Michael Hobbs (born 4 March 1965) is an English actor, film-maker, and academic.
Michael Hobbs was born in Northampton, England. He was a member of the National Youth Theatre. He studied the history of the United States at the University of East Anglia, Norwich and at Occidental College Los Angeles. He trained to be an actor at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London, graduating alongside Minnie Driver and Samantha Spiro.[ citation needed ]
On leaving drama school in 1989, Hobbs' first role was in the first series of the BBC situation comedy Birds of a Feather . He appeared in a number of situation comedies including Surgical Spirit (1991), The Upper Hand (1992), Men Behaving Badly (1992), Just a Gigolo (1993) and My Hero (2005). In television drama, Hobbs appeared in Bergerac (1991), Covington Cross (1992), The Bill (1995), Little Lord Fauntleroy (BBC, 1995), the Earl of Glenbauer in The New Adventures of Robin Hood (1998), Brent in Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married (1999), Grange Hill (2001), Lewis (2006), Agatha Christie's Poirot (2010), Endeavour (2014). As a series regular, Hobbs appeared in Crown Prosecutor (BBC, 1992) as Alex Richardson, and in No Sweat (BBC, 1997) as Colin Crabbe opposite Harriet Thorpe.
On stage Hobbs appeared in a UK tour as Mellefont in Congreve 's restoration comedy The Double Dealer [1] (1991) opposite Paul Eddington; with the English Shakespeare Company on a European tour as 'Launcelot Gobbo' in The Merchant of Venice (1994). In 2007 Hobbs played 'Lord Elrond', 'Treebeard', and 'Bill Ferny' in the musical adaptation of The Lord of the Rings , directed by Matthew Warchus at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. In 2012 Hobbs played 'Gary Strong' in a UK tour of the Noel Gay musical, Radio Times, opposite Sara Crowe.
Hobbs can be heard on the Original Cast Recordings of The Lord of the Rings and Kinky Boots . [2] [3]
In 2015, Hobbs began playing the principal role of 'George' in the musical Kinky Boots , [4] directed by Jerry Mitchell, at the Adelphi Theatre, London. In 2019, Hobbs portrayed the role of Douglas Machin in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors , a role he reprised in 2020. [5]
Hobbs presented the BBC Schools series Words and Pictures (1993-1994) [6] [7] [8] winning an International TV Programming Award at the New York Television Festival in 1994 [9] for the episode Monster Monday!
Between 1995 and 2001 Hobbs made factual programming and documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5. His productions include: Men Caught Posing (1995-1996), presented by Lionel Blair; Go For It! (BBC 1997), presented by Lionel Blair; Secondhand Rose (BBC 1997) presented by Lynda Bellingham; Queerspotting (Channel 4, 1997); Beneath the Sheets (Channel 4, 1997); Crash Landings: Carnage, Sabotage, Cock-up (Channel 5, 2000); New Killer Diseases (Channel Five, 2000). [10]
In 2003 Henley Business School published Hobbs' leadership research as a Henley Working Paper [11] (co-authored with Professor Malcolm Higgs) "Does the freelance environment of broadcast television production in the UK encourage charismatic leadership?". in 2003 he completed an MBA at Henley Business School having won a scholarship from The Evening Standard. [12]
Harvey Forbes Fierstein is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter, known for his distinctive gravelly voice. He is best known for his theater work in Torch Song Trilogy and Hairspray and film roles in Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, and as the voice of Yao in Mulan and Mulan II. Fierstein won two Tony Awards, Best Actor in a Play and Best Play, for Torch Song Trilogy. He received his third Tony Award, Best Book of a Musical, for the musical La Cage aux Folles and his fourth, the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, for playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, a role he revived in its live television event, Hairspray Live! Fierstein also wrote the books for the Tony Award-winning musicals Kinky Boots, Newsies, and Tony Award-nominated, Drama League Award-winner A Catered Affair. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2007.
The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiving house for a variety of productions, including many musicals. The theatre was Grade II listed for historical preservation on 1 December 1987.
Jenna Russell is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She performed the role of Dot in Sunday in the Park with George in the West End and on Broadway, receiving the Tony Award nomination and the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role. She has also appeared in several television series, including Born and Bred and EastEnders.
Kinky Boots is a 2005 British comedy-drama film directed by Julian Jarrold and written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth. Nominated for Best Film at the 64th Golden Globe Awards, it is based on a true story. The film tells of struggling shoe factory owner Charlie, who forms an unlikely partnership with Lola, a drag queen, to save the business. Charlie develops a plan to produce custom footwear for drag queens, rather than the men's dress shoes that his firm is known for, alienating many in the process.
