Jeremy Kushnier (; born September 30, 1975) is a Canadian

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

Early life

Jeremy Kushnier was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

, Manitoba, Canada. Kushnier attended Miles MacDonell Collegiate, the Winnipeg School of Performing Arts, and the

Royal Winnipeg Ballet The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. History It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also fou ...

, all in Winnipeg. He is the brother of the actor Serge Kushnier and the musician Bryce Kushnier, involved with the electronic project

Vitaminsforyou Vitaminsforyou is a Canadians, Canadian electronic music project led by Bryce Kushnier, an early performer the “lo-fi bedroom electronics” genre of music. Originally based in Winnipeg, the band currently operates from Toronto, Ontario. ...

. Kushnier travelled by bus from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to audition for a role in ''

Footloose Footloose may refer to: * ''Footloose'' (1984 film), a musical film ** ''Footloose'' (1984 soundtrack) ** "Footloose" (song), performed by Kenny Loggins * ''Footloose'' (2011 film), a remake of the 1984 film ** ''Footloose'' (2011 soundtrack) ...

'' in 1997.

Life and career

Kushnier is known for originating the role of Ren McCormick in the musical rendition of ''

'', and for his role in the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning musical ''

Jersey Boys ''Jersey Boys'' is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and eventual break-up of the ...

'' in the role of Tommy Devito and was one of the "Top 10 Great Chicago Performances of 2007". He starred in the Chicago cast, and then opened the Vegas production. He took over the role of Tommy on August 21, 2008 as part of the Toronto engagement of ''Jersey Boys'', which was part of the North American tour. He played Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine in the first national tour of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical ''

Next to Normal ''Next to Normal'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing ...

''. In the Broadway revival of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', he played a priest and understudied the roles of

Judas Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betr ...

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

and Pilate. He also performed on Broadway in the

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

show ''

Paramour Paramour may refer to: * A secret lover ** Extramarital sex partner ** Intimate relationship hidden partner * '' The Paramours'', a U.S. musical quintet * ''Paramour'' (Cirque du Soleil), musical theatre Broadway residency show * Paramour Mansi ...

''. Kushnier replaced actor

Bradley Dean Bradley Dean (born June 18, 1970) is an American stage and screen actor. Early life Dean is originally from Pottsville, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. Career Theatre Broadway theatre Dean made his Broadway debut ...

in 2016 in ''Paramour'' because of creative differences. Head Over Heels in 2018. He is married to Jenny Lee Stern.

Broadway actor

Footloose

Original, musical *Starring: Jeremy Kushnier [Ren McCormack] (October 22, 1997 – July 2, 2000).

Rent

Original, musical, drama *Starring: Jeremy Kushnier [Roger Davis] — Replacement (November 17, 2003 – January 17, 2005).

Theatre credits

*(1988) Played Oliver in "Oliver!" at Rainbow Stage, Winnipeg Manitoba *(1990) Performed in ''Say It With Music'' at Rainbow Stage, Winnipeg Manitoba *(1995) Cast in the Toronto production of ''The Who's Tommy''; later toured Canada *Performed as a swing in the Canadian production of ''Rent'' *(2000) Cast as one of the leads in ''The Rhythm Club''; premiered at The Signature Theater in Arlington, Virginia *(2001) Played Roger in the Benny Tour production of ''Rent'' *(2002–2003) Playing Radames in the national tour of Disney's Aida *Appeared in the workshops of the stage musicals "Summer of '42" and "Joe: The Musical" *Appeared in the Readings for ''Hamlet — The Musical, ROOMS'', and ''Drift'' *Appeared in ''American Duet'' featuring Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish, in February 2004. *(2005) Played Judas in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' at the Kansas City Starlight Theatre. *(2006) Played Roger in World Tour of ''Rent.'' *(2006) Played Jerry in ''Full Monty'' at Maine State Music Theater *(2007) Played Jamie in ''Bright Lights, Big City.'' *(2008) Stars in the hit play, ''Jersey Boys,'' as Tommy DeVito in the LaSalle Theatre in Chicago *(2010) Played Freddie Trumper in Signature Theatre's production of ''

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

'' *(2010–2011) Starred as Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden in the first national tour of ''

'' *(2012) Played a priest and understudied Jesus, Judas and Pontius Pilate on Broadway in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' *(2016) Played the 'Hollywood Wiz' (A.J.) in "Paramour." *(2018) Played Basilius in "Head Over Heels."

Music

Jeremy Kushnier's first CD, ''In Time'' (2002), is a celebration of relationships, life and love. Growing up, Jeremy's influences ranged from The Beatles to Billy Joel. Loving the singer/song writer genre he quickly developed his own style of writing, ranging from light ballads to edgy rock and roll. #Angel light #Randi #The ride's on me #Brooklyn baby #Your little tragedy #In time #Back away #Feminenemy #Here for you #The smile in her eyes Kushnier's second album "Jeremy Kushnier" in 2006 (produced by Jonathan Dinklage) is a more grounded look at life through clearer glasses. This EP conceived and produced with his friend and musical director Jonathan Dinklage is an acoustic blend of rock and pop that gleans its inspiration from an era of analog tape and tube warmth. A time when one good take could make an album. This album was recorded with a group of musicians with the feel and talent to pull this inspiration together in a truly creative and original way. There is an honesty in this recording that keeps it grounded without taking itself too seriously. Jeremy's writing continues to fuse his love of singer songwriters with his self-proclaimed pop addiction. From the moody Allison to the B52's-esque Lullaby this follow up to his first release "In Time" is sure to leave you wanting more. #Why #Lullaby #Allison #The one about Drew #Stars Soundtrack: *"One Tree Hill" (one episode, 2006) *Can't Stop This Thing We've Started (2006) TV episode (performer: "Allison")

Movies

Actor: *''The Adulterer'' (2000) .... AaronGrandfather Films — The Adulterer page
.

References

External links

Jeremy Kushnier website
* * *
Jeremy Kushnier
at

Internet Off-Broadway Database The Internet Off-Broadway Database (IOBDB), also formerly known as the Lortel Archives, is an online database that catalogues theatre productions shown off-Broadway. The IOBDB was funded and developed by the non-profit Lucille Lortel Foundatio ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kushnier, Jeremy 1975 births Living people Canadian male film actors Traditional pop music singers Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States Male actors from Winnipeg Musicians from Winnipeg 21st-century Canadian male singers