Andrew Rannells facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andrew Rannells
Rannells in 2024
Born	Andrew Scott Rannells (1978-08-23) August 23, 1978 (age 46) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Education	Marymount Manhattan College
Occupation	Actor singer
Years active	1994–present
Partner(s)	Tuc Watkins (2019–present)

Andrew Scott Rannells (born August 23, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He is famous for his roles in Broadway musicals, TV shows, and for his voice acting. He first became well-known for playing Elder Kevin Price in the musical The Book of Mormon in 2011. For this role, he was nominated for a Tony Award and won a Grammy Award. He also received another Tony nomination for his role as Whizzer in Falsettos in 2017.

Andrew Rannells has also starred in many TV shows, including The New Normal and Girls. He is also a popular voice actor, lending his voice to characters in shows like Big Mouth and Invincible.

Early Life and Education

Andrew Rannells was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He is one of five children. He went to Our Lady of Lourdes grade school and then Creighton Preparatory School, an all-boys Catholic school, in Omaha.

When he was a child, Andrew took acting classes and performed in local theaters like the Omaha Community Playhouse. He was only 11 years old when he acted in his first play. He also did voice-over work and commercials, including one with actress Amy Adams in 1996.

After finishing high school in 1997, Rannells moved to New York City. He studied theater at Marymount Manhattan College for two years before he started auditioning for roles full-time.

Career Highlights

Early Voice Acting and Theater

Andrew Rannells started his professional acting career as a teenager doing voice acting. In the mid-1990s, he began working with an animation company called DIC Entertainment. He got main voice roles in several of their TV shows. He continued voice acting for many years while also pursuing theater.

From 2001 to 2004, Rannells worked with 4Kids Entertainment. He did voice acting for English versions of popular anime series like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!. He also directed the voices for shows like Kirby: Right Back at Ya! and Sonic X.

One of his first theater roles was playing James in the touring show Pokémon Live! from 2000 to 2001. Before getting his first Broadway role, Rannells performed in many regional theater shows, including Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Miss Saigon.

Broadway Debut and The Book of Mormon

Rannells in 2009

In 2005, Andrew Rannells made his first appearance on Broadway in the musical Hairspray. He first worked as an understudy and then took over the role of Link Larkin.

After Hairspray, he performed in other regional shows. He played Bob Gaudio in the first national tour of Jersey Boys. In 2009, he joined the Broadway production of Jersey Boys in the same role.

In 2011, Rannells created the role of Elder Price in The Book of Mormon. This musical was created by the writers of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Avenue Q composer Robert Lopez. His performance earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for his work on the musical's cast recording. He left the show in June 2012.

Television and More Broadway Roles

Rannells and Justin Bartha at Paleyfest in 2013

Andrew Rannells started working more in television in the 2010s. He starred in the NBC sitcom The New Normal from 2012 to 2013. He also had a well-known recurring role as Elijah in the HBO series Girls.

Rannells in 2015

In 2015, Rannells temporarily took over the role of King George III in the hit Broadway musical Hamilton. He performed in the show from October to November 2015.

Rannells played Whizzer Brown in the Broadway revival of Falsettos. The show ran from September 2016 to January 2017. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance.

In 2018, he played Larry in the Broadway revival of The Boys in the Band. This special limited run celebrated the play's 50th anniversary and won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. He later played the same role in the film version for Netflix in 2020.

From 2019 to 2021, Andrew Rannells starred as Blair Pfaff in the Showtime TV series Black Monday. He was also a producer for the show.

During this time, he continued his voice acting work. He has main roles in Netflix's Big Mouth (starting in 2017) and Amazon's Invincible (starting in 2021). In 2020, he appeared as Trent Oliver in the Netflix movie musical The Prom.

In 2022, Rannells made his London stage debut in the musical Tammy Faye. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in 2023 for his role.

He reunited with his Book of Mormon co-star Josh Gad for a limited Broadway show called Gutenberg! The Musical!, which ran from September 2023 to January 2024.

Andrew Rannells is also an author. He published his first book, a memoir called Too Much Is Not Enough, in 2019. It shares stories about his childhood and his early years in New York City. His second book, Uncle of the Year: & Other Debatable Triumphs, was released in 2023.

Acting Credits

Film

Television

Anime

† indicates the release date of an English language version. This list is incomplete.

Animation

Video Games

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

See Also

In Spanish: Andrew Rannells para niños

• LGBT culture in New York City
• List of LGBT people from New York City