Ramin Karimloo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ramin Karimloo
رامین کریملو
Karimloo in 2022
Born	(1978-09-19) September 19, 1978 (age 46) Tehran, Iran
Occupation	Actor singer songwriter
Years active	2001–present
Known for	The Phantom of the Opera Les Misérables Love Never Dies Anastasia
Spouse(s)	Amanda Ramsden
Children	2

Ramin Karimloo is a Canadian actor, singer, and songwriter. He is famous for his work in theatre, especially on London's West End and New York's Broadway.

He has played the main characters in some of the longest-running musicals. These include The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera and Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. He also created the role of Gleb Vaganov in Anastasia. This musical is based on the 1997 animated film. He also played Nick Arnstein in the Broadway show Funny Girl.

Ramin Karimloo is also well-known for playing the Phantom in the 25th Anniversary show of The Phantom of the Opera. This special performance was shown in movie theaters worldwide in 2011. He also appeared in the 25th Anniversary concert of Les Misérables in 2010. He played the role of Enjolras in that show.

He made his Broadway debut in 2014 as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. For this role, he was nominated for a Tony Award. This is a very important award in theatre.

Career Highlights

Early Theatre Roles (2001–2005)

After moving to the United Kingdom, Ramin Karimloo's first role was in a play called Aladdin. He then joined a tour of The Pirates of Penzance in 2001. He played a police officer and also learned the main role of the Pirate King.

In 2002, he played the Pirate King in Bath, England. That same year, he joined the tour of Sunset Boulevard. He played Artie Green and was a backup for the role of Joe Gillis.

Karimloo first performed on the West End in Les Misérables. He played Feuilly and was a backup for Marius and Enjolras. He later returned to the show in 2004 as the main Enjolras.

In 2003, Karimloo played Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera. Three years later, he became a backup for the Phantom. His last show as Raoul was filmed for a DVD extra. He also had a small part in the 2004 Phantom of the Opera movie.

He performed in two concerts in 2004. One was Les Misérables as Marius. The other was Jesus Christ Superstar as Simon Zealotes. In December 2004, he performed Les Misérables at Windsor Castle for the French president.

In 2005, Karimloo joined the UK tour of Miss Saigon. He played the role of Christopher Scott.

Becoming the Phantom (2006–2010)

Ramin Karimloo began playing the Phantom in London's West End in September 2007. This role earned him a nomination for Best Actor. He played the Phantom until November 2009.

He released a music album called Within the Six Square Inch. On this album, he sang with Hadley Fraser and Sophia Ragavelas. They had both been in Les Misérables with him.

In 2008, Karimloo was the first actor to play the Phantom in a workshop for Love Never Dies. This musical is a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. He played the role when the show opened in London in March 2010. He performed in Love Never Dies until it closed in August 2011.

On October 3, 2010, Karimloo played Enjolras in the 25th anniversary concert of Les Misérables. This concert was held at The O2 Arena in London.

Anniversary Shows and Broadway Debut (2011–2020)

In 2011, Ramin Karimloo sang "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera at the Miss World competition.

On October 1 and 2, 2011, he reunited with Sierra Boggess as the Phantom and Christine. They performed in the 25th-anniversary production of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall. This show was broadcast live to cinemas around the world.

From November 2011 to March 2012, Karimloo returned to Les Misérables. He played the main role of Jean Valjean in London. He won an award for Best Takeover in a Role for this performance.

In 2011, Karimloo also appeared in the BBC2 comedy Life's Too Short. He also had a role in the TV show The Spa (TV series).

His solo album, Ramin, was released in April 2012. It was also released in Canada and the US in August 2012.

On January 26, 2013, Karimloo performed the title song from The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. This was for the show's 25th anniversary.

He played Jean Valjean in the Canadian production of Les Misérables in September 2013. He then made his Broadway debut in the same role in 2014. He was nominated for a Tony Award for this performance. He finished his run in August 2015.

In 2016, Karimloo performed in The Secret Garden with Sierra Boggess. He also played Ché in Evita in Vancouver, Canada.

In September 2016, it was announced that Karimloo would return to Broadway. He played General Gleb Vaganov in the musical Anastasia. The show opened in April 2017. His last performance in Anastasia was in December 2017.

Karimloo played Anatoly Sergievsky in a performance of Chess at the Kennedy Center in February 2018. He also performed in The Phantom of the Opera concerts in Seoul, Korea, in May 2018.

In September 2019, he joined the cast of the BBC show Holby City. He played the character Kian Madani until 2021. In January 2020, he played Anatoly again in a Japan tour of Chess.

Recent Roles (2021–Present)

In summer 2021, Ramin Karimloo starred as Joe Gillis in a concert of Sunset Boulevard. He performed this role again at the Royal Albert Hall in December.

In October 2021, it was announced that Karimloo would return to Broadway. He played Nick Arnstein in the revival of Funny Girl. The show opened in April 2022. He stayed with the show until it closed in September 2023.

In October 2022, Karimloo played the Pirate King in a Broadway concert of The Pirates of Penzance. In December 2022, he played Anatoly Sergievsky again in a Broadway concert of Chess.

He reprised his role as Dr. Yurii Zhivago in a concert of Doctor Zhivago in May 2023.

In February 2023, it was announced that Karimloo would play the Phantom in Italy. This was the first time The Phantom of the Opera was performed there. Performances began in July 2023 in Trieste, Italy. This production also toured to Milan and Monaco.

In October 2023, it was announced that Karimloo would play Gomez Addams in The Addams Family musical concert. This show was performed in London in February 2024.

In March 2024, Karimloo performed in an opera called Songbird. In June 2024, he made his Encores! debut in Titanic as Frederick Barrett.

In November 2024, he starred as Freddy Benson in a concert of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in London.

In April 2025, he is set to return to Broadway. He will play the Pirate King in Pirates! The Penzance Musical. This is a new version of The Pirates of Penzance.

Personal Life

Ramin Karimloo is married to Amanda Ramsden. They have two sons together.

Theatre Performances

Film and Television Roles

Film Appearances

Television Appearances

Music Albums

Ramin Karimloo helped write the song "Why Am I Falling." This song was for the BBC Children in Need 2013 appeal.

In March 2014, he released an album called The Road to Find Out: East. It included songs like "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning" and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables." It also had songs he wrote with Hadley Fraser for their band, Sheytoons.

In 2016, he released his second album, The Road to Find Out: South. This album featured songs he wrote for his band, The Broadgrass Band. It also included "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music. He went on a UK tour to promote this album in 2017.

In 2022, Ramin released his third album, "The Road to Find Out: North." He performed concerts to promote this album.

In May 2023, Karimloo released his fourth and final album in the series, "The Road To Find Out: West." He also performed concerts to promote this album.

Awards and Nominations