Alfie Boe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alfie Boe OBE
Boe performing at The Queen's Birthday Party in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe
Born	(1973-09-29) 29 September 1973 (age 51) Fleetwood, Lancashire, England
Genres	Classical crossover, operatic pop
Instruments	Vocals drums
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Decca (UK), Manhattan (US)
Associated acts	The Clint Boon Experience, Michael Ball

Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe (born September 29, 1973) is an English actor and singer. He is famous for his work in musical theatre.

Alfie Boe is best known for playing Jean Valjean in the musical Les Misérables. He performed this role in London, in the 25th Anniversary Concert, and on Broadway. He also played the main character in Finding Neverland on Broadway. In 2003, he won a Tony Award with the cast of La bohème. He has sold over a million albums in the United Kingdom.

Recently, he performed in "Together in Vegas" with Michael Ball. In 2023, he went on a solo tour.

About Alfie Boe

Alfie Boe is the youngest of nine children. He was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. He grew up in Fleetwood, a town nearby. His family has roots in Ireland and Norway. His parents named him after Pope John XXIII. He went to school in Fleetwood. He first loved music by listening to his father's records. He especially liked Puccini's opera La bohème.

Alfie first sang in public when he was 14. This was at Fleetwood's Marine Hall. It was a "Songs from the Shows" event. A local singing teacher, Lottie Dawson, organized it.

When he was 17, Alfie became a mechanic's apprentice. He worked at the TVR car factory in Bispham. He enjoyed singing opera songs while he polished cars. One day, a client heard him singing. This client had connections in the music world. They were so impressed that they told Alfie to audition for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in London. He got the part! He stopped working on cars to start his singing career. Alfie has never found the customer who helped him. He lost the man's business card.

Singing and Acting Career

Alfie Boe moved to London to study singing. He attended the Royal College of Music and the National Opera Studio. He also joined the Royal Opera House's Vilar Young Artists Programme. In 1999 and 2000, he sang on albums for "the Clint Boon Experience." In 1999, he sang in Scottish Opera's "Opera-Go-Round" tour of Don Pasquale.

Broadway and West End Shows

Baz Luhrmann chose Alfie Boe for the main role in his Broadway show La bohème. Alfie appeared on the 2002 Broadway Cast Recording. In 2003, Alfie and the other main actors won a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre award. He also sang this role at Glyndebourne and the English National Opera.

In 2006, Alfie signed with Classic FM Presents. His album Classic FM Presents Alfie Boe reached number three on the UK classical chart. He also performed with soprano Hayley Westenra at the Canterbury Festival. In November 2006, he signed with EMI Classics. His first album with them, Onward, came out in March 2007.

Alfie toured the UK with the Fron Male Voice Choir in 2007. He also became an ambassador for the Prince of Wales Arts & Kids Foundation. This charity helps children learn about the arts. Alfie's job was to bring music, especially opera, to these children.

In April 2007, Alfie starred in the ITV "Music of Morse" concert. He performed at the Royal Albert Hall. He was also nominated for a Classical BRIT award for Best Album.

Alfie performed with Michael Ball in the English National Opera show Kismet. His live song "Stranger in Paradise" from Kismet was released as a download. In August 2007, he recorded an album of Neapolitan songs. It was called La Passione. He performed at the Arundel Festival and Canterbury Cathedral. He also sang at the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.

In January 2008, Alfie performed for over 1,600 children in Blackpool. This was a special "Music Quest" concert. It helped introduce classical music to a new generation.

From March to June 2016, Alfie played J. M. Barrie in Finding Neverland on Broadway.

From April to May 2017, Alfie starred as Billy Bigelow in Carousel. This was at the English National Opera. He performed opposite mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins.

Les Misérables Performances

On October 3, 2010, Alfie Boe played Jean Valjean in a concert of Les Misérables. This was at the O2 Arena in London. It celebrated the show's 25th anniversary. The concert was released on DVD and Blu-ray. The song "Bring Him Home" was re-recorded. Alfie sang it with three other actors who had played Valjean. It was released as a charity single. On December 16, 2010, Alfie performed as Valjean again. This was at the Royal Variety Performance.

