# Colin Donnell

Colin Donnell (born October 9, 1982) is an American actor and singer known for his performances as Tommy Merlyn in The CW television series Arrow, Scotty Lockhart on the Showtime drama The Affair, Dr. Connor Rhodes in the NBC medical drama Chicago Med (2015–2019), and as Billy Crocker in the Broadway musical Anything Goes. He also starred in the 2022 Netflix/Peacock series Irreverent and as Monty in the Broadway musical Violet.

## Early life and education

Colin Donnell was born in St. Louis, Missouri, as the youngest of three boys. He has Irish and French ancestry. He played the guitar and took singing lessons when he was 17. His introduction to the stage was in high school where he was a part of the choir and was in the background juggling and doing circus tricks, which led to being part of his first school musical production of Barnum. Donnell graduated from Indiana University Bloomington in 2005.

## Career

Donnell has been part of many national stage tours, such as Mamma Mia! and Wicked. His first Broadway Theatre performance was in Jersey Boys as Hank Mejewski. His other stage credits include Follies, Meet Me in St. Louis, Johnny Baseball and many more. He played Billy Crocker in the 2011 Broadway revival of Anything Goes and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, and an Astaire Award for Outstanding Male Dancer.
Donnell made his television debut by playing Mike Ruskin in the television series Pan Am. In 2012, Donnell was cast as Tommy Merlyn in television series Arrow, where he is a series regular in the first season and made occasional appearances in later seasons, including the final season.
In July and August 2013, Donnell starred as Berowne in the musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost. He also appeared as Elizabeth Banks' husband in the crime thriller Every Secret Thing, which was released on May 15, 2015.
In January 2014, Donnell was cast as Monty in the 1960s-era Broadway musical Violet alongside Sutton Foster and Joshua Henry; previews began on March 28, and the show officially opened on April 20. In July, Donnell was cast to play Joshua Jackson's brother in Showtime original drama The Affair.
In 2015, he performed in the New York City Center Encores! production of the musical Lady, Be Good, alongside Tommy Tune, Erin Mackey and Patti Murin.
In March 2015, Donnell starred in Love Is A Four Letter Word, a pilot for NBC in which he played Sean, an ad agency partner; the show was not picked up to series. Donnell then landed a regular role in the NBC series, Chicago Med, playing a doctor in trauma surgery. On April 19, 2019, it was announced that Donnell was leaving the series after four seasons as a series regular.
A special Encores! Off-Center staged concert of Songs for a New World was performed at New York City Center June 27 through June 30, 2018. The production was directed by Kate Whoriskey and starred Shoshana Bean, Colin Donnell, Mykal Kilgore, and Solea Pfeiffer.
In 2022, Donnell and Patti Murin released a joint album titled "Something Stupid" on Broadway Records. The album was produced by Robbie Rozelle and co-produced by Yasuhiko Fukuoka. Luke Williams was the arranger and orchestrator. The album features a cross section of pop, Broadway, and Disney songs.
In 2024, Donnell was cast in the guest role of Brian Lange in CBS television series FBI: International for the final two episodes of the show's third season. In November of that same year, he starred as the Father in New York City Center's Encores! production of Ragtime opposite Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy and Brandon Uranowitz.

## Personal life

Donnell began dating actress Patti Murin in 2013 after they co-starred in a Shakespeare in the Park musical adaptation of Love's Labour's Lost. They became engaged in December 2014, and married on June 19, 2015, in New York City. Their first child, Cecily, was born on July 14, 2020. In October 2022, the couple announced that Murin was pregnant with their second child. Their second child, Lorelai, was born on April 2, 2023.
Donnell is a literary aficionado and a musician. He has two tattoos from his tour trips – one from Memphis and one from Dayton; which are five silhouettes of birds to represent his family, and a Fleur De Lis, because his mother is French.

## Filmography

Film roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | Every Secret Thing | Paul Porter | |
| 2019 | Almost Love | Henry | |
Television roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011–2012 | Pan Am | Mike Ruskin | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 2012–2020 | Arrow | Tommy Merlyn / Dark Archer / Prometheus Christopher Chance / Human Target | Main role (season 1) Special guest (seasons 2–3 and 6–8) |
| 2014 | Person of Interest | Billy Parsons | Episode: "Root Path" |
| 2014 | Unforgettable | Agent Stone | Episode: "Flesh and Blood" |
| 2014 | The Mysteries of Laura | Daniel Mikorski | Episode: "The Mystery of the Dysfunctional Dynasty" |
| 2014–2015 | The Affair | Scott Lockhart | Recurring role (seasons 1–2); 16 episodes |
| 2015 | Love Is a Four Letter Word | Sean | Unsold television pilot |
| 2015–2019 | Chicago Med | Dr. Connor Rhodes | Main role (seasons 1–5) 84 episodes |
| 2016–2019 | Chicago Fire | Dr. Connor Rhodes | Guest role; 4 episodes |
| 2016–2019 | Chicago P.D. | Dr. Connor Rhodes | Guest role; 4 episodes |
| 2020 | Love on Iceland | Charlie | Television film (Hallmark) |
| 2021 | To Catch a Spy | Aaron Maxwell | Television film (Hallmark) |
| 2022 | Irreverent | Paulo | Main role |
| 2024 | FBI: International | Brian Lange | 2 episodes |
| 2025 | Zero Day | Erik Hayes |

## Theater

| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Notes |
| 2001 | Miss Saigon | Ensemble | The Muny, Regional | |
| 2003 | Mamma Mia! | Ensemble | US Tour |
| 2005 | Almost Heaven | Male Roles | Promenade Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 2005 | Mame | Older Patrick | The Muny, Regional | |
| 2006 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Peter u/s Jesus | North Shore Music Theatre, Regional | |
| 2006–2007 | Meet Me in St. Louis | John Truitt | Irish Repertory Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 2007 | Follies | Young Benjamin Stone | New York City Center, Encores! | |
| 2007 | Jersey Boys | Hank Mejewski u/s Bob & Nick | August Wilson Theatre, Broadway | Replacement |
| 2008 | Me, Myself and I | Otto | McCarter Theatre, Regional | |
| 2008 | High School Musical | Troy Bolton | The Muny, Regional | |
| 2008 | Fiddler on the Roof | Perchik | The Muny, Regional | |
| 2009–2010 | Wicked | Fiyero | Second National Tour |
| 2010 | Johnny Baseball | Johnny O'Brian | American Repertory Theater, Regional | |
| 2011–2012 | Anything Goes | Billy Crocker | Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2012 | Merrily We Roll Along | Franklin Shepard | New York City Center, Encores! | |
| 2013 | Love's Labour's Lost | Berowne | Delacorte Theater, Off-Broadway | |
| 2014 | Violet | Monty | American Airlines Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2015 | Lady, Be Good | Jack Robinson | New York City Center, Encores! | |
| 2015 | Holiday Inn | Jim Hardy | The Muny, Regional | |
| 2018 | Songs for a New World | Man 2 | New York City Center, Encores! | |
| 2019 | Almost Famous | Russell Hammond | Old Globe Theatre, Regional |
| 2023 | The Shark Is Broken | Roy Scheider | John Golden Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2024 | Ragtime | The Father | New York City Center, Encores! |