Eric Anderson (born December 14, 1972) is an American actor and singer. On Broadway, he has originated roles in ''

Waitress Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending ...

'', '' Kinky Boots'', '' The Last Ship'', ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...

'', and '' Soul Doctor'', and was nominated for a

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding 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 1955, wi ...

. He portrayed Mr. O’Malley 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, ...

'' (2017).

Career in California

In 2006, Anderson won the inaugural

Joel Hirschhorn Joel Hirschhorn (December 18, 1937 – September 17, 2005) was an American songwriter. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song on two occasions. He also wrote songs for a number of musicians, including Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison. Hirsc ...

award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre, awarded by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. He received two San Diego Critics Circle

Craig Noel Craig Noel (August 25, 1915 – April 3, 2010) was an American theatre producer. He was the founding director of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California and led it for more than 60 years. He "helped transform it from an insular comm ...

Awards and multiple

Back Stage West Garland Award The Back Stage Garland Awards — also referred to simply as the Garland Awards, and known as the Back Stage West Garland Awards from 1998 to 2008 — were bestowed by the entertainment-industry newspaper ''Backstage'', honoring excellence in Sout ...

s as best actor in a musical. His performances on the West Coast have included

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

in '' Man of La Mancha'', Dr. Frank N. Furter in ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the Science fiction film, science fiction and Horror film, horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the ...

'', Richard M. Nixon in '' Judy's Scary Little Christmas'', and Burrs in both versions of '' The Wild Party''. Anderson is a member of the

Troubadour Theater Company Troubadour Theater Company is a theater company in Los Angeles. They play at the Falcon Theatre, and Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Long Beach, and give readings at the Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referr ...

. He left California in 2007 to play Merlyn in a U.S. national tour of ''

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...

'' opposite

Michael York Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television and stage actor. After performing on-stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's ''Ro ...

, and moved to New York in 2008. In 2020, he returned to the West Coast to play

Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate capta ...

in ''Fly'' at

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

Broadway

In 2009, Anderson made his Broadway debut as Stewpot in the Tony award-winning revival of '' South Pacific'' at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

.Pacific News
New York Theater Guide, January 9, 2006 He was in the original Broadway casts of '' Kinky Boots'', written by

Harvey Fierstein Harvey Forbes Fierstein ( ; born June 6, 1952) is an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for his theater work in '' Torch Song Trilogy'' and '' Hairspray'' and movie roles in '' Mrs. Doubtfire'', ''Independence Day'', an ...

and

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

, '' Rocky the Musical'', '' The Last Ship'' written by Sting, and '' Soul Doctor'' at the

Circle in the Square Theatre The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, in the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is one of two Broadway theaters that use a thrust stage that extends ...

, where he received critical acclaim for his starring role as

Shlomo Carlebach Shlomo Carlebach ( he, שלמה קרליבך; 14 January 1925 – 20 October 1994), known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a rabbi, religious teacher, spiritual leader, composer, and singer dubbed "the singing rabbi" during his lifetime. ...

. Anderson was nominated for a

for his portrayal in the pre-Broadway production at New York Theatre Workshop. Anderson originated the role of Cal in the musical adaption of ''

'' on Broadway, written by Sara Bareilles. Anderson also played the role of Barney Thompson in the musical adaptation of '' Pretty Woman''. In 2022, he took over the role of Harold Zidler in ''

Moulin Rouge! ''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...

'' at the

Al Hirschfeld Theatre The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish and ...

; after

Danny Burstein Danny Burstein (born June 16, 1964) is an American actor and singer, most known for his work on the Broadway stage. A seven-time Tony Award nominee, Burstein won the 2020 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as Ha ...

’s departure from the show.

Film and television

Anderson portrayed Mr. O'Malley in ''

'' (2017), and has had guest roles on television, including ''

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, a ...

'', ''

The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in l ...

'', ''

Law & Order: Criminal Intent ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural Drama (film and television), drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, p ...

'' and '' Alias''.

Personal life

Anderson is married to actress

Jessica Rush Jessica Rush (born December 23, 1980) is an American actress and singer. She won the Joseph Jefferson Award in 2014 for her performance in ''Gypsy: A Musical Fable, Gypsy'' at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Early life Born in Beaumont, Texas, ...

, and has a daughter, Elliot.

Theatre credits

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Eric 1972 births American male musical theatre actors Back Stage West Garland Award recipients Living people Male actors from Newport Beach, California