Alfie appeared as Valjean in Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre in London from June to November 2011. His friend Matt Lucas also joined the cast.

In 2015, he played Valjean again in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables. This was at the Imperial Theatre in New York City. He took over the role on September 1, 2015.

In February 2019, Alfie announced he would play Valjean in a staged concert of Les Misérables. This was at the Gielgud Theatre. He shared the role with John Owen-Jones. He also starred with Michael Ball and Matt Lucas. The show ran from August to December 2019.

In 2024, he shared the role of Valjean in the Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular World Tour. He performed in the UK and Australia parts of the tour.

Other Performances

In January 2011, Alfie performed for English National Opera in La Bohème and The Mikado. In March 2011, he performed three concerts in Idaho. In April, he appeared in "The Great British Musical" and a St George's Day concert. In May, he performed at the Classical BRIT Awards and the Hampton Court Palace Festival.

Alfie appeared in the BBC Last Night of the Proms concert in September 2011. He also started his "Alfie Boe 'Bring Him Home' UK Concert Tour" in December 2011. It finished in February 2012.

In October 2011, Alfie announced he would perform at the Lytham Proms Festival Weekend in August 2012. This festival is near his hometown of Fleetwood.

On June 4, 2012, Alfie performed at the Diamond Jubilee Concert for Elizabeth II. He sang "'O sole mio" and "It's Now or Never". He also sang "Somewhere" from West Side Story with American soprano Renee Fleming. This was on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. In October 2012, Alfie began a big U.S./Canada concert tour.

In December 2012, Alfie was a guest artist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's holiday concerts. He performed Christmas songs and "Bring Him Home." These live shows were recorded as Home for the Holidays feat. Alfie Boe.

In February 2013, Alfie received two platinum albums from the BPI. These were for his albums Alfie (2011) and Bring Him Home (2010). On April 15, 2013, he received a Fellowship from the Royal College of Music. On May 26, 2013, Alfie sang "Bring Him Home" at the U.S. National Memorial Day Concert. This was in Washington, D.C.

In 2014, he recorded an orchestral version of Pete Townshend's Quadrophenia. He said he always thought a classical voice could fit this music. The album was called "Pete Townshend's Classic Quadrophenia."

Alfie performed at "VE Day 70: A Party to Remember" in London on May 9, 2015.

Television Appearances

Alfie Boe played music-hall singer Richard Chapman in an episode of Mr Selfridge. In 2016 and 2017, Alfie and Michael Ball appeared in two ITV specials. These were "Ball & Boe: One Night Only" and "Ball & Boe Back Together." Alfie also presented "Christmas Carols on ITV" in December 2017. In March, he performed on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway with Michael Ball. In 2022, Alfie appeared on ITV's Love Island. He sang for Davide and Ekin-Su during their final date.

Personal Life

Alfie Boe met his wife Sarah while working on La Bohème in San Francisco. They married in 2004 and have two children. In August 2020, Alfie announced that he and Sarah had separated. He said it was a friendly separation.

Alfie is a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats. This is a show business charity. He was given the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award in 2019. This was for his contributions to music and charity.

Notable Theatre Roles

Discography

Studio albums

• Classic FM presents Alfie Boe (2006)
• Onward (2007)
• La Passione (2007)
• Franz Lehar: Love Was a Dream (2009)
• Bring Him Home (2010)
• Alfie (2011)
• Storyteller (2012)
• Trust (2013)
• Serenata (2014)
• Together with Michael Ball (2016)
• Together Again with Michael Ball (2017)
• As Time Goes By (2018)
• Back Together with Michael Ball (2019)
• Together at Christmas with Michael Ball (2020)
• Together in Vegas with Michael Ball (2022)
• Open Arms: The Symphonic Songbook (2023)
• Together at Home with Michael Ball (2024)

Awards and Nominations