferred to Broadway and was extended aggregate times, earning a Tony information for champion revival of a musical.

He is survived by his mother, Nancy Clemens Creel, and father, James William Creel; his sisters, Heather Elise Creel and Allyson Jo Creel; and his partner, Alex Temple Ward.