Norbert Leo Butz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Norbert Leo Butz
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Butz in 2012
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| Born | January 30, 1967 |
| Education |
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| Occupation |
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| 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 very well known for his amazing work in Broadway theatre, which is where many famous plays and musicals are performed. Norbert has won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical two times! This is a big deal because only nine actors have ever won this award twice.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Norbert Leo Butz was born on January 30, 1967, in St. Louis, Missouri. He grew up in a family with many children; he is the seventh of 11 kids! He was named after his father. When he was younger, some of his first acting roles were playing the main male characters in plays at local all-girl high schools. He went to Bishop DuBourg High School.
Norbert studied acting in college. He earned a special degree called a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University. Later, he earned another advanced degree, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA), from The University of Alabama/Alabama Shakespeare Festival's acting program. In 2013, Webster University gave him an honorary degree, which is a special award for his achievements.
Norbert Butz's Acting Career
Norbert Butz started his Broadway journey in 1996 in the musical Rent. He began as a "swing," which is like a backup actor who can step into many different roles. He later took over the main role of Roger in 1997.
Broadway and Musical Success
Norbert has been in many other famous Broadway shows:
- In 2001, he was in Thou Shalt Not, and he even got a Tony Award nomination for his role.
- He played the original Fiyero in the super popular musical Wicked in 2003.
- In 2005, he starred as Freddy in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. For this role, he won his first Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical! He also won other important awards like the Drama Desk Award, a Drama League Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award.
He has also performed in shows outside of Broadway, known as Off-Broadway, like The Last Five Years and Saved. He even toured around the country in musicals like Cabaret and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Film and Television Roles
Norbert Butz has also acted in movies and TV shows. Some of his film roles include:
- Dan in Real Life (2007), where he acted alongside Steve Carell.
- Higher Ground (2011).
- Better Living Through Chemistry (2013).
On television, he played Rowdy Kaiser in the ABC show The Deep End. He also appeared in an episode of the musical drama Smash in 2012. From 2015 to 2017, he was a main character, Kevin Rayburn, in the Netflix TV show Bloodline. In 2021, he played Craig Maddox in the NBC drama series Debris.
More Broadway Highlights
In 2011, Norbert played Carl Hanratty in the musical Catch Me If You Can. This show started in Seattle before moving to Broadway. For this role, he won his second Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical and his second Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical!
From 2012 to 2013, he was on Broadway in a play called Dead Accounts. In 2013, he starred in the new musical Big Fish, which opened on Broadway in New York City.
In 2018, he returned to Broadway in a new version of My Fair Lady, playing Alfred Doolittle. He was nominated for another Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for this role. More recently, in 2024, he played Kostya in a play called Vladimir in New York City.
Norbert also taught drama at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, for a semester in 2008.
Personal Life
Norbert Butz is married to Michelle Federer, who was also an actress in Wicked. They got married in 2007. They have a daughter who was born in 2011. Norbert also has two older daughters from a previous marriage.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five | Pawnbroker | ||
| 2000 | Looking for an Echo | Vocals for Anthony Pirelli | ||
| 2002 | Noon Blue Apples | Howard Phillips | ||
| West of Here | Josiah Blackwell | |||
| 2007 | Dan in Real Life | Clay Burns | ||
| 2010 | Fair Game | Steve | ||
| 2011 | Higher Ground | Pastor Bill | ||
| 2012 | Greetings from Tim Buckley | Hal Willner | ||
| Disconnect | Peter | |||
| 2013 | The English Teacher | Vice Principal Phil Pelaski | ||
| 2014 | Better Living Through Chemistry | Agent Andrew Carp | ||
| 2019 | Luce | Dan Towson | ||
| Wonder Park | Peanut (voice) | |||
| Good Posture | Neil | |||
| 2020 | Give or Take | Ted | ||
| 2021 | Flag Day | Doc | ||
| 2022 | Better Nate Than Ever | Rex Foster | ||
| 2023 | The Exorcist: Believer | Tony | ||
| 2024 | A Complete Unknown | Alan Lomax |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | John Fenwick | Episode: "Misleader" | |
