Killian Donnelly

Killian Donnelly is an Irish tenor, stage actor, and Broadway performer born on 25 June 1984 in Kilmessan, County Meath, Ireland, where he was a member of St Mary's Musical Society. He has one sister, Eimear, and one brother, Ciaran, both of whom remain in Ireland. In addition to his vocal work as a tenor, Donnelly plays piano and guitar.

His stage career began in 2005 with a chorus role in The Wireman at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Subsequent Irish credits included Rod in Singin' in the Rain and Ethan in The Full Monty at the Olympia Theatre, Tony in West Side Story at the Solstice Theatre, Aladdin in Aladdin and Collins in Michael Collins: A Musical Drama at the Cork Opera House, Prince Charming in Cinderella at the Gaiety Theatre, and a chorus role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Gate Theatre. He was scouted by a theatre agency during a production in Ireland, which led to his relocation to London to pursue a career in musical theatre.

Donnelly joined the West End production of Les Misérables in 2008 as a swing and participated in a concert performance of the show with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on the Isle of Wight. In the 2009/10 season he became second cover for both Javert and Enjolras, and performed the lead role of Jean Valjean as emergency cover on multiple occasions. He was subsequently promoted to principal Enjolras and officially listed as third cover Valjean, finishing his run in the production on 18 June 2011. On 3 October 2010, during this period, he appeared as Courfeyrac in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables at The O2 Arena in London, and later played Combeferre in the concert film released in 2012.

Following Les Misérables, Donnelly took on the role of Raoul in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre. During this period he also appeared in commercials for McDonald's and Jameson Whiskey and was seen on television programs including The Tudors, The Open House, The Late Late Show, and Showbands. He additionally performed in You Should Be Dancing at the National Concert Hall. In November 2012 he took over the role of Tony in Billy Elliot The Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre, and in September 2013 he originated the role of Deco in the West End premiere of The Commitments. The following year he played Huey in Memphis beginning in October 2014, a performance that earned him a nomination for Best Actor in a Musical at the 2015 Olivier Awards.

In April 2015 it was announced that Donnelly would play Charlie in the West End production of Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre, with previews beginning 21 August 2015. The role brought him a second Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical in February 2016. He departed the production on 13 August 2016 and returned to Ireland to appear in Donegal, a new play by Frank McGuinness, in which he played Jackie Day. On 6 December 2016, Donnelly made his Broadway debut, reprising the role of Charlie Price in Kinky Boots.

In June 2017 Donnelly returned to the West End production of Les Misérables to play Jean Valjean, subsequently reprising the role on the 2018 UK and Ireland tour. In February 2020 he began playing the title role in the UK Tour of The Phantom of the Opera, though the run was cut short within weeks by the COVID-19 pandemic at Curve, Leicester. In December 2020 it was announced he would reprise the Phantom in the West End production when it reopened in June 2021, and he remained in the role for two and a half years, performing his final show on 3 February 2023.

Donnelly rejoined Les Misérables in October 2023 in the new West End production at the Sondheim Theatre, reprising Valjean for fifteen weeks. In 2024 he reprised the role again in Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular World Tour, sharing it with Alfie Boe and Peter Joback, with performances across the UK, Australia, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. Also in March 2024, he performed the lead role of Eddie in the tenth-anniversary concert of Made in Dagenham at the London Palladium.