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Brigid Pfeifer
Tony Award Winning Actor Passes Away at 48
13 hours ago
Gavin Creel won the Tony in 2017 for his performance in 'Hello, Dolly!'Photo byEddie BlaironUnsplash
He left far too soon.
Earlier today, September 30th, actor Gavin Creel passed away at his home in New York City. He was 48 years old. Creel was recently diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma back in July 2024.
Creel was a native of Findlay, Ohio and graduated from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance. He made his Broadway debut in 2002 as the male lead of Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie. For his performance, Creel received a Tony nomination in the leading actor in a musical category.
More Broadway productions soon followed. In total, he performed in eight shows on the Great White Way. In 2009, he received another Tony nomination for his performance in the Broadway revival of Hair. He appeared in both the Broadway productions and the West End productions of The Book of Mormon and Waitress. For his apperance in the former, Creel received an Olivier Award, the West End equivalent of the Tony.
In 2017, Creel finally won a Tony in the featured actor in a musical category for his apperance as Cornelius Hackl in the revivial of Hello, Dolly! opposite Bette Midler. Other Broadway roles included those in La Cage Aux Folles and She Loves Me. His final Broadway performance came in 2022 when he played both the Wolf and Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods. He did appear in one more show following Into the Woods, a solo show called Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice at the MCC Theater.
Aside from Broadway, Creel released three albums throughout his career. On screen, he appeared on Ryan Murphy's American Horror Stories and played the role of Bill in Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime opposite Julie Andrews. He even took the time to give back and fight for equal rights. He served as a co-founder of Broadway Impact, the first and only grassroots organization that mobilizes the theater community to support marriage equality.
Gavin Creel is survived by his mother Nancy Clemens Creel, his father James William Creel, his sisters, his partner Alex Temple Ward and his dog Nina.
Gavin was diagnosed with cancer in July 2024 and underwent treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering for a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma. His passing was confirmed by his partner Alex Temple Ward. In honor of his memory, his family requests fans to send gifts made out to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS where Creel served as a board member.
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