Stephen Hanan

Stephen Mo Hanan (born Stephen Hanan Kaplan, January 7, 1947 – April 3, 2025) was an American actor and street performer originally from Washington, D.C. He performed on Broadway between 1981 and 1990 and is best known for originating three roles in the Broadway premiere of Cats.

Hanan was born in Washington, D.C., and attended Harvard University, graduating in 1968. Among his classmates was television writer John Weidman, who gave him the nickname "Mo." Following graduation, he spent time in New York before relocating to a commune in San Francisco during the 1970s, where he worked as a busker. During that period, Luciano Pavarotti praised his singing outside the War Memorial Opera House. Returning to New York at the end of the decade, Hanan began pursuing professional theatre. Because another actor was already registered under the name Stephen Kaplan, he adopted the stage name Stephen Mo Hanan. He appeared in several New York Shakespeare Festival productions before making his Broadway debut as Samuel in the 1981 production of The Pirates of Penzance.

The following year, Hanan took on three roles simultaneously when Cats premiered on Broadway: Bustopher Jones, Asparagus, and Growltiger. The performance earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 1983. He documented his experience during the production in a diary, which he published in 2002 under the title A Cat's Diary. His Broadway career also included a credit in Peter Pan.

Beyond Broadway, Hanan performed on stages in both the United States and the United Kingdom. In 1999, he co-wrote Jolson & Co., a play about Al Jolson, with Jay Berkow, and portrayed Jolson himself in its Off-Broadway premiere. He returned to The Pirates of Penzance in 2006, playing Major-General Stanley in a Folksbiene production.

Hanan lived in Manhattan with his husband, Gary Widlund. He had suffered from a heart condition for years before dying of a heart attack at his home on April 3, 2025, at the age of 78.