Christian Borle

Christian Dominique Borle, born October 1, 1973, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an American actor and singer whose Broadway career spans from 1995 to 2024. The son of Andre Bernard Borle, a physiology professor at the University of Pittsburgh, he grew up with ambitions of becoming a comic book artist, drawn to Star Wars and drawing. A friend's encouragement to audition for a school play during his second year at Shady Side Academy redirected his path toward performance. He went on to study at the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University, graduating in 1995, after which he relocated to New York City. His first job upon arriving was working as an elf at Macy's Santaland.

Borle's early professional work included a production of The Who's Tommy and a 1996 national tour of West Side Story, in which he replaced the role of Riff. He was subsequently cast as Willard Hewitt in the first national tour of Footloose, which opened on December 15, 1998. His Broadway debut came in the ensemble of the 2000 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, which he left after two months to reprise Willard Hewitt in the Broadway production of Footloose, succeeding Tom Plotkin in June 2000. The show closed on July 2, 2000. He served as dance captain and understudy for multiple characters in the short-lived 2002 musical Amour. In 2003, he replaced Gavin Creel as Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie, his first leading role on Broadway. He married his co-star Sutton Foster, who originated the title role of Millie, in September 2006; the two divorced in 2009.

Borle originated multiple roles in Monty Python's Spamalot, including Prince Herbert, the Historian, Not Dead Fred, A French Guard, and Sir Robin's Minstrel. The performance earned him a 2005 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and a Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical. He next originated the role of Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. In November 2008, he appeared in the Encores! staged concert of On the Town as Ozzie. He joined the Broadway production of Mary Poppins as Bert on October 12, 2009, replacing Adam Fiorentino, and remained with the production until July 15, 2010. In Fall 2010 and Winter 2011, he played Prior Walter in Signature Theatre Company's 20th anniversary production of Angels in America.

Borle participated in regional and Off-Broadway productions of Peter and the Starcatcher through April 24, 2011, before reprising the role of Black Stache when the production transferred to Broadway in April 2012. That performance earned him his first Tony Award win, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, in 2012. He concluded his Broadway run in the show on June 30, 2012. During this period, he also joined the cast of the NBC musical-drama series Smash, playing Tom Levitt alongside Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, Katharine McPhee, Brian d'Arcy James, and Megan Hilty. The series, which followed characters mounting a Marilyn Monroe-themed Broadway musical called Bombshell, premiered in the 2011–2012 season and was cancelled by NBC in May 2013. Borle also appeared in the NBC live television production of The Sound of Music Live! on December 5, 2013, as Max Dettweiler, and played Mr. Darling and Mr. Smee in Peter Pan Live!, which aired December 4, 2014.

His second Tony Award came in 2015 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical, for his portrayal of William Shakespeare in Something Rotten!, which opened officially at the St. James Theatre on April 22, 2015. He also received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical that year for the same role. Borle departed Something Rotten! on July 16, 2016, to prepare for the limited Broadway revival of Falsettos, directed by James Lapine, in which he played Marvin alongside Andrew Rannells as Whizzer and Stephanie J. Block as Trina. Falsettos opened officially on October 27, 2016, ran for 30 previews and 84 performances before closing January 8, 2017, and earned Borle another Tony nomination. On May 9, 2016, it was announced he would play Willy Wonka in the Broadway production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, which opened March 23, 2017, and played its final performance on January 14, 2018. He also made his directorial debut in 2017 with Popcorn Falls at the Riverbank Theatre in Marine City, Michigan, which ran August 18–27 and required additional performances due to demand.

Borle appeared in the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors as Orin Scrivello and originated the role of Joe in Some Like It Hot on Broadway, earning both a Tony nomination and, in 2024, a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for the production's original cast recording. He voiced Vox in the adult animated series Hazbin Hotel. Borle also appeared with Sutton Foster in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, contributing to the Stars Hollow musical in Episode 3. Across his career, Borle has received five Tony Award nominations and won two, along with the Grammy and multiple Drama Desk recognitions, establishing a Broadway record that spans three decades.