Steven Jonathan Furst is a British comedian, actor and writer. He appeared in the Orange mobile phone cinema adverts in the UK, playing the role of Eliot, a spoof studio executive, and has appeared regularly in the BBC comedy television programme Little Britain as well as cabaret character Lenny Beige.
Verity Charlotte Rushworth is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Donna Windsor in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 1998 to 2009, with a guest appearance in 2014. She has played many theatre roles throughout the UK, including two leading roles in West End theatre productions. From 2020 to 2021, she appeared in the BBC medical soap opera Doctors as Lily Walker.
Stark Sands is an American actor. He is known for his role as Tunny in the original Broadway cast of American Idiot, and originating the role of Charlie Price in Kinky Boots on Broadway. He is a two-time Tony Award nominee. He is also known for the roles of Lance Sussman in Die, Mommie, Die! and Lt. Nathaniel Fick in Generation Kill. He starred as Dash Parker in FOX's series Minority Report.
Eric Anderson is an American actor. On Broadway, he has originated roles in Waitress, Kinky Boots, The Last Ship, Rocky, and Soul Doctor, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He portrayed Mr. O'Malley in The Greatest Showman (2017). In 2022, he took over the role of Harold Zidler in the jukebox musical Moulin Rouge! on Broadway.
Stephen Marcus is a British actor, best known for his role as Nick the Greek in the British gangster classic Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998).
Annaleigh Ashford is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her early roles on Broadway include in the musicals Wicked (2007), Legally Blonde (2007), and Hair (2010). She received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for playing Essie Carmichael in You Can't Take It With You (2014–2015). Her other Tony-nominated roles include Lauren in Kinky Boots (2013) and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2023). She also starred in the Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George (2017).
William Ellis Porter II is an American actor and singer. Porter gained notice performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor. Porter won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role as Lola in Kinky Boots. He credits the part for "cracking open" his feminine side to confront toxic masculinity. For the role, Porter also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.
Roald Dahl's Matilda, also known simply as Matilda and Matilda the Musical, is a musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly. It is based on the 1988 novel Matilda by Roald Dahl. The musical's narrative centres on Matilda Wormwood, a precocious five-year-old girl with the gift of telekinesis, who loves reading, overcomes obstacles caused by her family and school, and helps her teacher to reclaim her life. After a twelve-week trial run staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at Stratford-upon-Avon from November 2010 to January 2011, it received its West End premiere on 24 November 2011 at the Cambridge Theatre and its Broadway premiere on 11 April 2013 at the Shubert Theatre.
Robert Hugh Carvel is a British film and theatre actor. He has twice won a Laurence Olivier Award: for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his role as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical, and for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as Rupert Murdoch in Ink. For the latter role, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.
Killian Donnelly is an Irish tenor singer and stage actor. He has appeared in musicals such as Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Kinky Boots.
Kinky Boots is a musical with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein.
The 67th Annual Tony Awards were held June 9, 2013, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2012–13 season. The ceremony returned to Radio City Music Hall in New York City, after two years at Beacon Theatre, and was broadcast live on CBS television. Neil Patrick Harris hosted for the third consecutive year, his fourth time as host. Awards in four of the eight acting categories, were given to African-American performers. Furthermore, it is the second time in Tony history that both directing prizes went to women. Garry Hynes and Julie Taymor had previously won in 1998. Kinky Boots had a season best 13 nominations and 6 awards. Cyndi Lauper, composer of the score for Kinky Boots, is the first solo female winner for Best Original Score.
Kinky Boots is a Broadway original cast album for the homonym musical Kinky Boots. It was released on May 28, 2013, less than two months after the show opened on Broadway. It was produced by Cyndi Lauper, who wrote the songs, Stephen Oremus, the orchestrator and conductor, and William Wittman. On release it premiered at number one on the Billboard Cast Albums Chart and number fifty-one on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the highest charting Broadway cast recording since The Book of Mormon's album was released two years earlier. Vocalists on the album include Stark Sands, Billy Porter and Annaleigh Ashford,.
Alan Mehdizadeh is a British-Iranian actor, appearing on stage and screen. He has recently played the role of Monk in Graham Moore's The Outfit. He played the role of Don in the West End musical, Kinky Boots. He is also a talent agent, and runs London-based agency Avenue Agents.
Natalie McQueen is an English actress known for her performances in a number of UK West End productions including Bonnie & Clyde, 9 to 5, Kinky Boots and Wicked.