Will Chase | |
|---|---|
 Chase backstage at Something Rotten! in 2016 (photo by Deb Lopez) | |
| Born | Frank William Chase September 12, 1970 |
| Education | Oberlin College (BM) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouses |
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| Partner | Ingrid Michaelson (2015–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | will-chase |
Frank William Chase (born September 12, 1970) is an American actor, director, and singer, best known for his work on Broadway and for his role as country superstar Luke Wheeler on ABC's Nashville .
Chase was born in Frankfort, Kentucky, to Betty and Jerry Chase, and is the youngest of three sons. He graduated from Western Hills High School and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied conducting with Robert Spano and percussion with Michael Rosen. [1] [2]
Chase started his acting career in Chicago, performing in regional theater productions and received three Joseph Jefferson Award nominations. He then played Chris in the 2nd National Tour of Miss Saigon . He first performed on Broadway in 1998 as the Squeegee Man and Mark/Roger understudy in Rent , and went on to star as Roger in the final Broadway company of Rent, which was recorded for the theatrical release entitled Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway . [3] [4] His additional Broadway credits in the early 2000s include Miss Saigon (with the original star Lea Salonga playing Kim to close the Broadway production); The Full Monty (2001); Aida (Radames replacement, 2003–04); and Lennon (2005). Tony in Billy Elliot the Musical . [5] He was also in A Little Princess the Musical as Captain Crewe. In 2005, he played Neville Craven in the 2005 World AIDS Day The Secret Garden concert. [6]
In 2006, he starred in High Fidelity on Broadway, and played Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, for which he received a nomination for the 2009 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor. [7]
He appeared in The Pajama Game opposite Kate Baldwin at The Muny (St. Louis) in July 2007. [8] He starred in Oklahoma in 2007 at the Lyric Theatre opposite Kelli O'Hara, and on Broadway in the short-lived musical The Story of My Life in 2009. [9] Starting in 2009, Chase played the role of Tony in Billy Elliot the Musical [10] until 2011. In August 2012, he temporarily filled in for Matthew Broderick as Jimmy Winter in the Broadway musical, Nice Work If You Can Get It . [11]
At the 2013 Tony Awards, he was nominated for Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as John Jasper/Mr. Clive Paget in the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood . [12]
Chase guest starred as Michael Swift in the NBC series Smash . [13] He then went on to star for 3 seasons as country superstar Luke Wheeler on the television series Nashville . His other television appearances include Quantico , HBO's The Deuce , the recurring role of Pat Mahoney on Rescue Me , Cupid , Canterbury's Law , Law & Order , Third Watch , Conviction , and Queens Supreme , Hallmark's The Lost Valentine , alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt and Betty White; the 2011 season finale of Royal Pains (USA); Blue Bloods (CBS); and the ABC drama Pan Am . In 2012, he appeared on the series White Collar , in the episode "Neighborhood Watch", and appeared on the series Unforgettable , in the episode "The Comeback".
He played the title role in the 2013 film Butterflies of Bill Baker, winning Best Actor at the 2013 Chain Film Festival. [14] Chase also voiced the wolf Angee in A Warrior's Tail (2016). [15]
In 2016, Chase assumed the role of William Shakespeare from Christian Borle on Broadway in the musical Something Rotten! , [16] while simultaneously filming both HBO's The Deuce , and the ABC drama Time After Time , in the series regular role of Griffin Monroe. [17] [18]
He played Neil Hargrove in the second season of the American supernatural horror-science fiction web television series, Stranger Things , which premiered in late 2017, and in 2018 appeared in HBO's drama Sharp Objects as Bob Nash. [19] [20]
He starred as Fred Graham/Petruchio opposite Kelli O'Hara in the 2019 Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate . [21]
In 2020 and 2021, he wrote and directed the award- winning short film Dagger, co-starring Jack Davenport, and Trunk Show, which featured his children, actors Daisy and Gracie Chase, winning Best Short Film at the 2021 Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival. [22] Also in 2021, he played Michael Friedman in Danny Strong’s Pulitzer Prize-winning series Dopesick . [23]
In 2022, he played Kurt Dockweiler in the first season of Bosch: Legacy , before being replaced in the second season. The same year he finished production on Apple TV's The Crowded Room , starring alongside Tom Holland and Emmy Rossum. [24]
In 2024, Chase will direct the musical short film Here, Bullet, which he co-wrote with composer Kurt Erickson, based on Erickson's prize-winning song cycle of the same name, which was adapted from the original anthology of 2005 Beatrice Hawley Award-winning poems, "Here, Bullet", by renowned American poet Brian Turner. [25]
Chase has two children with the late Lori Davis, to whom he was married from 1996 to 2008. [26] He was married to actress Stephanie Gibson from 2009 [27] until their divorce in 2012.
