Alex Brightman

Alex Brightman (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor whose Broadway career spans from 2008 to the present. A native of Saratoga, California, Brightman is Jewish and was raised by a father who founded Apple's Worldwide Disabilities Solutions Group and a mother who operated a kidney dialysis clinic. He attended Bellarmine College Preparatory, an all-male Jesuit high school in San Jose, California, graduating in 2005. During his youth, he performed with Children's Musical Theater San Jose. In 2007, prior to his Broadway work, he appeared in a production of Ryan Scott Oliver's Mrs. Sharp at NYU, directed by Ryan Mekenian, alongside Ali Stroker and Scott Evans.

Brightman's connection to Broadway began in 2008 when he was attached to Glory Days as an ensemble member and understudy, though the production closed after a single performance before he could go on. That same year, he made his official Broadway debut as the munchkin Boq in Wicked, remaining with the production for two years. He returned to Broadway in 2012 as an ensemble member and understudy in Big Fish, followed by a role as Michael Wormwood in Matilda the Musical in 2013.

In 2014, Brightman began working on the musical adaptation of School of Rock, based on the 2003 film. He initially performed various roles during workshops before being cast as the lead, Dewey Finn. The production played the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway, and Brightman's performance earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical in 2016. He played his final performance in the role on November 5, 2016, then returned to reprise it for a limited run in April 2017.

Brightman originated the title role in Beetlejuice on Broadway in 2019, a production based on the film of the same name, earning him a second Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical at the 73rd Tony Awards. He reprised the role when the production returned in 2022. To achieve the character's distinctive gruff voice, Brightman employs ventricular fold phonation, a technique that allows him to produce the sound without strain on his vocal cords.

From August 10 to November 19, 2023, Brightman joined Colin Donnell and Ian Shaw in The Shark Is Broken, portraying Richard Dreyfuss. During a press interview for that production, he disclosed that he has bipolar disorder. From January 9 to April 7, 2024, he appeared in a Broadway revival of Spamalot, reprising the role of Sir Lancelot. He is scheduled to reprise the role of Josh Skinner in the Broadway stage production of Schmigadoon!, with previews beginning April 4, 2026, at the Nederlander Theatre and an official opening set for April 20.

Beyond the stage, Brightman has accumulated a range of screen and voice acting credits. Beginning in 2020, he voiced Fizzarolli and the character's robotic counterpart Robo Fizz in the animated web series Helluva Boss. He also voiced Pugsley and the demon Temeluchus in the Netflix animated series Dead End: Paranormal Park. Since 2024, he has voiced Sir Pentious and Adam in Hazbin Hotel. On television, he appeared in the tenth season of The Blacklist as Herbie Hambright, a forensic scientist and father. He also made an appearance on Impractical Jokers and joined the cast of the Billy Crystal comedy film Here Today, announced in October 2019.

Brightman is a member of the comedy collective The (M)orons, alongside Broadway performers and writers Andrew Kober, F. Michael Haynie, and Drew Gasparini. He and Gasparini developed The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers in 2016 and are collaborating on two new musicals: The Whipping Boy, based on the book of the same name, and It's Kind of a Funny Story, adapted from the novel, for which Brightman wrote the script. On May 21, 2018, he married casting director Jenny Ravitz at a ceremony held in Brooklyn.