Christopher J. Hanke

Christopher Jason Hanke, professionally credited as Christopher J. Hanke, is an American actor and singer born on March 18, 1976, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The oldest of five children, he grew up in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. Before pursuing a performance career, Hanke was accepted to medical school but chose to defer his admission.

Hanke's stage career spans Broadway and off-Broadway productions from 1996 to 2011 and beyond. His early credits include the national tour of The Full Monty in 2002, in which he played Ethan Girard, and the off-Broadway production Fame on 42nd Street in 2003, where he portrayed Nick Piazza. His Broadway debut in a leading role came in 2005 when he played J.T. in In My Life. He subsequently took on the role of Mark Cohen in Rent in 2007 and Baldwin in Cry-Baby in 2008. That same year he appeared as Claude in the Central Park production of Hair. In 2011, Hanke appeared as Bud Frump in Rob Ashford's Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, a production that starred Daniel Radcliffe as J. Pierrepont Finch and later Darren Criss in the same role. His Broadway credits also include Big River. A cast recording of Cry-Baby, featuring Hanke as Baldwin alongside most of the original cast, was released on October 7, 2015.

Hanke's work continued in off-Broadway and regional theater following his Broadway run. In 2014, he replaced Michael Urie in the off-Broadway solo comedy Buyer and Cellar at the Barrow Street Theatre, performing in the production from March 18 until its closing on July 27. In June 2015, he played Corny Collins in Hairspray at The Muny, with performances running from June 23 through June 30.

In addition to his stage work, Hanke has appeared in television. He held a series regular role as Ryan Abbott, an inexperienced transplant coordinator, on the CBS drama Three Rivers. He also had a guest-starring role on ABC's Brothers and Sisters in 2010 and a recurring role on Big Love, playing a Mormon intern in the State Senate. In 2016, he was cast as Fabian, a hairdresser who describes himself as a hair magician, on the television series Devious Maids.