# Paolo Montalban

Paolo Montalban (born May 21, 1973) is an American actor and singer best known for his performance in the 1997 Disney television film Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella as Prince Christopher, opposite Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother. He reprised that role in a stage version of the musical with Deborah Gibson and then Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Cinderella and Eartha Kitt as the Fairy Godmother.

## Early life

Montalban was born in Manila, Philippines, to Paul and Vivian Montalban. His family immigrated to the United States when he was a year old and lived in a studio apartment in Manhattan's West Side across the street from The Juilliard School and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. He is an alumnus of St. Peter's Preparatory School and holds a degree in pre-med psychology from Rutgers University.

## Career

In 1997, Montalban starred in Cinderella as Prince Christopher alongside Whitney Houston, Whoopi Goldberg and Brandy. He also played Kung Lao in the syndicated series Mortal Kombat: Conquest along with Daniel Bernhardt and Kristanna Loken.
Montalban was also cast in John Dahl's The Great Raid as Sgt. Valera, and played Raul in the independent film American Adobo. He also appeared in Just Wright starring Queen Latifah, The Adjustment Bureau, and the short film Two Weeks.
Montalban was named one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People of 1998.
He has appeared on Broadway in Pacific Overtures, The King and I and Breakfast at Tiffany's, starring Emilia Clarke. Off-Broadway, he was in Two Gentlemen of Verona at Shakespeare in the Park, The Romance of Magno Rubio at Ma Yi Theater Company, among others. He also guest starred in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 8, episode 20: "Annihilated") and One Life to Live.
Montalban has appeared in productions of The King and I on Broadway and around the country, where he has played both Lun Tha, the young lover, and the title role of the King. In 2022, Montalban starred as Captain Von Trapp in the Dallas Theater Center production of The Sound of Music at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. On March 28, 2023, he succeeded Peter Francis James as Florenz Ziegfeld in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl and remained with the show until it closed on September 3 of that year.
He reunited with Brandy in the Disney+ movie Descendants: The Rise of Red, part of the Descendants franchise, which premiered July 12, 2024.
On January 17, 2024, he originated the role of Kurt Huber in the world premiere of the off-Broadway musical White Rose.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | American Adobo | Raul | |
| 2005 | The Great Raid | Sgt. Valera | |
| 2010 | Just Wright | Sommelier | |
| 2012 | Two Weeks | Dad | Short film |
| 2020 | The Girl Who Left Home | Tony | |
| 2023 | Asian Persuasion | Lee-Kwan Lee | |
| 2024 | Descendants: The Rise of Red | King Charming | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1997 | Cinderella | Prince Christopher | Television film |
| 1998–1999 | Mortal Kombat: Conquest | Kung Lao | 22 episodes |
| 2007 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Wahid | Episode: "Annihilated" |
| 2010 | One Life to Live | Tahiti Cop #1 | 1 episode |
| 2013 | City of Dreams | Paolo Montalban | Episode: "The Ballad of Ofagina" |
| 2015 | Madam Secretary | Military Tech | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Nurse Jackie | Second Investigator | Episode: "Jackie and the Wolf" |
| 2015 | The Blacklist | Forensic Agent | Episode: "Arioch Cain" |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
| 1998 | The King and I | Lun Tha | Neil Simon Theatre | Original Broadway Cast |
| 2004 | Pacific Overtures | Manjiro | Studio 54 | Original Broadway Cast |
| 2005 | Two Gentlemen of Verona | Eglamour | Delacorte Theater | Off-Broadway |
| 2013 | Breakfast at Tiffany's | u/s Jose, u/s Yunioshi | Cort Theatre | Original Broadway Cast |
| 2017 | Bella: An American Tall Tale | Tommie Haw/Skeeter | Playwrights Horizons | Off-Broadway World Premiere Nominated - Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical |
| 2020 | The Unsinkable Molly Brown | Arthur | Abrons Arts Center (Transport Group) | Original Off-Broadway Cast |
| 2023 | Funny Girl | Florenz Ziegfeld | August Wilson Theatre | Broadway Replacement |
| 2024 | White Rose: The Musical | Professor Kurt Huber | Theatre Row | Original Off-Broadway Cast |