Tyler Maynard

Tyler Maynard is an American stage and film actor born on September 27, 1978, in New Carlisle, Ohio, whose Broadway career spanned from 2001 to 2011. He is best known for originating the role of Mark in the 2005 off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz, a performance that earned him a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Actor and a Drama Desk Award nomination.

Maynard grew up in New Carlisle with two sisters, an older sister and a younger sister named Brooke and Ashley respectively, and a mother who works as a high school English teacher. As a child he described himself as shy, with ambitions of becoming a marine biologist rather than a performer. His path toward the stage began through his school choir, and by sixth grade he had secured his first professional acting role at the La Comedia Dinner Theatre. During his years at Tecumseh High School, from 1993 to 1997, he participated in the Muse Machine, where he appeared in productions including Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, The Music Man, Oliver, and Me and My Girl.

Following high school, Maynard enrolled at the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where his credits included the role of Otto Kringelein in Grand Hotel and a lead role in Godspell. After graduating in 2001, he relocated to New York City, where he worked for four months as a doorman at the Hudson Hotel before establishing himself professionally. His Broadway debut came in 2002 with the musical Mamma Mia!, and in 2003 and 2004 he appeared in stage productions including On the Record. During that same period he also took on film roles in Palindromes, Parents Wanted, and Red Doors.

In February 2005, Maynard landed the starring role of Mark in Altar Boyz, a musical that received significant critical attention. Theater critic Charles Isherwood of The New York Times described his performance as a "deliciously overwrought" portrayal that functioned as both tribute and parody of American Idol-style vocal performance. Fellow Times critic Jason Zinoman noted that Maynard received the majority of critical attention in the original production for his portrayal of the flamingly gay singer Mark. From August to October 2005, Maynard stepped away from Altar Boyz to appear in Miracle Brothers and The Great Big Radio Show!, returning to the production in January 2006.

His subsequent Broadway work included playing Flotsam in the original Broadway cast of The Little Mermaid, a role he held from 2008 to 2009. He also appeared on Broadway in On the Twentieth Century, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, and Chance & Chemistry. In 2010, he played Chad in the off-Broadway musical The Kid. Beyond his stage work, Maynard is a member of the singing group The Broadway Boys.