He and Debra Messing dated from 2011 to 2014. [28] [29] Messing wrote a tribute to Lori Davis, Chase's then-ex whom she met when Messing dated Chase, upon Davis' death in 2021. [30]
Chase has been in a relationship with musician Ingrid Michaelson since 2015. [31]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Shaft | Walter's Friend | Film |
| 2001 | Fling (FOX network, created by Glenn Gordon Caron) | Dan Fields | Episode: #1.2 "In Genes We Trust" |
| 2002 | Guiding Light | Store Manager | Episode dated August 14, 2002 |
| 2002 | Third Watch | Reilly | Episode: #4.8 "Ladies' Day" |
| 2003 | Queens Supreme | ADA Pheiffer | Episode: #1.1 "One Angry Man" |
| 2003 | Law & Order | David | Episode: #13.11 "Chosen" |
| 2004 | Everyday People | Dad (uncredited) | HBO Film |
| 2004 | Law & Order | Mellors' Co-Owner | Episode: #14.18 "Evil Breeds" |
| 2006 | Conviction | Detective Dave Lamanski | Episode: #1.4 "Indebted" |
| 2006 | As the World Turns | Dr. Linn | Episode dated May 1, 2006 Episode dated May 3, 2006 |
| 2006 | All My Children | A.D.A. Phillips | Episode #1.9395 |
| 2008 | Law & Order | Derek Cahill | Episode: #18.4 "Bottomless" |
| 2008 | Canterbury's Law | Artie Flom | Episode: #1.3 "What Goes Around" |
| 2008 | Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway | Roger Davis | Film |
| 2009 | Four Single Fathers | Lance | Film |
| 2009 | Cupid | Peter | Episode: #1.6 "Left of the Dial" |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Jacob Garrety | Episode: #8.15 "Passion" |
| 2009 | One Life to Live | Dr. Jason Nance | Episode: #1.10564 "Sing Along with Mitch" Episode: #1.10565 "The Greenhouse Effect" Episode: #1.10566 "Angel of Death" Episode: #1.10567 "Dads Gone Wild" |
| 2009–2010 | Rescue Me | Pat Mahoney | Episode: #5.5 "Sheila" Episode: #6.4 "Breakout" Episode: #6.6 "Sanctuary" Episode: #6.8 "Cowboy" |
| 2011 | The Lost Valentine | Andrew Hawthorne | TV film |
| 2011 | Royal Pains | Benjamin Richards | Episode: #2.18 "Listen to the Music" |
| 2011 | Pan Am | John Stanton | Episode: #1.1 "Pilot" |
| 2011 | Blue Bloods | William Flood | Episode: #2.3 "Critical Condition" |
| 2012 | White Collar | Connor Bailey | Episode: #3.13 "Neighborhood Watch" |
| 2012 | Unforgettable | Reed Benedict | Episode: #1.18 "The Comeback" |
| 2012–2013 | Smash | Michael Swift | 10 episodes; Recurring role (season 1) |
| 2013 | Necessary Roughness | David Blaze | Episode: #2.13 "Hits and Myths" |
| 2013 | It Could Be Worse | Pervy | Episode: #1.6 "Him, I want Him" |
| 2013 | Butterflies of Bill Baker | Bill Baker (Best Actor-Chain Film Festival) | Film |
| 2013 | The Ordained | Gavin | TV film |
| 2013–2014 | The Good Wife | Detective Doug Young | Episode: #4.18 "Death of a Client" Episode: #5.16 "The Last Call" |
| 2013–2017 | Nashville | Luke Wheeler/Himself | 57 episodes; Recurring role (season 2) Main role (Seasons 3–4) Guest role (Seasons 5–6) |
| 2015 | For Real | Blaine | Film |
| 2015 | A Warrior's Tail | Anga (English version, voice) | Film |
| 2017 | Time After Time | Griffin Monroe | 12 episodes; Main role |
| 2017 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Byron Marks | Episode: #19.1 "Gone Fishin'" |
| 2017 | The Deuce | Jack | Episode: #1.4 "I See Money" Episode: #1.5 "What Kind of Bad?" |
| 2017 2019 | Stranger Things | Neil Hargrove | Episode: #2.8 "Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer" Episode: #3.6 "Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum" |
| 2018 | American Crime Story | Detective Paul Scrimshaw | Episode: #2.1 "The Man Who Would Be Vogue" Episode: #2.2 "Manhunt" Episode: #2.9 "Alone" |
| 2018 | E-Bowla | Big Thumper | Short Film |
| 2018 | Quantico | Frank Marlow | Episode: #3.6 "Heaven's Fall" Episode: #3.9 "Fear Feargach" |
| 2018 | Sharp Objects | Bob Nash | 5 episodes; Main role (Mini-Series) |
| 2018–2019 | Madam Secretary | Owen Callister | Episode: #5.4 "Requiem" Episode: #5.18 "Ready" Episode: #5.19 "The Great Experience" Episode: #5.20 "Better Angels" |
