Steven Michael Kazee (born October 30, 1975) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for starring as Guy in the musical ''
Once
Once means a one-time occurrence.
Once may refer to:
Music
* ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten''
* ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper
* ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...
'' for which he was awarded the
2012 Tony Award for
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Kazee began his professional acting career in the mid 2000s, and from 2005 until 2013 acted in a series of Broadway productions including ''
Spamalot
''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot'') is a musical comedy with music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, and lyrics and book by Idle. It is adapted from the 1975 film ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail''.
Like the motion picture ...
'', ''
110 in the Shade
''110 in the Shade'' is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Tom Jones, and music by Harvey Schmidt.
Based on Nash's 1954 play '' The Rainmaker'', it focuses on Lizzie Curry, a spinster living on a ranch in the American southwest ...
'', and ''Once''. Following the success of ''Once'', Kazee acted on multiple television series, most notably playing Gus Pfender in the
fifth season of ''
Shameless''. Kazee returned to theater in 2018, starring as Edward in the Chicago
tryout
''Tryout'' was an amateur press journal published from 1914 to 1946 by Charles W. Smith of Haverhill, Massachusetts. It was connected to the National Amateur Press Association.
Smith (1852–1948) was a friend and correspondent of H. P. Lovecraft ...
of ''
Pretty Woman: The Musical''.
Early life and education
Kazee was born and raised in
Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland is a home rule-class city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The largest city in Boyd County, Ashland is located upon a southern bank of the Ohio River at the state border with Ohio and near West Virginia. The population was 21,6 ...
.
["Tisch To Honor Oliver Stone At West Coast Benefit Gala"]
nyu.edu, October 4, 2013 He is an alumnus of
Fairview High School and
Morehead State University
Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ea ...
. Kazee moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 2002 and received his
MFA from the Graduate Acting Program at
NYU
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-United States Secretary of the Treasu ...
's
Tisch School of the Arts
The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University.
Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...
in 2005.
Career
Theatre
He appeared in the
New York Shakespeare Festival
Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions are ...
's ''
As You Like It
''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...
'' in June 2005. He appeared in ''
Seascape
A seascape is a photograph, painting, or other work of art which depicts the sea, in other words an example of marine art. The word originated as a formation from landscape, which was first used of images of land in art. By a similar devel ...
'' on Broadway in November 2005 as the Leslie understudy. In January 2006, he appeared as Timmy Cleary in ''
The Subject Was Roses
''The Subject Was Roses'' is a Pulitzer Prize-winning 1964 play written by Frank D. Gilroy, who also adapted the work in 1968 for a film with the same title.
Background
The play premiered on Broadway at the Royale Theatre on May 25, 1964, s ...
'', which played at the
Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
. He was later cast as a replacement for Sir Lancelot in ''
Spamalot
''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot'') is a musical comedy with music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, and lyrics and book by Idle. It is adapted from the 1975 film ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail''.
Like the motion picture ...
'' on Broadway in April 2006. In 2007, he starred as Bill Starbuck in the revival of ''
110 in the Shade
''110 in the Shade'' is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Tom Jones, and music by Harvey Schmidt.
Based on Nash's 1954 play '' The Rainmaker'', it focuses on Lizzie Curry, a spinster living on a ranch in the American southwest ...
'' on Broadway, In 2008, he played Sobinsky in
''
To Be Or Not To Be To Be or Not to Be may refer to:
* ''To be, or not to be'', the soliloquy from ''Hamlet''.
Films and TV, theatre and books
* ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1942 film), directed by Ernst Lubitsch
* ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1983 film), a remake produced ...
'', which ran from September 16 through November 16 at the
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, formerly the Biltmore Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 261 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the neo-Renai ...
.
Kazee starred as Guy in the stage adaptation of ''
Once
Once means a one-time occurrence.
Once may refer to:
Music
* ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten''
* ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper
* ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...
'', He originated the role
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 ...
when it opened at the
New York Theatre Workshop
__NOTOC__
New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theatre noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 4th Street (Manhattan), East 4th Street between Second Avenue (Manhattan), Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village, ...
on December 6, 2011. ''
Once
Once means a one-time occurrence.
Once may refer to:
Music
* ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten''
* ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper
* ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...
'' began previews on Broadway on February 28, 2012, and opened on March 18, 2012, at the
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (formerly the Royale Theatre and the John Golden Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 242 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theat ...
