Andrew Rannells

Early life and education

Rannells was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Charlotte and Ronald Rannells. He is the fourth of five siblings, with three sisters and an older brother. Rannells attended Our Lady of Lourdes grade school in Omaha, and then Creighton Preparatory School, an all-boys Roman Catholic school in Omaha. He left the Catholic Church upon graduating as he was sexually abused by a priest at his high school. His family lived in the Hanscom Park neighborhood in Omaha.

As a child, he took classes at the Emmy Gifford Children's Theater and performed at the Omaha Community Playhouse and the Firehouse Dinner Theatre and the Dundee Dinner Theatre. Rannells was 11 when he acted in his first play. He did community theater with fellow Omahan and Creighton Prep alumnus Conor Oberst. He did voice-over work and commercials, including a 1996 Grease spoof with Amy Adams.

He is a 1997 YoungArts alumnus, together with Zuzanna Szadkowski and Michael Benjamin Washington.

Rannells moved to New York City in 1997 after graduating from high school, studying theater at Marymount Manhattan College for two years before he started auditioning full-time and began landing roles.

Career

1994–2002: Early career and voice acting

Active in community theater, Rannells got his start as a professional actor as a teenager through voice acting. In the mid-1990s, he found work with the animation production company DIC Entertainment through an Omaha casting call. He was subsequently cast in a number of their television productions in main voice roles. He continued to work in the medium for a number of years while pursuing theater. Rannells worked with the New York City-based production company 4Kids Entertainment from 2001 to 2004 and did voice acting for several English dubs of anime series such as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, in addition to serving as voice director for the dubs of Kirby: Right Back at Ya! and Sonic X.

One of his first theater roles was as the character James in the touring production of Pokémon Live! from September 2000 to August 2001. When asked about his experience in 2014, he jokingly said that he would have rather starred in a porn film or snuff film instead and that he only took the job for the pay.

In his 2019 memoir Too Much Is Not Enough: A Memoir of Fumbling Toward Adulthood, Rannells admitted that playing James on Pokemon Live! was a miserable experience, as he found the character to be an offensive depiction of a gay man. Being a gay man himself, he felt the role was not only a hurtful insult towards his orientation, but also a bad role model for any gay kid who watched the show when it was on tour. He also admitted that he only starred in the show because he was broke and needed the paycheck.

Before winning his first Broadway role, Rannells had parts in a number of regional theater productions, including Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Miss Saigon, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. For his turn as Hedwig at the Zachary Scott Theater Center in Austin, Texas, in 2002, he won best actor in a musical at the B. Iden Payne Awards in September 2002, which honor outstanding achievements in Austin theater.

2005–2012: Broadway debut and ''The Book of Mormon''

In 2005, Rannells made his Broadway debut when he first understudied and then assumed the role of Link Larkin in the Broadway production of Hairspray.

He followed this with some regional performances. He played Bob Gaudio in the First National Tour of Jersey Boys. His last performance with the tour was on December 6, 2008, in Toronto. In January 2009, he reprised the role of Gaudio in the musical's Broadway production.

In 2011, Rannells originated the role of Elder Price in The Book of Mormon, a musical written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q composer Robert Lopez. For his performance, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for his performance in the musical's Original Broadway Cast Recording. His last performance was June 10, 2012.

2012–present: Work in television and theater

Rannells played a stripper in the 2012 film Bachelorette and played a lead character, Bryan Collins, in the 2012–13 television series The New Normal. In one of his most well known roles, he played the recurring role of Elijah on the HBO television series Girls.

In 2015 Universal Pictures acquired a comedy that was to be written by Rannells with Mike Doyle and produced by Judd Apatow. He temporarily replaced Jonathan Groff in the role of King George III in Hamilton on Broadway from October 27 to November 29, 2015, while Groff fulfilled pre-arranged filming commitments.

Rannells played the role of Whizzer Brown in the Broadway revival of Falsettos directed by James Lapine. He was joined by Christian Borle and Stephanie J. Block who played Marvin and Trina, respectively. The musical ran from October 27, 2016 (with previews beginning September 29), to January 8, 2017. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance.

