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Alex Newell
Alex Newell Performs at Vice President's Pride Celebration with GLAAD (Cropped).png
Newell in 2023
Born
Alex Eugene Newell

(1992-08-20) August 20, 1992 (age 32)
Occupation
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active 2009–present
Musical career
Genres
Labels Big Beat Records
Associated acts

Alex Eugene Newell (born August 20, 1992) is an American actor and singer. They are famous for playing Unique Adams on the TV show Glee. They also played Mo on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. Alex Newell starred as Asaka in the Broadway show Once on This Island in 2018. In 2023, they won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for their role in Shucked. Alex Newell and J. Harrison Ghee were the first openly non-binary actors to win a Tony Award.

As a singer, Alex Newell has released songs with groups like Clean Bandit and The Knocks.

Early Life and School

Alex Newell was born on August 20, 1992, in Lynn, Massachusetts. Their father passed away when Alex was six years old. Their mother then raised them as a single parent.

Alex went to Bishop Fenwick High School and graduated in 2012. While in school, they were part of the choir, improv club, and costume club. They also sang in their church choir and later directed the youth choir. Alex never had formal voice lessons before getting their role on Glee. They have said that singers like Donna Summer and Beyoncé inspired them.

Career Highlights

Starting on Glee

In 2011, Alex Newell sent an audition video for The Glee Project, a TV show where people competed for a role on Glee. Alex's video got over a million views online! They became one of 12 people chosen to compete. Even though they were the runner-up, the producers were so impressed that they invited Alex to be on Glee for two episodes.

Alex first appeared on Glee in the third season. They played Wade "Unique" Adams, a character who was assigned male at birth but expressed their female identity through music. Unique was a groundbreaking character because they were one of the first openly transgender characters on a major TV show. Alex's performance was praised for being "bold" and having "powerful vocals."

Some people had different opinions about the show's characters. Alex shared that their mother told them, "If Bill O'Reilly said something about you, you are doing something right." Alex felt it was important to show people like Wade and Unique being themselves.

Alex was accepted into Berklee College of Music but chose to move to Los Angeles to continue on Glee. Unique became a regular cast member in the fourth season. Alex and the cast were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2012. For the fifth season, Alex was promoted to a main cast member. In the final season, Alex appeared as a guest star. A memorable moment was Alex singing "I Know Where I've Been" from Hairspray with a choir of 200 performers.

Music Journey

Alex Newell has performed at many music festivals, including Coachella and Governors Ball Music Festival. They also sang at many LGBT events and pride festivals.

In 2013, Alex announced they had signed with Big Beat Records to release their first album. Their first song, a cover of "Nobody to Love", came out in 2014.

In 2015, Alex worked on many cover songs and collaborations. They sang on a re-released version of "Stronger" by Clean Bandit. They also created a disco-house version of "Show Me Love" with DJ Matvey Emerson. Later, they sang on "All Cried Out" with the British duo Blonde. They also worked with the Knocks on the song "Collect My Love," which was described as a "soaring disco standout."

Their original song "This Ain't Over," released in 2016, was very popular. Magazines like Out and Spin praised Alex's powerful voice and the song's dance-pop style. "This Ain't Over" was the first song from their first collection of songs called Power. This EP was released on February 19, 2016.

Alex also toured with fellow Glee star Adam Lambert in 2016. After the tour, they released another song called "Kill the Lights" with DJ Cassidy and Nile Rodgers.

Broadway and TV Roles

In 2017, Alex Newell made their debut on Broadway, playing Asaka in the show Once on This Island.

In 2019, Alex was cast in the TV show Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist on NBC. They played Mo, a genderfluid DJ and Zoey Clarke's neighbor. The show ran for two seasons. In December 2021, a movie called Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas was released, and Alex played Mo again.

In 2023, Alex starred as Lulu in the musical comedy Shucked on Broadway. The show opened on April 4, 2023. In June 2023, Alex won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for this role. They and J. Harrison Ghee were the first openly non-binary actors to win a Tony Award.

In 2024, Alex performed their first solo concert in London, UK.

Other Work and Awards

Alex Newell has also worked on other TV projects, including a comedy pilot called Imaginary Friend. They also contributed music to the HBO TV series Vinyl.

Alex is dedicated to helping other young people in the LGBT community. They often perform at benefit concerts for organizations like The Trevor Project and the Human Rights Campaign.

In 2015, Alex received a special recognition award at the 26th GLAAD Media Awards as part of the cast of Glee.

Personal Life

Alex Newell identifies as non-binary, meaning they don't identify as only male or female. They have stated that they use all pronouns (he/him, she/her, they/them). Alex also identifies as gay, meaning they are attracted to people of the same gender.

Film and TV Appearances

Film Roles

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Geography Club Ike
Playpus the Musical Tatiana Short film
2016 Super Novas Brie Tonika
2020 For Christmas Sake Themself Short film
2023 Pacemaker Cody Short film
2025 Another Simple Favor Vicky

Television Roles

Year Title Role Notes
2011 The Glee Project Contestant (Themself) Runner-up
2012–2015 Glee Wade "Unique" Adams Main cast (39 episodes)
2015 Resident Advisors Morgan 2 episodes
2016 Imaginary Friend Sam Television pilot
2019 Empire Hey Beautiful Episode: "Hot Blood, Hot Thoughts, Hot Deeds"
2020–2021 Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Mo Main cast (25 episodes)
2020 RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race Themself (Winner) Episode: "RuPaul Roast"
Mélange Genesis Television special
2021 Our Kind of People Tommy "Tizzie" Jones Episode: "Crabs in a Gold-Plated Barrel"
Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas Mo Television film
2022 The Book of Queer Narrator (voice) Episode: "Gay to Z"
2023 Learning with Pibby: Apocalypse Melira (voice) Television short
2024 Hazbin Hotel Zeezi (voice) 1 episode
2024–2025 Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Pebble (voice) 2 episodes

Theater Roles

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Once on This Island Papa Ge Marblehead Little Theatre
2010 The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Mitch Mahoney
2011 Hairspray Motormouth Maybelle Stubbs
2017 Saturday Night Fever Candy Drury Lane Theatre
2017–2019 Once on This Island Asaka Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway
2019 The Scarlet Pimpernel Ensemble David Geffen Hall
2020 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Narrator Manhattan Concert Productions
2022 The Last Supper Jude South Orange Performing Arts Center
Shucked Lulu Pioneer Theatre Company
2023–2024 Nederlander Theatre, Broadway
2024 Gutenberg! The Musical! The Producer
(One night cameo)
James Earl Jones Theatre, Broadway
Pippin The Leading Player West End; 50th Anniversary Concert
2025 Little Shop of Horrors Audrey Fulquard Catch One Disco

Awards and Nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2013
Screen Actor's Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Glee Nominated
2019
Grammy Award Best Musical Theater Album Once on This Island Nominated
2021
Critics' Choice Television Award Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Nominated
2023
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical Shucked Won
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical Won
Tony Awards Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Won
2024
Grammy Awards Best Musical Theater Album Nominated

See also

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