| 2018–2019 | Impulse | Simon | 6 episodes; Recurring Role |
| 2019 | The Village | John | Episode: #1.1 "Pilot" |
| 2019 | FBI (TV series) | Det Harry Bloom | Episode: #2.10 "Ties That Bind" |
| 2019 | After the Wedding | Frank | Film |
| 2020 | The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show | Grizzled Music Man | Episode: #1.1 |
| 2021 | Dopesick | Michael Friedman | 8 episodes; Main role (Mini-series) |
| 2021 | Girls5eva | Stet | Episode: #1.8 "Separ8 Ways" |
| 2021 | Dagger | Tom | Short Film |
| 2022 | Bosch: Legacy | Kurt Dockweiler | Episode: #1.9 "Cat Got a Name?" Episode: #1.10 "Always/All Ways" |
| 2023 | The Crowded Room | Marlin Reid | 10 episodes; Main role (Mini-series) |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tigers and Young men | Music video |
| 2021 | Dagger | Short film (Best Score-Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival) |
| 2021 | I'm Right Here | Short film |
| 2021 | Trunk Show | Short film (Best Short Film-Ridgewood International Film Festival) |
| 2021 | Today | Segment Director |
| 2022 | Lawrence of Arabia | Music Video |
| 2024 | Here, Bullet [32] | Short film; Pre-production |
| 2024 | Fool [33] | Short film |
| 2024 | Coming Home: The Guggenheim Grotto Back In Ireland | Documentary |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–1998 | Miss Saigon | Chris Scott | US National Tour |
| 1998 | Rent | Steve / Ensemble | Broadway |
| 1998–2000 | Miss Saigon | Chris Scott | Broadway |
| 2000–2001 | Cultural Center of the Philippines | ||
| 2001–2002 | The Full Monty | Jerry Lukowski | Broadway |
| 2003 | Aida | Radames | Broadway |
| 2004 | Lennon | John | Broadway |
| 2005 | The Secret Garden | Dr. Neville Craven | Manhattan Center |
| 2005–2006 | Rent | Roger Davis | Broadway |
| 2006 | High Fidelity | Rob | Broadway |
| 2008 | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Valentin | Signature Theatre (Helen Hayes Award Nomination) |
| Rent | Roger Davis | Broadway | |
| 2009 | The Story of My Life | Tom | Broadway |
| 2009–2011 | Billy Elliot the Musical | Tony | Broadway |
| 2010 | Bells Are Ringing (musical) | Jeffrey Moss | Encores! |
| 2012 | Nice Work If You Can Get It | Jimmy Winter | Broadway |
| 2012–2013 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | John Jasper | Broadway (Tony Award, Outer Critics Award Nominations) |
| 2015 | The Music Man | Harold Hill | Cincinnati Music Hall |
| 2016 | Something Rotten! | Shakespeare | Broadway |
| 2019 | Kiss Me, Kate | Fred/Petruchio | Broadway |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Best Featured Actor in a Musical | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Nominated |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Helen Hayes Award | Outstanding Lead Actor | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Nominated |
| 2013 | Chain NYC Film Festival | Best Actor | Butterflies of Bill Baker | Won |
| 2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Best Featured Actor in a Musical | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Nominated |
| 2021 | Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival | Best Short Film | Trunk Show (written and directed by Will Chase) | Won |
Debra Lynn Messing is an American actress, narcissist, blowhard, establishment shill, and genocide denier. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing starred in the shortlived television series, Ned and Stacey on Fox (1995–1997), and Prey on ABC (1998). She achieved her breakthrough role as Grace Adler, an interior designer, on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which she received seven Golden Globe Award nominations and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning once, in 2003.
