Howard McGillin

Howard McGillin is an American actor and vocalist born on November 5, 1953, in Los Angeles, California. His father William worked as an accountant, and his mother Margaret served as an administrator at Santa Barbara City College. McGillin completed his secondary education at Dos Pueblos High School before earning a degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he performed in seven musicals at the Sacramento Music Circus.

Before establishing himself on Broadway, McGillin built an early career in television and film as a contract player for Universal Studios. His screen credits from this period include appearances in McMillan & Wife (1976), The Six Million Dollar Man (two episodes, 1976), Emergency! (two episodes, 1976 and 1977), The Bionic Woman (two episodes, 1976), The Rockford Files (1977), Columbo (1977), Mary White (1977), Wheels (1978), Women in White (1979), and Where the Boys Are '84 (1984). After relocating to New York City to pursue a stage career, he was cast in a male lead role in the New York Shakespeare Festival's 1984 production of La Boheme, which starred Linda Ronstadt. New York Times critic Frank Rich described McGillin as "dashing" in the production.

McGillin's Broadway career spans from 1984 to 2023. He originated the role of John Jasper in The Mystery of Edwin Drood at the Imperial Theatre in 1985, a performance that earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, a Drama Desk Award nomination, and a Theatre World Award in 1986. That same year he appeared in Sunday in the Park with George as the Soldier and Alex, also understudying the roles of Georges and George. A second Tony nomination followed in 1988 for his portrayal of Billy Crocker in the Broadway revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes, a role he subsequently reprised in the West End production in 1989. In 1991, he joined the Broadway company of The Secret Garden, replacing Mandy Patinkin as Archibald Craven, a role he continued through 1993.

McGillin appeared in the Broadway production of She Loves Me from 1993 to 1994, playing Kodaly. In 1994, he replaced Brent Carver as Molina in the Kander and Ebb musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. A New York Times review noted that McGillin brought an exuberant charm to the role, and credited his performance alongside that of Brian Stokes Mitchell and Vanessa Williams as contributing to the production receiving a rare second cast recording. McGillin starred as Mack in the West End production of Mack & Mabel in 1995, appearing on that production's cast album. He was featured in the Encores! production of the Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 in 1999.

McGillin joined the Broadway cast of The Phantom of the Opera in 1999, taking on the title role. He holds the record for the most performances by any actor in that role in the Broadway production, completing his 2,544th and final performance on July 25, 2009. During his tenure, he was part of the company when the production became the longest-running show in Broadway history on January 9, 2006, and was present for its twenty-first anniversary on January 26, 2009. In 2003, McGillin originated a leading role in the world premiere of Stephen Sondheim's Bounce at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and the Kennedy Center, a production for which he received a Helen Hayes Award nomination.

Beyond his Broadway work, McGillin has accumulated a range of additional stage credits. He performed in the York Theatre production of I Remember Mama in October 2010 and appeared in the Irish Repertory Theatre concert A Child's Christmas in Wales in December 2011. He starred as Sir Francis Chesney in the Encores! production of Where's Charley? in March 2011 and played Applegate in the Paper Mill Playhouse production of Damn Yankees! in Millburn, New Jersey, in spring 2012. He performed in a 2013 concert production of Ragtime at Avery Fisher Hall and participated in Roundabout Theatre Company's 2018 workshop of Parade as Governor John Slaton, followed by the Encores! production of Parade in 2022 as Luther Rosser. In 2015, McGillin appeared on Broadway in Gigi as Honoré Lachaille. He returned to Broadway in 2023 in the revival of Parade, playing the Old Confederate Soldier and Judge Roan.

McGillin has also worked extensively in voice performance. He provided the singing voice of Gregory in the animated film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and voiced Prince Derek in The Swan Princess (1994). His narration work includes the PBS series Nature as well as numerous books on tape and television commercials. He has released one solo recording, Where Time Stands Still, and has contributed to cast albums including those of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Anything Goes, and Bounce. McGillin married his longtime partner Richard Samson in September 2013, having been previously married and divorced. He has two sons, Brian and Christopher.