Norm Lewis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norm Lewis
Born	(1963-06-02) June 2, 1963 (age 62) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Actor singer
Years active	1986–present
Known for	The Phantom of the Opera Les Misérables The Little Mermaid

Norm Lewis is an American actor and singer. He was born on June 2, 1963. He is known for his strong, deep singing voice, called a baritone. Norm Lewis has performed in many famous plays on Broadway in New York City. He has also performed in London's West End, which is like Broadway in England.

You might have seen him in movies or on TV shows too. He is famous for playing the main character in The Phantom of the Opera. He was the first African-American actor to play the Phantom on Broadway. He also played Inspector Javert in Les Misérables many times. Other big shows he has been in include Porgy and Bess and The Little Mermaid.

Early life and beginnings

Norm Lewis was born in Tallahassee, Florida. He grew up in Eatonville, Florida. He finished high school in 1981 at Edgewater High School in Orlando. Before he became an actor, he worked at a newspaper called the Orlando Sentinel.

Starting his acting journey (1992–2005)

Norm Lewis started his acting career thanks to Ralph Petillo. Ralph ran a theater called Theatre on Park in Winter Park, Florida. Norm's first big role was as Agwe in a play called Once on This Island in 1992. This was at the Gateway Playhouse in New York.

He made his first appearance on Broadway in 1993. This was in a musical called The Who's Tommy. Later, he joined the cast of Miss Saigon as the character John. In 1997, he was the first actor to play Jake in the musical Side Show. He also acted in other Broadway shows like The Wild Party and Amour.

Norm Lewis also performed in special concert versions of musicals. These included Dreamgirls (2001), Chess (2003), and Hair. In 2005, he starred in a musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona. This play was part of Shakespeare in the Park in New York City.

Famous roles and awards (2006–2013)

Norm Lewis has played the character Inspector Javert in Les Misérables many times. He was the first African-American actor to play Javert in a professional English-language show. He first played the role on Broadway in 2006. He also played Javert in London's West End. He even sang the role in the 25th anniversary concert of Les Misérables at the O2 Arena in London.

In 2007, he created the role of King Triton in the Broadway musical The Little Mermaid. He also sang as King Triton on the show's original cast recording.

He played the main character in Sweeney Todd in 2009. This was at the Casa Mañana Theatre in Texas. He had played this role before in 1999.

In 2011, Norm Lewis starred as Porgy in a new version of Porgy and Bess. This show first played in Massachusetts and then moved to Broadway. His performance earned him nominations for major awards. These included the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.

He released his first solo music album, This Is the Life!, in 2008. In 2012, he joined the TV show Scandal. He played Senator Edison Davis in this political drama.

The Phantom and continued success (2014–present)

On May 12, 2014, Norm Lewis took on the famous role of The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. He was the first black actor to play this role on Broadway. He finished his time as the Phantom in February 2015. He said he had been a fan of the musical for many years. Getting the part felt like winning the lottery to him.

In 2016, he played King Triton again. This was for a live concert version of The Little Mermaid in Hollywood. He also played Agwe again in Once on This Island on Broadway in 2018.

Norm Lewis played Sweeney Todd again in 2017 in an Off-Broadway show. He won an AUDELCO Award for this performance. In 2018, he played Caiaphas in a live TV concert of Jesus Christ Superstar.

In 2019, he played Harold Hill in The Music Man. He said it was a fun American musical classic and a good fit for him. In 2023, he returned to the role of the Phantom. This was in Love Never Dies, the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. He performed this in London's West End.

Theatre credits

Discography

• A New Brain: Original Cast Recording, 1998 (as Roger)
• Disney's The Little Mermaid: Original Broadway Cast Recording, 2008 (as King Triton)
• This Is the Life!, 2008
• Les Miserables In Concert (25th Anniversary Edition), 2010 (as Inspector Javert)
• Dracula, the Musical Concept Album, 2011 (as Abraham Van Helsing / John Seward)
• Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (Original Soundtrack of the NBC Television Event), 2018 (as Caiaphas)
• The Norm Lewis Christmas Album, 2018

Film credits

Television credits

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Norm Lewis para niños

• This Is the Life!