. Kazee made several TV appearances promoting ''Once'', including ''
Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
'' and ''
Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...
''. Kazee won the
2012 Tony Award for
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Kazee and the cast of ''Once'' won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.
He is featured on
Christina Perri
Christina Judith Perri (born August 19, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. After her debut single "Jar of Hearts" was featured on the television series ''So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2010, Perri signed with Atlantic Records and releas ...
's song "
A Thousand Years, Pt. 2", which appears on ''
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)''.
In 2017 it was announced that Kazee would star in the stage adaptation of the 1990 film ''
Pretty Woman
''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, from a screenplay by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance), La ...
'', opposite
Samantha Barks
Samantha Jane Barks (born 2 October 1990) is a Manx people, Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series ''I'd Do Anything (BBC TV series), I'd Do Anything'' in 2008. She has rele ...
in her Broadway debut. The musical, titled ''
Pretty Woman: The Musical'', is directed by
Jerry Mitchell
Jerry Mitchell is an American theatre director and choreographer.
Early life and education
Born in Paw Paw, Michigan, Mitchell later moved to St. Louis where he pursued his acting, dancing and directing career in theatre. Although he did not g ...
and premiered in Chicago in March 2018 and later opened on Broadway in August 2018. After performing as Edward in the Chicago production, Kazee left ''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' due to "family reasons." He was replaced by
Andy Karl
Andy Karl (born August 28, 1974 as Andrew Karl Cesewski) is an American actor and singer, best known for performing in musical theatre. He appeared on Broadway in the original productions of the musical version of ''Groundhog Day'' (for which he ...
when the production transferred to Broadway.
Television
In 2006, Kazee played Dumas Shepherd in an episode of the television series
''Conviction''. In 2007, he appeared as Michael Barlow in ''
Medium
Medium may refer to:
Science and technology
Aviation
*Medium bomber, a class of war plane
* Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data
* Medium of ...
'' and Mark Green in ''
Numb3rs
''Numbers'' (stylized as ''NUMB3RS'') is an American crime drama television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, for six seasons and 118 episodes. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton ...
''.
["Kazee TV"](_blank)
tvguide.com, retrieved November 23, 2017. In 2008, he appeared on ''
NCIS'' as Michael Locke. In 2009, he played Dominic Humphreys on ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...
''.
Kazee had a starring role on the
CMT's ''
Working Class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
'' (2011), in which he played Nick Garrett.
In 2013 he appeared on ''
Elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
'' as Jeff Hines and on ''
Drop Dead Diva
''Drop Dead Diva'' is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that aired on Lifetime from July 12, 2009, to June 22, 2014. The series was created by Josh Berman and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It stars Brooke Elliott ...
'' as Dustin Wycott. In 2015, he played Gus Pfender in a recurring role in season 5 and 6 of Showtime's series ''
Shameless''.
[Andreeva, Nellie]
"Steve Kazee Joins Showtime’s 'Shameless'"
deadline.com, May 28, 2014.
Personal life
Kazee was previously in a relationship with actress
Megan Hilty
Megan Kathleen Hilty (born March 29, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence for her roles in Broadway musicals, including her performance as Glinda the Good Witch in '' Wicked'', Doralee Rhodes in '' 9 to 5: The Musical' ...
from 2005 until 2012.
In October 2018, it was confirmed that Kazee is in a relationship with
Jenna Dewan
Jenna Lee Dewan (; born December 3, 1980) is an American actress and dancer. She started her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, and later worked with artists including Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Missy Elliott. She is known for her ...
. In September 2019, it was announced that the couple were expecting their first child together. In February 2020, he and Dewan became engaged. He and Dewan welcomed their son on March 6, 2020.
Theatre credits
Sources: Playbill;
["Steve Kazee Broadway"]
Playbill (vault), retrieved November 23, 2017 BroadwayWorld
Filmography
Television
Awards and nominations
Sources: Playbill;
IBDB
"Kazee Awards"
ibdb.com, retrieved November 23, 2017
References
External links
*
*
*
archive
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kazee, Steve
1975 births
Living people
Male actors from Kentucky
American male television actors
American male musical theatre actors
Grammy Award winners
Morehead State University alumni
Musicians from Ashland, Kentucky
Tony Award winners
Tisch School of the Arts alumni
Singers from Kentucky