Norbert Leo Butz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norbert Leo Butz
Butz in 2012
Born	(1967-01-30) January 30, 1967 (age 58) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Education	Webster University (BFA) University of Alabama (MFA)
Occupation	Actor singer
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Michelle Federer ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	3

Norbert Leo Butz (born January 30, 1967) is an American actor and singer. He is famous for his work in Broadway theatre, which is a big part of the theater world in New York City. He has won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical twice. This is a very important award in theater. He won for his roles in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Catch Me If You Can. He is one of only nine actors to have won this award more than once.

Early Life and Education

Norbert Leo Butz was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 30, 1967. His parents were Elaine and Norbert Butz. He grew up in a family with 11 children, and he was the seventh child. He was named after his father.

When he was young, he started acting in plays at local all-girl high schools. He went to Bishop DuBourg High School. Later, he studied acting at Webster University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He also earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from The University of Alabama/Alabama Shakespeare Festival. In 2013, Webster University gave him an honorary degree.

Norbert's Acting Career

Norbert Leo Butz started his Broadway career in 1996. He was a "swing" in the musical Rent. A swing is an actor who learns many different roles and can step in when another actor is sick or away. He later took over the main role of Roger Davis in Rent in 1997.

Broadway Shows and Awards

Butz has been in many other Broadway shows. These include Thou Shalt Not (2001–2002), where he was nominated for a Tony Award. He also played Fiyero in the original Broadway cast of Wicked in 2003.

In 2005, he starred as Freddy Benson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. For this role, he won his first Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He also won other awards like the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award.

In 2011, Butz played Carl Hanratty in the musical Catch Me If You Can. This role earned him his second Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He also won another Drama Desk Award for this performance.

More recently, in 2018, he was in the Broadway revival of My Fair Lady. He played Alfred Doolittle, the father of the main character. He was nominated for another Tony Award for this role.

Other Acting Work

Besides Broadway, Butz has acted in Off-Broadway plays, which are smaller theater productions. He also toured with shows like Cabaret and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

He has appeared in several films. Some of his movie roles include Dan in Real Life (2007) with Steve Carell, Higher Ground (2011), and Better Living Through Chemistry (2013).

On television, Butz has been in many shows. He played Rowdy Kaiser in the ABC show The Deep End. From 2015 to 2017, he was a main character, Kevin Rayburn, in the Netflix series Bloodline. He also appeared in Mercy Street and Trust. In 2021, he played Craig Maddox in the NBC drama series Debris. In 2023, he was a main cast member in Justified: City Primeval.

In 2024, he played Kosta in a play called Vladimir in New York City. This play was about a journalist and an accountant who investigate issues in Russia.

Personal Life

Norbert Leo Butz is married to Michelle Federer, who was also an actress in the musical Wicked. They got married in 2007. They have a daughter who was born in 2011. Butz also has two older daughters from a previous marriage.

Film Roles

Television Appearances

Theatre Roles

Awards and Nominations

Music Albums

• Memory and Mayhem: Live at 54 Below (2013)
• The Angel Band Project: An Evening With Norbert Leo Butz (2014)
• Girls Girls Girls: Live at 54 Below (2016)
• The Long Haul (2019)