Rupert Holmes, is a British-American composer, singer-songwriter, dramatist and author. He is widely known for the hit singles "Escape " (1979) and "Him" (1980). He is also known for his musicals The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which earned him two Tony Awards, and Curtains, and for his television series Remember WENN.
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Ann Harada is an American actress and singer who was first known for the musical Avenue Q, in which she originated the role of Christmas Eve, the heavily accented Japanese therapist.
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Sebastian Arcelus is an American actor, best known for his roles as Lucas Goodwin on the Netflix thriller series House of Cards (2013–2016) and Jay Whitman on the CBS political drama series Madam Secretary (2014–2019). Arcelus began his acting career in the early 2000s and spent the first decade of his career on Broadway, having played Roger in Rent, Fiyero in Wicked, Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys, and Buddy in Elf, among other roles. He returned to Broadway with the 2022 revival of Into the Woods and its subsequent national tour.
Laura Ann Osnes is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has played starring roles in Grease as Sandy, South Pacific as Nellie Forbush, Anything Goes as Hope Harcourt, and Bonnie and Clyde as Bonnie Parker, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. She also starred in the title role of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on Broadway, for which she received a Drama Desk Award and her second Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
Jordan Gelber is an American actor and singer. He has performed on Broadway in the musical Avenue Q, in All My Sons and in Elf the Musical, among other shows. He has also performed in many off-Broadway productions. He has a recurring role in the CBS TV show Elementary and in other television shows.
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Lisa Brescia is an American musical theatre actress who has performed as lead and understudy in several Broadway shows. Raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she went on to pursue acting and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She taught Acting I and IV at Missouri State University and is now set to be the head of the Musical Theatre department at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.
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Brandon Jacob Uranowitz is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Adam Hochberg in the musical An American in Paris (2014–15) and Mendel Weisenbachfeld in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos, both of which earned him nominations for Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. His performances in Burn This (2019) and Leopoldstadt (2022–23) earned him nominations for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play; he won the award for his performance in Leopoldstadt. His other Broadway credits include Baby, It's You! (2011), Prince of Broadway (2017), and The Band's Visit (2018).
Smash is an American musical-drama television series created by playwright Theresa Rebeck. It premiered in the United States on NBC on February 6, 2012. The series revolves around a fictional New York theater community making new Broadway musicals. In the first season, the focus was on the making of Bombshell, a musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. In the second season, the show was split between taking Bombshell to Broadway and the creation and mounting of a contemporary pop musical called Hit List that was about the price of fame. Other fictional musicals that were touched on for which original songs were performed include Beautiful and Liaisons. A few of the songs were written for events outside of the aforementioned musicals.
Rob McClure is an American actor and singer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage.
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