Paul Edwin McGill III (born September 3, 1987) is an American actor,

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

and director for stage, film, and television.

Performing career

McGill made his Broadway debut when he was just a junior in high school in the 2004 revival of ''"La Cage aux Folles''" (which won two

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 cer ...

s). He was cast on the spot and replanted in New York that week. There, he attended the

Professional Performing Arts School The Professional Performing Arts School, colloquially known as PPAS, is a public middle and high school in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. History PPAS was created in 1990 to meet the needs of two groups of students: those who wanted t ...

. He then went on to play Mark in the Broadway revival of ''"

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dancers ...

'' " for the entire run of the show at the Schoenfeld Theater. The cast performed on ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

'', the ''Tony Awards'', and ''Dancing with the Stars'', and most notably, the documentary ''Every Little Step''. During this time, McGill made his film debut in the BAFTA and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winning documentary ''Man On Wire'', where he played

Philippe Petit Philippe Petit (; born 13 August 1949) is a French high-wire artist who gained fame for his unauthorized high-wire walks between the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1971 and of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973, as well as between the Twi ...

in the reenactments. Shortly after the ''"

''" closed, McGill moved to Los Angeles to star in the MGM remake of ''Fame'' (2009 film). He played Kevin, opposite

Bebe Neuwirth Beatrice "Bebe" Jane Neuwirth ( ; born December 31, 1958) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. On television, she played Dr. Lilith Sternin, Frasier Crane's wife, on both the TV sitcom ''Cheers'' (in a starring role) and its spin-off ''F ...

. Their conversation causes his character to attempt suicide by stepping in front of a subway car. Later, Kevin tells Joy (

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle Anna Maria Francesca Enriquez Perez de Tagle-Kline

) that he is moving back to Iowa, and that he is going to be "the best god damn dance teacher there ever was." McGill then performed in the 2010 Tony Award winning musical, "''Memphis''", which is available on DVD. From there, he performed in the controversial Broadway spectacular, "'' Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark''", playing

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...

, as well as Electro,

Swarm Swarm behaviour, or swarming, is a collective behaviour exhibited by entities, particularly animals, of similar size which aggregate together, perhaps milling about the same spot or perhaps moving ''en masse'' or migrating in some direction. ...

, and

the Lizard The Lizard ( kw, An Lysardh) is a peninsula in southern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at SW 701115; Lizard village, also known as The Lizard, is the most southerl ...

. McGill then performed and was in the original cast recording of

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

and

Susan Stroman Susan P. Stroman (born October 17, 1954) is an American theatre director, choreographer, film director and performer. Her notable theater productions include '' The Producers'', '' Crazy for You'', ''Contact'', and '' The Scottsboro Boys''. She i ...

's, "''Bullets Over Broadway''". His final performance was the "''Bombshell''" concert based on the fictitious musical on ''Smash'' produced by

Craig Zadan Craig Zadan (April 15, 1949 – August 20, 2018) was an American producer and writer. Working alone and with Neil Meron, his partner in the production company Storyline Entertainment, he produced such films as ''Footloose'', ''Chicago'' and ...

and

Neil Meron Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the 2002 film ''Chicago'' and the 2007 film ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in ...

benefitting the

Actors' Fund The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports performers and behind-the-scenes workers in performing arts and entertainment, helping more than 17,000 people directly each year. Ser ...

Filmography

Choreography and direction

McGill was Associate Choreographer of the Broadway production of ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' starring

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...

Andrew Rannells Andrew Scott Rannells (born August 23, 1978) is an American film, stage, television and voice actor. Rannells is best known for originating the role of Elder Kevin Price in the 2011 Broadway musical ''The Book of Mormon'' for which he was nomin ...

, Michael C Hall,

John Cameron Mitchell John Cameron Mitchell (born April 21, 1963) is a two-time Tony Award winning American actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer and director. He is best known as the writer, director and star of the 2001 film '' Hedwig and th ...

Darren Criss Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series ''Glee'' (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree ...

, and

Taye Diggs Scott Leo "Taye" Diggs (born January 2, 1971) is an American stage and film actor. He is known for his roles in the Broadway musicals ''Rent'' and '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', the TV series ''Private Practice'' (2007-2013), ''Murder in the ...

