William Frederick Roland (born March 5, 1989) better known as Will Roland is an American actor and singer, best known for originating the role of Jared Kleinman in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical ''

Dear Evan Hansen ''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important role for himself in a tr ...

'', for which he received a Grammy and

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

. On film, he is known for his role in the drama film '' One Penny''. Most recently, he played the lead role of Jeremy Heere in the musical ''Be More Chill'' both off-Broadway and on Broadway.

Early life

William Frederick Roland was born in

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 Beth and William J. Roland, who co-own Roland Antiques, an auction house. He initially lived in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

before moving to

Locust Valley Locust Valley is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 3,406 at the 2010 census. History The rollin ...

, Long Island at the age of eight. He attended

Friends Academy Friends Academy is a Quaker, coeducational, independent, college preparatory school serving students from nursery school through the twelfth grade, located in Locust Valley, New York, United States. The school was founded in 1876 by 78-year-old ...

for middle school and high school. Roland graduated from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a 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- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

in 2011 with a degree in musical theater from Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

Career

Roland's first professional role after graduating from college was in 2011, where he played the role of Ian DeForge in ''The Bus'' at 59e59 Theaters. The show opened on October 4, 2011, and closed on October 31, 2011. In 2012, Roland played the role of Nato Obenkrieger from August 16, 2012, to September 2, 2012, in a staged workshop of ''The Black Suits'', a musical by

Joe Iconis Joseph Peter Philip Iconis (born September 22, 1981) is an American composer, lyricist, and playwright. He is best known for writing the music and lyrics to the Broadway musical '' Be More Chill''. Early life and education Iconis graduated f ...

The Berkshires The Berkshires () are a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that ex ...

at the Barrington Stage Company. In this production, he played alongside

Ben Platt Benjamin Schiff Platt (born September 24, 1993) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in productions of ''The Sound of Music'' (2006) and ''The Book of Mormon'' (201 ...

, who he would again star beside in ''

''. Roland reprised this role in 2013 from October 27, 2013, to November 24, 2013, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, for the show's world premiere at the

Center Theatre Group Center Theatre Group is a non-profit arts organization located in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the largest theatre companies in the nation, programming subscription seasons year-round at the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre and the ...

. In April 2013, Roland participated in the first reading of '' Be More Chill'', wherein he read the role of Michael. He then departed the production and re-auditioned for the lead in 2015 when it was casting for its world premiere, whereupon he did not get cast. Around this time, he also became involved in the as then ''Untitled PPL Project''. Starting in July 2014, Roland participated in readings and workshops of the show that would become ''

'', playing the role of Jared Kleinman. The show made its premiere in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

at the

Arena Stage Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...

and ran from July 10, 2015, to August 23, 2015. While in Washington, D.C. for the workshop and original production of ''Dear Evan Hansen'', and Roland was also cast as Collin in the independent film '' One Penny''. Principal photography occurred in 2015. The film premiered at the

DC Independent Film Festival The DC Independent Film Festival (DCIFF) is a film festival in Washington, D.C. Launched in 1999, DCIFF exhibits features, animation, shorts and documentaries from around the world, focusing on cutting-edge ideas, new visions and advances in the c ...

in February 2017. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Northern Virginia International Film and Music Festival in 2017. In 2016, Roland reprised his role as Jared when ''Dear Evan Hansen'' went Off-Broadway for a limited engagement run at the

Second Stage Theatre Second Stage Theater is a theater company founded in 1979 by Robyn Goodman and Carole Rothman and located in Manhattan, New York City. It produces both new plays and revivals of contemporary American plays by new playwrights and established wri ...

. Previews began March 26, 2016. The show opened on May 1, 2016, and ran until May 29, 2016. After selling out its Off-Broadway run, the show then transferred to

at the

Music Box Theatre The Music Box Theatre is a Broadway theater at 239 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1921, the Music Box Theatre was designed by C. Howard Crane in a Palladian-inspir ...

. Previews began November 14, 2016 and the show opened on December 4, 2016. Roland departed the show on June 10, 2018. In 2017, Roland was approached by the showrunners of '' Billions'' after seeing his performance in ''Dear Evan Hansen''. He was offered an audition for a guest role, which turned into the recurring role of Winston, who Roland portrayed starting in season 3 of ''Billions''. On April 13, 2018, it was announced that Roland would play the role of Jeremy Heere in Joe Iconis' '' Be More Chill'' Off-Broadway limited engagement run at the

Pershing Square Signature Center The Pershing Square Signature Center is a complex of three Off-Broadway theatres in the Theatre Row section of West 42nd Street in New York City. It is on the first floors of the 43-floor MiMa Building apartment complex. Pershing Square Signat ...

. Previews began July 26, 2018. The show opened August 9, 2018 and closed on September 30, 2018, after a one-week extension. Through

Ghostlight Records Sh-K-Boom Records is an independent record label and producer of recorded and live entertainment, which was founded in 2000 by Kurt Deutsch with the mission of bridging the gap between pop music and theater. In 2004 Sh-K-Boom created their secon ...

, Roland released a new song called "Loser Geek Whatever" that had been introduced to the show as the new act 1 finale for its Off-Broadway run. After its sold out Off-Broadway run, Roland reprised the role when the show then transferred to Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre. Previews began February 13, 2019. The show opened March 10, 2019 and closed August 11, 2019. In 2021, he played the role of Zeke Matthews in the studio cast recording of Goosebumps The Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium. He starred alongside Krystina Alabado and Noah Galvin

Personal life

On November 7, 2018, Roland became engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Stephanie Wessels. They were married in June 2022.

Credits

Theatre

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roland, Will 1989 births 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male television actors Grammy Award winners Living people Male actors from New York City People from the East Village, Manhattan People from Locust Valley, New York Singers from New York City Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni