kids encyclopedia robot

Christian Borle facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Christian Borle
Christian Borle 2014 (cropped).jpg
Borle at the 2014 Montclair Film Festival
Born
Christian Dominique Borle

(1973-10-01) October 1, 1973 (age 51)
Education Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Occupation
  • actor
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active 1995–present
Known for Falsettos
Something Rotten!
Legally Blonde
Smash
Hazbin Hotel
Spouse(s)
(m. 2006; div. 2009)

Christian Dominique Borle (born October 1, 1973) is a talented American actor and singer. He is famous for his work in Broadway musicals and TV shows. Christian has won two Tony Awards, which are like the Oscars for theater. He won for his roles in Peter and the Starcatcher and as William Shakespeare in Something Rotten!.

He also created important roles in popular musicals like Prince Herbert in Spamalot and Emmett in Legally Blonde. He played Joe in Some Like It Hot, earning a Grammy Award for the cast album in 2024. Christian has also starred in TV shows like Smash and voiced characters in animated series such as Hazbin Hotel.

Early Life and First Steps

Christian Borle was born and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His dad was a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. When he was young, Christian loved Star Wars and drawing. He dreamed of becoming a comic book artist.

However, in high school, a friend convinced him to try out for a school play. This was at Shady Side Academy. That's when he started to love acting. He later studied at Carnegie Mellon University, a famous drama school. After graduating in 1995, he moved to New York City. His very first acting job there was playing an elf at Macy's Santaland!

Journey to Broadway

After moving to New York, Christian quickly found more acting jobs. He performed in a German production of The Who's Tommy. Then, he joined a national tour of West Side Story in 1996. He played the role of Riff.

He also toured with Footloose as Willard Hewitt. Christian made his first appearance on Broadway in 2000. He was part of the show Jesus Christ Superstar. Soon after, he joined the Broadway cast of Footloose.

In 2003, Christian appeared in a TV ad for eBay. He played a store clerk who sang about products. Later that year, he took over the lead role of Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie. He even married his co-star, Sutton Foster, in 2006. Their marriage ended in 2009, but they remained good friends.

Big Roles and Awards

From 2005 to 2006, Christian starred in Monty Python's Spamalot. He played several funny characters, including Prince Herbert. This role earned him a nomination for a Drama Desk Award. He also won a Broadway.com Audience Award.

He then created the role of Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde on Broadway. This musical was based on the popular movie. For this role, he was nominated for his first Tony Award. In 2009, he joined the cast of Mary Poppins on Broadway. He played Bert, the chimney sweep.

Christian also played "Black Stache" in Peter and the Starcatcher. He performed in both the Off-Broadway and Broadway versions. His performance on Broadway won him his first Tony Award in 2012. This was for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

In 2015, Christian won his second Tony Award. This time it was for his role as William Shakespeare in Something Rotten!. He also played Marvin in the Broadway revival of Falsettos in 2016. This role earned him another Tony nomination.

From 2017 to 2018, Christian played the famous Willy Wonka. This was in the Broadway musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He even directed a play called Popcorn Falls in 2017.

More recently, Christian starred as Orin Scrivello in the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors. In 2022, he took on the role of Joe/Josephine in the new musical Some Like It Hot on Broadway. He won a Grammy Award for the cast recording of this show in 2024.

TV Shows and New Adventures

Christian has also had a successful career in television. In 2011, he joined the cast of the NBC musical-drama series Smash. He played Tom Levitt, a composer. The show was very popular and ran for two seasons.

He also appeared in live TV musical productions. He played Max Dettweiler in The Sound of Music Live! in 2013. In 2014, he played Mr. Darling and Mr. Smee in Peter Pan Live!. Christian also had guest roles in shows like The Good Wife and Elementary.

In 2016, he reunited with his former wife, Sutton Foster, on Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. They both loved the show before they were asked to be in it. Christian also voices the character Vox in the animated series Hazbin Hotel, which started in 2024. In late 2024, he played Jim Bakker in the Broadway musical Tammy Faye.

Life Off Stage

Christian Borle met actress Sutton Foster when they were in college. They got married on September 18, 2006. They later separated in 2009. Even after their marriage ended, Christian and Sutton remained good friends. They continue to support each other's work and have even appeared in shows together.

Theatre Performances

Year(s) Production Location Role Notes
1995 The Who's Tommy Offenbach, Germany Pinball Lad 1 Replacement
1996–1997 West Side Story National Tour Riff
1998–2000 Footloose National Tour Willard Hewitt
2000 Jesus Christ Superstar Ford Center for the Performing Arts
Broadway
Disciple Original Broadway Revival Cast
Footloose Richard Rodgers Theatre
Broadway
Willard Hewitt Replacement
2001 The Baby and Johnny Project New York Theatre Workshop
Off-Broadway
Billy Kostecki
Just So North Shore Music Theatre
Regional
Kangaroo / Cooking Stove / Bushbuck
The 3 Musketeers, One Musical For All American Musical Theatre of San Jose
Regional
Planchet Original American Cast
2002 Prodigal York Theatre
Off-Broadway
Kane Flannery / Zach Marshall Original Cast
Amour Music Box Theatre
Broadway
Dance Captain, Advocate (Understudy) / Bertrand (Understudy) / Dusoleil (Understudy) / Newsvendor (Understudy) / Painter (Understudy) Original Broadway Cast
2003 Elegies: A Song Cycle Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater
Off-Broadway
Original Performer
2003–2004 Thoroughly Modern Millie Marquis Theatre
Broadway
Jimmy Smith Replacement
2004 Snoopy! The Musical New York City Center
Concert
Snoopy
Time After Time New York City Center
Reading
H. G. Wells
2004–2005 Spamalot Shubert Theatre
Regional
Historian / Not Dead Fred / French Guard / Minstrel / Prince Herbert
2005–2006 Shubert Theatre
Broadway
Original Broadway Cast
2005 The Flamingo Kid Workshop Performer
2007 Legally Blonde Golden Gate Theatre
Regional
Emmett Forrest
2007–2008 Palace Theatre
Broadway
Original Broadway Cast
2008 On the Town Encores!
New York City Center
Ozzie
2009 Peter and the Starcatcher La Jolla Playhouse
Regional
Black Stache, et al.
2009–2010 Mary Poppins New Amsterdam Theatre
Broadway
Bert Replacement
2010–2011 Angels in America Signature Theatre Company
Off-Broadway
Prior Walter, et al.
2011 Peter and the Starcatcher New York Theatre Workshop
Off-Broadway
Black Stache, et al.
2012 Brooks Atkinson Theatre
Broadway
Original Broadway Cast
2014 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Lincoln Center Adolfo Pirelli
Little Me New York City Center Various Characters
2015–2016 Something Rotten! St. James Theatre
Broadway
The Bard / William Shakespeare Original Broadway Cast
2015 A New Brain Encores!
New York City Center
Mr. Bungee Cast Album Only
2016–2017 Falsettos Walter Kerr Theatre
Broadway
Marvin Original Broadway Revival Cast
2017–2018 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Broadway
Willy Wonka Original Broadway Cast
2017 Popcorn Falls Riverbank Theatre
Regional
Director & Dramaturg
2018 Me and My Girl Encores!
New York City Center
Bill Snibson
2019 The Who's Tommy John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Captain Walker
2019–2022 Little Shop of Horrors Westside Theatre
Off-Broadway
Orin Scrivello & Others Original Off-Broadway Revival Cast
2022–2023 Some Like It Hot Shubert Theatre
Broadway
Joe / Josephine Original Broadway Cast
2024 Bye Bye Birdie John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Albert Peterson
Tammy Faye Palace Theatre
Broadway
Jim Bakker Original Broadway Cast

Film and TV Appearances

Film

Year Show Role Notes
1995 Stonewall Bar Patron Uncredited
2001 The Accident Delivery Guy Short (unreleased)
2010 The Bounty Hunter Caddy
2014 Shutterflies Lieutenant Burns Short
Dinner Father Short
2015 Blackhat Jeff Robichaud

