Shuler Paul Hensley (born March 6, 1967) is an American singer and actor.

Early life

Hensley was born in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The youngest of three children, Hensley grew up in

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...

. His father, Sam P. Hensley Jr., is a former

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

star, retired civil engineer and former state senator. His mother, Iris Hensley, (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Antley), was a ballerina, and later, Founder and Artistic Director of the Georgia Ballet

Professional Company and school. Hensley had an early start in show business at the age of four when he appeared as Fritz in her production of ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaik ...

''. He was educated at

The Westminster Schools The Westminster Schools is a Kindergarten –12 private school in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, founded in 1951. History Westminster originated in 1951 as a reorganization of Atlanta's North Avenue Presbyterian School (NAPS), a girls' schoo ...

and attended the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

on a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

scholarship. After attending a recital by Jessye Norman and being cast as Judge Turpin in a college production of '' Sweeney Todd'', he decided to leave university after his

sophomore year In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

in order to study voice at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in m ...

where he majored in opera and graduated in 1989. From there, he went to the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

, Philadelphia, and obtained his master's degree in 1993.

Career

Hensley's stage career began in the early 1990s with roles such as Pitkin in '' On the Town'', Joe in '' The Most Happy Fella'', and Miles Gloriosus in ''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman playwright Plautu ...

'', He has also sung in the

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

operettas '' Pirates of Penzance'' and '' Patience'' and in the operas ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the ...

'', ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

'', ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giusep ...

'' and ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; Köchel catalogue, K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The rake (stock character), Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Pon ...

''. And in addition to an early '' Oklahoma!'' casting as Jud Fry at the North Shore Music Theatre,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Shuler also played Curly at the Skylight Opera Theatre,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

. In 1996, he went to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

, Germany to perform the title role in '' The Phantom of the Opera'' in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. In 1998, he was cast as Jud Fry for London's National Theatre production of ''Oklahoma!'' The revival was a huge success and Hensley received wonderful personal notices as well as the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

. He continued to play the role when the show transferred to the West End (1999), the only American native in the cast, and then to Broadway (2002–2003), where he won a Tony, a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

and an

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newsp ...

for the same role. He has performed on several occasions with

Hugh Jackman Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor. Beginning in theatre and television, he landed his breakthrough role as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in the 20th Century Fox ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2017), a role ...

. They both performed in the musical ''Oklahoma!'' in London in 1998, as well as in the films '' Someone Like You'', and '' Van Helsing'', in the latter of which Hensley played

Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compar ...

and also performed reference motion capture as Mr. Hyde. He cameoed in ''

The Greatest Showman ''The Greatest Showman'' is a 2017 American biographical musical drama film directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut, written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon and starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, ...

'' which starred Jackman. Hensley also starred in the Broadway production of ''

Young Frankenstein ''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor ...

'' as the Monster. For this role he was nominated for the

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The awards were established in ...

and the

for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. He also reprised the role in the United States national tour which also featured his former co-stars Roger Bart and

Cory English Cory English (born 1968) is an American actor. Early life Born into a blue collar family in Rochester, New York, English was the youngest of four boys. English attended Wayne Central High School in Ontario, New York. He lived for several years ...

. He again played the role in the 2017 West End production. In 2011 he portrayed American Yiddish theatre great Boris Thomashefsky in ''The Thomashefskys: Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theater'', a concert stage show celebrating the Thomashefskys and the music of Yiddish theatre, hosted by their grandson the conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. The show aired on the PBS series ''

Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise theatrical performances such as plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is p ...

'' in 2012. In 2012 he starred as a 600-pound man in the Off Broadway production of ''The Whale'' at Playwrights Horizons. In April–May 2015, Hensley sang the role of the Celebrant in Leonard Bernstein's ''Mass'', in a concert version with the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscriptio ...

under conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin.Philadelphia Orchestra, Bernstein's Mass
from YouTube. Later that year he appeared in a Tokyo production of

Hal Prince Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre. One of the foremost figures in 20th century America ...

's '' Prince of Broadway''. In fall 2016, Hensley co-starred with

Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice, in 2002 for her role as Millie Di ...

in The New Group's revival of ''

Sweet Charity ''Sweet Charity'' is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon alongside John McMartin. It is based on ...

''. The Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards are also known as the Shuler Hensley Awards in his honor. The winners of these awards qualify to go on to the national Jimmy Awards.

Work

Stage productions

Broadway * ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' ( Javert) * '' Oklahoma!'' (Jud Fry) * ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'' ( Kerchak) * ''

'' ( The Monster) * ''

No Man's Land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

'' (Briggs) * '' Waiting for Godot'' (Pozzo) * ''

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments ...

'' (Marcellus Washburn) Off-Broadway * ''

'' (Oscar) * '' The Great American Trailer Park Musical'' Other credits * ''It's All About Us'' - Westport Playhouse * '' The Phantom of the Opera'' ( The Phantom of the Opera) - Hamburg, Germany * '' The Most Happy Fella'' - American Songbook / Lincoln Center * '' Regina'' - Kennedy Center * ''

'' ( The Monster) - United States National Tour & West End

Filmography

* '' Oklahoma!'' (1999) * ''Someone Like You'' (2001) * ''

A Wedding for Bella ''A Wedding for Bella'' (formerly titled ''The Bread, My Sweet'') is a 2001 American romantic drama film that told the story of a successful businessman who trades in his single lifestyle to marry the estranged daughter of a terminally ill elderl ...

'' (2001) * '' Van Helsing'' (2004) * '' Opa!'' (2005) * '' The Legend of Zorro'' (2005) * ''Monday Night Mayhem'' (2002) * ''

After.Life ''After.Life'' is a 2009 American psychological horror- thriller film directed by Agnieszka Wójtowicz-Vosloo from her original screenplay. It stars Liam Neeson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Long. Plot Eliot Deacon (Liam Neeson) owns a funeral h ...

'' (2009) * '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' * '' Ed'' * '' Odd Thomas'' (2013) * '' Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter'' (2015) * '' The OA'' (2016) * ''

'' (2017) * '' Dexter: New Blood'' as Elric (2021)

Discography

* '' Oklahoma! 1998 Royal National Theatre Recording as Jud Fry * ''Frankenstein, The Musical Highlights Concept/Demo Recording, released in 2001 as the Creature * '' The Great American Trailer Park Musical: Off-Broadway Cast Recording released January 2006 * ''

: Original Broadway Cast Recording, June 2006 * ''Broadway's Greatest Gifts : Carols for a Cure Volume 9, 2007 * ''

: Original Broadway Cast Recording

References

External links

Shuler Hensley official website
* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hensley, Shuler 1967 births Living people Male actors from Atlanta American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors Drama Desk Award winners Manhattan School of Music alumni Laurence Olivier Award winners Musicians from Marietta, Georgia Tony Award winners University of Georgia alumni Curtis Institute of Music alumni The Westminster Schools alumni