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Max von Essen | |
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| Born | January 11, 1974 Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Education | South Side High School |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Notable work | An American in Paris |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Von Essen (father) Rita Von Essen (mother) |
| Relatives | Von Essen family |
Max von Essen (born January 11, 1974) is an American stage and screen actor, and vocalist.
Raised on Long Island, von Essen is a graduate of South Side High School in Rockville Centre, New York. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and after graduation toured with Liza Minnelli. [1] He is a member of the Von Essen family, who are part of the German and Swedish nobility. A son of Rita and Thomas Von Essen, who was the New York City Fire Commissioner during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, he is the youngest of four children. [2] He is openly gay. [3]
He toured Europe in West Side Story and was a cast member of the U.S. national tour of Chicago . He made his Broadway debut in Jesus Christ Superstar in 2000 as Disciple and Jesus of Nazareth understudy. [4] He appeared in Les Misérables on Broadway as the replacement for Fauchelevent and other roles, [5] and starred in Dance of the Vampires alongside Michael Crawford in 2002. [6] He played the role of student revolutionary leader Enjolras (replacement) in the Les Misérables Broadway revival in 2006 at the Broadhurst Theater. [7]
In 2006, he was a soloist at the biggest Andrew Lloyd Webber musical gala to date, held in Tallinn, Estonia. He performed in the national tour of Xanadu as "Sonny" in 2008 [8] and in the Roundabout Theater Company Off-Broadway production of Maury Yeston's Death Takes a Holiday at the Laura Pels Theatre in 2011. [9] In 2015, von Essen played the role of Parisian aristocrat Henri in the Broadway production of An American in Paris , for which he received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical nomination. [10]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Brooklyn Lobster | Piano Player | |
| 2009 | The Beautiful Life: TBL | Scott | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Sex and the City 2 | Wedding Chorus | |
| 2011-14 | Submissions Only | Cameron Dante | Netflix series, 14 episodes |
| 2012 | Gossip Girl | Father Smythe | 2 episodes |
| Royal Pains | Hair | 1 episode | |
| 2013-14 | The Good Wife | Stephen Delaney | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Blonde | Man | Short |
| Seven Lovers | Dan | ||
| 2015 | The Intern | Businessman at Starbucks #1 | |
| 2022 | Family Guy | Cruise Director, Waiter (voices) | 2 episodes |
| 2024 | Law & Order | Rhett Richards | Episode: "Family Ties" |
Source: Internet Broadway Database
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Disciple; u/s Jesus Christ | Ford Center for the Performing Arts |
| 2002 | Dance of the Vampires | Alfred | Minskoff Theatre |
| 2003 | Les Misérables | Fauchelevent / Jean Prouvaire / Ensemble; u/s Marius Pontmercy (replacement) | Imperial Theatre |
| 2007–2008 | Enjolras (replacement) | Broadhurst Theatre | |
| 2012 | Evita | Agustin Magaldi; u/s Che | Marquis Theatre |
| Che (replacement) | |||
| 2012–2013 | Agustin Magaldi; u/s Che | ||
| 2015–2016 | An American in Paris | Henri Baurel | Palace Theatre |
| 2017–2018 | Anastasia | Gleb Vaganov (replacement) | Broadhurst Theatre |
| 2023–2024 | Chicago | Billy Flynn (replacement) | Ambassador Theatre |
| Year(s) | Production | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Liza Minnelli in Concert | Ensemble |
| 1998 | West Side Story (European tour) | Tony |
| 1999 | Chicago | Mary Sunshine |
| 2008 | Xanadu [11] | Sonny |
| 2019 | Falsettos [12] | Marvin |
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Fantasticks [13] | Matt | Sullivan Street Playhouse |
| 2001 | John & Paul | Unknown | New Victory Theater |
| 2004 | Finian's Rainbow [14] | Woody Mahoney | Irish Repertory Theatre |
| 2011 | Death Takes a Holiday [15] [16] | Corrado Montelli | Laura Pels Theatre (Roundabout Theatre Company) |
| Hello Again [17] | The Soldier | Transport Group | |
| 2016 | The Secret Garden | Dr. Neville Craven | Lucille Lortel Theatre |
| 2017 | Yours Unfaithfully [18] | Stephen Meredith | Beckett Theatre (Mint Theater Company) |
Source: IBDB [33]
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Show | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Musical | An American in Paris | Nominated |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Broadway.com Audience Choice Award | Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical | Nominated |
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