Andrew Rannells

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American actorTemplate:SHORTDESC:American actor[[Category:**Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Pagetype/config' not found.**s with short description]]

**Andrew Scott Rannells** (born August 23, 1978) is an American film, stage, television and voice actor.

Rannells was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance as Elder Price in the 2011 Broadway musical *The Book of Mormon*. He won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album as a featured soloist on the musical's original Broadway cast recording. He received his second Tony nomination in 2017 for his performance as Whizzer in the 2016 Broadway revival of *Falsettos*. Other Broadway credits include *Hairspray*, *Hamilton*, *Hedwig and the Angry Inch*, *Jersey Boys*, and *The Boys in the Band*.

## Early life

Rannells was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Charlotte and Ronald Rannells. He is the fourth of five siblings, with three sisters and an older brother. His ancestry is Polish and Irish.

Rannells attended Our Lady of Lourdes grade school in Omaha, and then Creighton Preparatory School, an all-boys Roman Catholic school in Omaha. His family lived in the Hanscom Park neighborhood in Omaha.

As a child, he took classes at the Emmy Gifford Children's Theater and performed at the Omaha Community Playhouse and the Firehouse Dinner Theatre and the Dundee Dinner Theatre.

Rannells was 11 when he acted in his first play. He did community theater with fellow Omahan and Creighton Prep alumnus Conor Oberst. He did voice-over work and commercials, including a 1996 *Grease* spoof with Amy Adams.

Rannells moved to New York City in 1997 after high school, studying theater at Marymount Manhattan College for two years before he started auditioning full-time and began landing roles.

## Career

Rannells played the character James in *Pokémon Live!* from September 2000 to August 2001. When asked about his experience in 2014, he jokingly said that he would have rather starred in a porn film or snuff film instead and that he only took the job for the pay.

Rannells worked with the New York City animation production company 4Kids Entertainment from 2001 to 2004. He also directed a small number of video games, "Kirby" and "Sonic the Hedgehog".

As a voice actor, Rannells appeared in several 4Kids and DiC television programs and video games, such as *Yu-Gi-Oh!*.

Before winning his first Broadway role, Rannells had parts in a number of regional theater productions, including *Hedwig and the Angry Inch*, *Miss Saigon*, and *Thoroughly Modern Millie*.

For his turn as Hedwig at the Zachary Scott Theater Center in Austin, Texas, in 2002, he won best actor in a musical at the B. Iden Payne Awards in September 2002, which honor outstanding achievements in Austin theater.

In 2002, Rannells earned the role of Link Larkin in the Broadway production of *Hairspray*. This was his first Broadway show. Rannells followed this with some regional performances.

 File:Andrew Rannells 2009.jpg  Rannells played Bob Gaudio in the First National Tour of *Jersey Boys*. His last performance with the tour was on December 6, 2008, in Toronto. In January 2009, he reprised the role of Gaudio in the musical's Broadway production.

Rannells originated the role of Elder Price in *The Book of Mormon*, a musical written by *South Park* creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and *Avenue Q* composer Robert Lopez. For his performance, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for his performance in the musical's *Original Broadway Cast Recording*. His last performance was June 10, 2012.

Rannells played a stripper in the 2012 film *Bachelorette* and played a lead character, Bryan Collins, in the 2012–13 television series *The New Normal*.

Rannells played the recurring role of Elijah on the HBO television series *Girls.*

Rannells temporarily replaced Jonathan Groff in the role of King George III in *Hamilton* on Broadway from October 27 to November 29, 2015, while Groff fulfilled pre-arranged filming commitments.

Rannells played the role of "Whizzer Brown" in the Broadway revival of *Falsettos* directed by James Lapine. He was joined by Christian Borle and Stephanie J. Block who played Marvin and Trina, respectively. The musical ran from October 27, 2016 (with previews beginning September 29), to January 8, 2017. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance.

Rannells played Larry in the 2018 Broadway revival of *The Boys in the Band.* It was a limited run, in honor of the play's 50th anniversary. It won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. He revived his role (along with the rest of the revival cast) for the film adaptation for Netflix, which was released on September 30, 2020.

Rannells currently plays Blair Pfaff, one of the leading roles on the television show *Black Monday*. The show premiered on January 20, 2019, on Showtime. In April 2019, the series was renewed for a second season that premiered on March 15, 2020. In October 2020, the series was renewed for a third season which is set to premiere in 2021.

Rannells published his first book, a memoir titled *Too Much Is Not Enough*, in 2019. It is a series of essays about his childhood in Omaha, Nebraska, and his years spent in New York leading up to his 2005 Broadway debut in *Hairspray*.

Rannells played Trent Oliver in Netflix's 2020 movie musical *The Prom*, an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name.

## Personal life

Rannells is openly gay. Rannells has said he has known he is gay since high school. He came out to his family when he was eighteen, and by then they had already figured it out. He also came out to his theater friends, but not his all-boys Catholic school.

Since 2019, he has been in a relationship with actor Tuc Watkins. They met while both were in the cast of *The Boys in the Band* for its 50th anniversary Broadway show in 2018. They also worked together on *Black Monday* and reprised their roles for Netflix's film version of *TBITB* (2020).

## See also

* LGBT culture in New York City
* List of self-identified LGBTQ New Yorkers

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Fischbach, Bob (May 1, 2011). "He has drive — and now Broadway".
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Taylor, Aisha (February 11, 2014). "girl on guy 126: andrew rannells" (audio podcast). *girl on guy*. http://girlonguy.net/podcast/girl-on-guy-126-andrew-rannells.
3. ↑ https://mobile.twitter.com/AndrewRannells/status/81386126954344448
4. ↑ Miller, Bruce R. (2011). "'Nebraska native finds stardom in 'Book of Mormon'". *Sioux City Journal*. http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/article\_e22c1390-a24d-5e3b-bfb6-958a7fffa3be.html.
5. ↑ Francke, Warren (September 9, 2012). "Omaha's Andy Now in New Normal: Oompa-Loompa Before Mormon Missionary".
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rapkin, Mickey (June 9, 2011). "Q&A: The Book of Mormon's Andrew Rannells". *GQ*. https://www.gq.com/story/andrew-rannells-the-book-of-mormon.
7. ↑ Yi, David (June 9, 2011). "'The Book of Mormon' star Andrew Rannells: college dropout turned actor gets suited up for the Tonys", *NY Daily News*.
8. ↑ Levitt, Hayley (July 15, 2016). "Flashback Friday: When Andrew Rannells Helped Pokémon Meet Broadway" (in en-US). https://www.theatermania.com/broadway/news/flashback-friday-andrew-rannells-pokemon-live\_77775.html.
9. ↑ Template:Citation.
10. ↑ Broadway.com Staff (December 30, 2008). "Andrew Rannells Tapped to Play Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys". *Broadway Buzz*. Broadway.com. http://www.broadway.com/buzz/98004/andrew-rannells-tapped-to-play-bob-gaudio-in-jersey-boys.
11. ↑ Brenner, Wayne Alan (8 February 2002). "Hedwig and the Angry Inch". http://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2002-02-08/84558.
12. ↑ Faires, Robert (October 4, 2002). "Articulations". http://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2002-10-04/103993/.
13. ↑ Truitt, Brian (June 9, 2011). "Rannells relishes first Tony nomination", *USA Today*.
14. ↑ Desk, BWW News. "Andrew Rannells Is New Bob Gaudio In 'JERSEY BOYS' Starting 1/13" (in en). https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Andrew-Rannells-Is-New-Bob-Gaudio-In-JERSEY-BOYS-Starting-113-20081229.
15. ↑ Hetrick, Adam (June 6, 2012). "'Two By Two': Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells Will Be Succeeded By Jared Gertner and Nic Rouleau in *Book of Mormon*", *Playbill*.
16. ↑ Gans, Andrew (August 10, 2012). "Book of Mormon's Andrew Rannells Takes It Off in "Bachelorette" Film; Comedy Available on VOD Aug. 10", *Playbill*.
17. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (February 22, 2012). "'The Hangover Star Joins NBC's Ryan Murphy Comedy". *The Hollywood Reporter*. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hangover-justin-bartha-ryan-murphy-nbc-pilot-glee-293895.
18. ↑ Miller, Bruce (November 24, 2012). "Andrew Rannells sends up boss in 'New Normal'".
19. ↑ Lynch, Matthew (April 28, 2011). "Andrew Rannells: Keeping the Faith". *Women's Wear Daily*. http://www.wwd.com/menswear-news/lifestyle/andrew-rannells-keeping-the-faith-3594177.