Television

Year Show Role Notes
1998 Ghost Stories Trevor Mooney Episode: "Consumers"
2001 Law & Order Tanto Episode: "Swept Away"
2007 Legally Blonde: The Musical Emmett Forrest Filmed stage production
2008 Johnny and the Sprites Bridge Troll Episode: "The Bridge Troll"
2012–13 Smash Tom Levitt 32 episodes
2013 The Sound of Music Live! Max Detweiler TV movie
Funny or Die's Billy on the Street Himself Episode: "It's Debra Messing, You Gays!"
2013–15 The Good Wife Carter Schmidt 4 episodes
2014 Lifesaver Dr. Graham Permenter Pilot (unreleased)
Lucky Duck Lucky (voice) TV movie
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Live from Lincoln Center Adolfo Pirelli Filmed stage production
Sofia the First Slickwell (voice) Episode: "Baileywhoops"
Peter Pan Live! Smee/George Darling TV movie
2016 Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Carl Episode: "Summer"
2017 Falsettos: Live from Lincoln Center Marvin Filmed stage production
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Himself Episode: "Jennifer Hudson; Chris Hayes; Christian Borle"
2018 Vampirina Rusty Topsail (voice) Episode: "Treasure Haunters"
Younger Don Ridley 2 episodes
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure Father Francis (voice) Episode: "Freebird"
Elementary Dr. David Horowitz Episode: "The Visions of Norman P. Horowitz"
2018–21 The Good Fight Carter Schmidt 3 episodes
2019 Project Runway All Stars Himself – Willy Wonka Episode: "Pure Imagination" (special thanks)
Until the Wedding Miles Pilot (not released)
2020 Helpsters Mail Carrier Marty Episode: "Primmflandia Day/Marching Band Marsha"
2021 Prodigal Son Friar Pete 6 episodes
Run the World Brett Episode: "Because... ADOS"
2024 Hazbin Hotel Vox (voice) Recurring role
Evil Nell Episode: "Fear of the Unholy"
Elsbeth Carter Schmidt 2 episodes

Music Albums

Cast albums

  • Prodigal (Original York Theatre Cast)
  • Elegies (Original Off-Broadway Cast)
  • Spamalot (Original Broadway Cast)
  • Legally Blonde: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast)
  • The Sound of Music Live! (2013 TV Cast)
  • Peter Pan Live! (2014 TV Cast)
  • Something Rotten! (Original Broadway Cast)
  • James and the Giant Peach (World Premiere Cast)
  • A New Brain (2015 Encores! Cast)
  • Falsettos (Original Broadway Revival Cast)
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Original Broadway Cast)
  • Little Shop of Horrors (The New Off-Broadway Cast)
  • Dreamland (Studio Cast)
  • Some Like It Hot (Original Broadway Cast)

Singles

  • "Don't Say Yes Until I've Finished Talking" (featured in Smash Season 1)
  • "A Love Letter From the Times" (duet with Liza Minnelli, featured in Smash Season 2)
  • "Vienna" (featured in Smash Season 2)
  • "The Right Regrets" (duet with Debra Messing, featured in Smash Season 2)
  • "Stayed Gone" (duet with Amir Talai, featured in Hazbin Hotel Season 1)

Awards and Recognitions

Year Award Category Work Result
2005 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Spamalot Nominated
Clarence Derwent Award Most Promising Male Won
Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Favorite Featured Actor in a Broadway Musical Won
Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Male) Nominated
Favorite Onstage Pair (shared with Hank Azaria) Nominated
2007 Tony Award Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Legally Blonde Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Nominated
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
2010 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Best Replacement Mary Poppins Nominated
2011 Tina Award Best Actor (Play) Peter and the Starcatcher Nominated
Angels in America Nominated
Best Ensemble (Play) Won
Best Stage Duo (shared with Zachary Quinto) Won
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
2012 Tony Award Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play Peter and the Starcatcher Won
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Nominated
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Lucille Lortel Awards Outstanding Lead Actor Won
Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Favorite Funny Performance Won
2015 Tony Award Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Something Rotten! Won
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Won
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Best Actor in a Musical Nominated
Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical Won
2016 Grammy Award Best Musical Theater Album Nominated
2017 Tony Award Best Actor in a Musical Falsettos Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical Nominated
Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Favorite Leading Actor in a Musical Nominated
Favorite Onstage Pair (shared with Andrew Rannells) Nominated
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Nominated
Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Favorite Funny Performance Nominated
2020 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Little Shop of Horrors Won
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Honoree
Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Won
2023 Tony Award Best Actor in a Musical Some Like It Hot Nominated
2024 Grammy Awards Best Musical Theater Album Won

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Christian Borle para niños

kids search engine
Christian Borle Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.