. His job was to teach and tailor the choreography for each new Hedwig performer. Upon receiving an honorary Tony Award, the show's writer and original star, John Cameron Mitchell, publicly thanked Paul among other members of the creative team. Shortly thereafter, McGill choreographed three

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

plays in one season. ''The Legend of Georgia McBride'', written by Matthew Lopez, directed by Mike Donahue, and produced by

MCC Theater MCC Theater (Manhattan Class Company) is an off-Broadway theater company located in New York City, founded in 1986 by artistic directors Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey and William Cantler. Blake West joined the company in 2006 as executive direc ...

, played at the

Lucille Lortel Theatre The Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway playhouse at 121 Christopher Street in Manhattan's West Village. It was built in 1926 as a 590-seat movie theater called the New Hudson, later known as Hudson Playhouse. The interior is largely unch ...

and at the

Geffen Playhouse The Geffen Playhouse (or the Geffen) is a not-for-profit theater company founded by Gilbert Cates in 1995. It produces plays in two theaters in Geffen Playhouse, which is owned by University of California Los Angeles. The Playhouse is located i ...

in Los Angeles in 2017. Following its success, He choreographed ''Steve'', written by Marc Gerard, directed by

Cynthia Nixon Cynthia Ellen Nixon (born April 9, 1966) is an American actress, activist, and theater director. For her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), she won the 2004 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supp ...

, and produced by the New Group at the

Signature Theatre Company Signature Theatre Company is an American theatre based in Manhattan, New York. It was founded in 1991 by James Houghton and is now led by Artistic Director Paige Evans. Signature is known for their season-long focus on one artist's work. It has be ...

. The final play of the season, which he also associate directed, was ''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling Sna ...

'' written by

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Irish satirist, a politician, a playwright, poet, and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as ''The Rivals'', ''The Sc ...

, directed by Marc Vietor, and produced by the Red Bull Theater Company again at the

. Because of his flying experience in '' Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'', McGill choreographed for the aerial dance company, Grounded Aerial, as well as ''Filament'', a new circus work by Joseph Pinzon's company, Short-Round Productions. He has also choreographed the feature film called ''Diamond Soles'', which has yet to be released. In 2017, he trained

Laverne Cox Laverne Cox (born May 29, 1972) is an American actress and LGBT advocate. She rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'', becoming the first transgender person to be nominated for a Pri ...

in Los Angeles for her role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in ''

The Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman and actor Richard O'Brien, who is also ...

'' on

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

Broadway Masters

In 2016, McGill started Broadway Masters with internet entrepreneur

Marcus Lovingood Marcus Anthony Lovingood (born July 19, 1985) is an American new media producer, political activist, internet entrepreneur, and former candidate for the Los Angeles City Council in the 14th District. In 2012, Lovingood appeared on Bravo's ' Star ...

. The program is an online streaming digital masterclass series bringing together Broadway stars and their advice on how to make it on Broadway. The first season of masterclasses include

Anthony Rapp Anthony Deane Rapp (born October 26, 1971) is an American actor and singer who originated the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway production of ''Rent''. Following his original performance of the role in 1996, Rapp reprised it in the film version ...

Laura Osnes Laura Ann Osnes (born November 19, 1985) is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has played starring roles in '' Grease'' as Sandy, '' South Pacific'' as Nellie Forbush, ''Anything Goes'' as Hope Harcourt, ...

Jon Rua Jon Rua (born Jonathan Rua, August 14, 1983) is an American actor, singer, and choreographer, best known for his roles in Broadway musicals such as ''Hamilton'', ''In the Heights'', and '' Hands on a Hardbody''. Rua was the choreographer for th ...

Courtney Reed Courtney Rhodes Reed (born August 10, 1984) is an American actress, best known for originating the role of Princess Jasmine in Disney's ''Aladdin on Broadway.'' Early life Reed was born and raised in Elgin, Illinois to a Caucasian American fa ...

Charlotte D'Amboise Charlotte d'Amboise (born May 11, 1964) is an American actress and dancer. She has played starring roles in musical theatre, and has been nominated for two Tony Awards and won the Los Angeles Ovation Awards for Best Leading Actress in a Musica ...

, Nick Adams,

Lindsay Mendez Lindsay Michelle Mendez (born March 1, 1983) is an American actress and singer, best known for her work in American musical theatre. Mendez won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Carrie Pipperidge i ...

, Kurt Froman and McGill himself. The program was launched on November 10, 2016 to worldwide audiences.

References

External links

* * * *
archive

Broadway Masters official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGill, Paul 1987 births American choreographers Living people Male actors from Pittsburgh