| 2007 | Playing Chicken | Jake | Unsold pilot | |
| 2008 | Comanche Moon | Richard King | Episode: "#1.2" | |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Archie Beuliss | Episode: "In Treatment" | |
| 2010 | The Deep End | Rowdy Kaise | 7 episodes | |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Larry Lamotte | Episode: "Bump and Grind" | ||
| 2011 | The Good Wife | Mr. Medina | Episode: "Two Courts" | |
| Late Show with David Letterman | Carl Hanratty | Episode: "Dr. Phil/Chris Hemsworth/Catch Me If You Can" | ||
| Blue Bloods | Detective Kramer | Episode: "Moonlighting" | ||
| The Miraculous Year | Terry Segal | Television film | ||
| 2012 | County | Billy Krakowski | Unsold pilot | |
| 2015–2017 | Bloodline | Kevin Rayburn | Main cast; 33 episodes | |
| 2016–2017 | Mercy Street | Dr. Byron Hale | Main cast; 12 episodes | |
| 2018 | Trust | Gordon Getty | 3 episodes | |
| The First | Matthew Dawes | 2 episodes | ||
| 2019 | Fosse/Verdon | Paddy Chayefsky | Miniseries | |
| Madam Secretary | Lochlainn Heeney, Jr. | 2 episodes | ||
| 2021 | Debris | Craig Maddox | Main cast | |
| 2022 | The Girl from Plainville | Conrad "Co" Roy II | 8 episodes | |
| 2023 | Justified: City Primeval | Norbert Bryl | Main cast | |
| 2024 | American Sports Story | Bill Belichick |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Rent | u/s Roger & Mark | Nederlander Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1997 | Roger Davis | |||
| 1999–2000 | Cabaret | The Emcee | US Tour | |
| 2000 | Rent | Roger Davis | Nederlander Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2000 | Juno and the Paycock | Jerry Levine | Gramercy Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 2001–2002 | Thou Shalt Not | Camille Raquin | Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2002 | The Last Five Years | Jamie Wellerstein | Minetta Lane Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| Carousel | Jigger Craigin | Carnegie Hall | ||
| 2003 | Buicks | Bill Abeline | Underwood Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 2003–2004 | Wicked | Fiyero | Curran Theatre, San Francisco (pre-Broadway)
Gershwin Theatre, Broadway |
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| 2005–2006 | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Freddy Benson | Imperial Theatre, Broadway
US Tour |
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| 2007–2008 | Is He Dead? | Jean-François Millet | Lyceum Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2008–2009 | Speed-the-Plow | Bobby Gould | Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2008 | Fifty Words | Adam | Lucille Lortel Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 2010 | Enron | Jeffrey Skilling | Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2011 | Catch Me If You Can | Agent Carl Hanratty | 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle (pre-Broadway)
Neil Simon Theatre, Broadway |
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| 2012 | How I Learned to Drive | Uncle Peck | Second Stage Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 2012–2013 | Dead Accounts | Jack | Music Box Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2013 | Big Fish | Edward Bloom | Nederlander Theatre, Chicago (pre-Broadway)
Neil Simon Theatre, Broadway |
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| 2017 | The Whirligig | Michael | Pershing Square Signature Center, Off-Broadway | |
| 2018–2019 | My Fair Lady | Alfred P. Doolittle | Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2023 | Cornelia Street | Jacob | Atlantic Theater Company, Off-Broadway | |
| 2024 | Edge of the World | Henry | Classic Stage Company, Off-Broadway | |
| Vladimir | Kostya | Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway |
Awards and Nominations
Norbert Leo Butz has won many awards for his acting. Here are some of the most important ones:
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Dora Mavor Moore Award | Best Leading Actor, Musical Theatre | Cabaret | Won | |
| 2002 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Thou Shalt Not | Nominated | |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | The Last Five Years | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Buicks | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Won | |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Won | |||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | Won | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Won | |||
| 2011 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Catch Me if You Can | Won | |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Won | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | My Fair Lady | Nominated | |
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Won | |||
| 2019 | Grammy Award | Best Musical Theater Album | Nominated | ||
| 2025 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | A Complete Unknown | Pending |
Discography
Norbert Leo Butz has also released 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)
