# Hunter Foster

Hunter Foster (born June 25, 1969) is an American musical theatre actor, singer, librettist, playwright and director.

## Career

After touring in several shows and playing on Broadway, in 2001 he was cast in his breakthrough role of Bobby Strong in Urinetown, for which he received a Lucille Lortel Award and a nomination for an Outer Critics Circle Award. In 2003, Foster starred as Seymour in the Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors, for which he received his first Tony Award nomination.
Foster appeared as Leo Bloom in The Producers on Broadway, Ensign Pulver in Mister Roberts at the Kennedy Center, and Ben in Modern Orthodox off-Broadway. He also starred as Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia.
Foster's writing includes the libretto for an off-Broadway 2002 musical based on the motion picture Summer of '42 and writing an adaptation of the film Bonnie and Clyde with Urinetown co-star Rick Crom. "Bonnie & Clyde: A Folktale" was workshopped in residency at the Academy for New Musical Theatre, through the ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund Fellowship, a Producer-Writer Initiative granted through the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. Foster was one of the writers for Rosie O'Donnell's 2008 NBC series Rosie Live, which was cancelled after the first episode.
Foster played the role of music producer Sam Phillips in the musical Million Dollar Quartet on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre, which opened on April 11, 2010. Foster then portrayed Richard Hoover in the musical Little Miss Sunshine at the La Jolla Playhouse until March 27, 2011. He appeared on the ABC Family show Bunheads as Scotty Sims, the brother of main character Michelle, who is portrayed by his real-life sister Sutton Foster. He originated the role of Bud in the musical The Bridges of Madison County in 2014.
He has directed plays and musicals at the Bucks County Playhouse as well as at regional theaters. He directed Company in 2015 and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story in June 2016 at Bucks County Playhouse.

## Personal life

Foster is the older brother of actress Sutton Foster. He is married to actress and occasional co-star Jennifer Cody; they have lived in Teaneck, New Jersey.

## Stage credits

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Cats | Rum Tum Tugger | US National Tour |
| 1994 | Grease | Roger; Danny u/s; Kenickie u/s; Teen Angel u/s | Broadway |
| 1997 | King David | Ensemble; Jonathan u/s; Absalom u/s | Broadway |
| 1997 | Children of Eden | Abel/Ham | Regional |
| 1998 | Les Misérables | Joly; Marius u/s | Broadway |
| 1998 | Footloose | Bickle; Ren u/s | Broadway |
| 1999 | Martin Guerre | Victor | Broadway |
| 2001 | Urinetown | Bobby Strong (original) | Off-Broadway |
| 2001 | Urinetown | Bobby Strong (original) | Broadway |
| 2002 | Earth Girls Are Easy | Mac | Off-Broadway |
| 2003 | Little Shop of Horrors | Seymour | Broadway |
| 2004–2006 | The Producers | Leo Bloom | Broadway & US Tour |
| 2005 | Mister Roberts | Ensign Pulver | Regional |
| 2005 | Modern Orthodox | Ben | Off-Broadway |
| 2007 | The Producers | Leo Bloom | Broadway |
| 2007 | Frankenstein – A New Musical | Victor Frankenstein | Off-Broadway |
| 2008 | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Luis Alberto Molina | Regional |
| 2008 | Dust | Zeke | Off-Broadway |
| 2009 | Happiness | Stanley | Off-Broadway |
| 2009 | Into the Woods | The Baker | Regional |
| 2010 | Million Dollar Quartet | Sam Phillips | Broadway |
| 2010 | Ordinary Days | Jason (original) | Off-Broadway |
| 2011 | Burning | Performer | Off-Broadway |
| 2012 | Hands on a Hardbody | Benny Perkins (original) | Regional |
| 2012 | Hands on a Hardbody | Benny Perkins (original) | Broadway |
| 2014 | The Bridges of Madison County | Bud (original) | Broadway |
| 2015 | Spamalot | King Arthur | Regional |
| 2016 | The Music Man | Harold Hill | Regional |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Show | Result |
| 2002 | Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor | Urinetown | Nominated |
| 2002 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Urinetown | Nominated |
| 2004 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Little Shop of Horrors | Nominated |
| 2004 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Musical | Little Shop of Horrors | Nominated |
| 2004 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Little Shop of Horrors | Nominated |
| 2009 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Happiness | Nominated |