20. ↑ Webber, Imogen Lloyd (8 October 2015). "Tony Nominee Andrew Rannells Will Step In for Jonathan Groff in Hamilton on Broadway". http://www.broadway.com/buzz/182185/tony-nominee-andrew-rannells-will-step-in-for-jonathan-groff-in-hamilton-on-broadway.
21. ↑ Paulson, Michael. "'Falsettos' Revival Casts Its Leads: Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells and Stephanie J. Block" *The New York Times*, March 31, 2016.
22. ↑ Gans, Andrew (27 October 2016). "Falsettos Revival, Starring Christian Borle, Stephanie J. Block, Andrew Rannells, Opens". https://www.playbill.com/article/marvins-back-with-whizzer-as-falsettos-revival-begins#.
23. ↑ Hetrick, Adam (29 December 2016). "13 Shows Close as Broadway Gears Up for a Packed Spring". https://www.playbill.com/article/13-shows-close-as-broadway-gears-up-for-a-packed-spring#.
24. ↑ Tietjen, Alexa (June 11, 2017). "Andrew Rannells on Coming Full Circle at the 2017 Tony Awards". https://wwd.com/eye/people/andrew-rannells-2017-tony-awards-10909221/.
25. ↑ Iannucci, Rebecca (2020-10-15). "Black Monday Renewed for Season 3" (in en-US). https://tvline.com/2020/10/15/black-monday-renewed-season-3-showtime/.
26. ↑ Brenner, Joanna. "Andrew Rannells's New Memoir Is All About the Perks of Being a Late Bloomer" (in en-us). https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/03/andrew-rannells-memoir-is-all-about-the-perks-of-being-a-late-bloomer.
27. ↑ Lefkowitz, Andy (25 June 2019). "The Prom Film to Star Meryl Streep, James Corden, Andrew Rannells & Nicole Kidman" (in en). https://www.broadway.com/buzz/196144/the-prom-film-to-star-meryl-streep-james-corden-andrew-rannells-nicole-kidman/.
28. ↑ Siegel, Miranda (May 29, 2012). "Andrew Rannells on His Girls Character, Slapping Marnie, and His New Ryan Murphy Show", *Vulture-New York*.
29. ↑ Martin, Denise (January 29, 2013). "Andrew Rannells: The Boy Scout With the Dirty Mouth". *Vulture-New York*. http://www.vulture.com/2013/01/andrew-rannells-the-boy-scout-with-a-dirty-mouth-girls-new-normal-interview.html.
30. ↑ "Andrew Rannells and Tuc Watkins Make Their Relationship 'Instagram Official'" (in en-US). 2019-09-22. https://www.towleroad.com/2019/09/andrew-rannells-tuc-watkins/.
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Broverman, Neal (2020-10-01). "Andrew Rannells and Tuc Watkins: The Couple That Plays Together" (in en). https://www.out.com/film/2020/10/01/andrew-rannells-and-tuc-watkins-couple-plays-together.
32. ↑ Rudolph, Christopher (8 March 2018). "Shania Twain, "Broad City" Stars And More Join The Judges' Panel On "Drag Race" Season 10". http://www.newnownext.com/rupauls-drag-race-season-10-judges-trailer/03/2018/.
33. ↑ Template:Cite episode
34. ↑ "Andrew Rannells". https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Andrew-Rannells/.
35. ↑ Joy, Cara (November 11, 2005). "Andrew Rannells to Star as Hairspray's Next Link Larkin". http://www.broadway.com/buzz/94983/andrew-rannells-to-star-as-hairsprays-next-link-larkin.
36. ↑ Aradi, Cathi (March 3, 2008). "JBB EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Andrew Rannells!". http://jerseyboysblog.com/jbb-exclusive-interview-with-andrew-rannells/2385#.U3kcFa22JhF.
37. ↑ "The Dallas Theater Center's World Premiere, Give It Up! Asks The Audience To Give Up More Than Two And A Half Hours To Its Redbull-buzzed Idiocy", *Dallas Observer* (January 28, 2010).
38. ↑ Clement, Olivia (December 15, 2017). "*The Leftovers'* Charlie Carver Joins Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, and More for Broadway's *The Boys in the Band*".
39. ↑ "Vote Now! Hamilton Breaks Record for Most Broadway.com Audience Choice Award Nominations". April 29, 2016. http://www.broadway.com/buzz/184680/vote-now-hamilton-breaks-record-for-most-broadwaycom-audience-choice-award-nominations/.

## External links

* Template:IMDb name
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* Andrew Rannells at Voice Chasers

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