He played Larry in the 2018 Broadway revival of The Boys in the Band. It was a limited run, in honor of the play's 50th anniversary. It won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. He revived his role (along with the rest of the revival cast) for the film adaptation for Netflix, which was released on September 30, 2020.

On the television show Black Monday Rannells played Blair Pfaff, one of the leading roles and was also a producer. The show premiered on January 20, 2019, on Showtime. In April 2019, the series was renewed for a second season that premiered on March 15, 2020. In October 2020, the series was renewed for a third season which premiered in 2021. In January 2022, it was confirmed by cast member Paul Scheer that the show was cancelled by Showtime.

During this period, he also returned to voice acting; notable credits include main roles in Netflix's Big Mouth (2017–2025) and Amazon's Invincible (2021–present). He played Trent Oliver in Netflix's 2020 movie musical The Prom, an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name.

In 2022 Rannells made his London stage debut originating the role of Jim Bakker in the musical Tammy Faye at the Almeida Theatre. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2023. Originally announced to reprise this role for the Broadway transfer in the fall of 2024, he dropped out of the production after contract negotiations failed and was replaced by his Falsettos co-star Christian Borle.

He reunited with his The Book of Mormon co-star Josh Gad for a limited Broadway production of Gutenberg! The Musical! from September 15, 2023, to January 28, 2024.

Rannells published his first book, a memoir titled Too Much Is Not Enough, in 2019. It is a series of essays about his childhood in Omaha, Nebraska, and his years spent in New York leading up to his 2005 Broadway debut in Hairspray. His second book Uncle of the Year: & Other Debatable Triumphs, again a memoir in the form of essays, was released in 2023.

He made his directorial debut with season 2 episode 7 of Modern Love, titled "How Do You Remember Me?" He also wrote the episode, adapting an essay he wrote for the New York Times column (which appeared in his first memoir).

During an interview on a podcast called 4Kids Flashback, Rannells revealed that he was never called up to reprise his role as Tao Ren for the English dub of Shaman King.

Personal life

Rannells is gay, mentioning that he had known about his sexual orientation since high school. He came out to his family when he was eighteen, but he stated that "by that point, no one was surprised". He also came out to his theater friends, but not his all-boys Catholic school.

Since 2019, he has been in a relationship with actor Tuc Watkins. The two met the year before while playing a couple in the Broadway production of The Boys in the Band. They reprised their roles for Netflix's film version of the show and also worked together on Black Monday in 2020.

He splits his time between New York and Los Angeles.

Filmography

Film

Television

Anime

† indicates the release date of an English language version. This list is incomplete.

Video games

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. "Stars On Stage - Andrew Rannells {{!}} NewYorkTheaterGuide.com".
2. Fischbach, Bob. (May 1, 2011). "He has drive — and now Broadway". [[Omaha World-Herald]].
3. Taylor, Aisha. (February 11, 2014). "girl on guy 126: andrew rannells". girl on guy.
4. Miller, Bruce R.. (2011). "'Nebraska native finds stardom in 'Book of Mormon'". [[Sioux City Journal]].
5. Rannells, Andrew. (March 15, 2019). "Andrew Rannells Describes Growing Up, and Leaving, the Catholic Church".
6. Francke, Warren. (September 9, 2012). "Omaha's Andy Now in New Normal: Oompa-Loompa Before Mormon Missionary". The Reader (Omaha).
7. Rapkin, Mickey. (June 9, 2011). "Q&A: The Book of Mormon's Andrew Rannells". [[GQ]].
8. "Our History {{!}} 40 years for artists".
9. Yi, David. (June 9, 2011). "'The Book of {{sic". [[Daily News (New York).
10. Entertainment Weekly. (October 12, 2020). "Andrew Rannells Got His Start In Voice Over Work Because Of Warren Buffet".
11. Levitt, Hayley. (July 15, 2016). "Flashback Friday: When Andrew Rannells Helped Pokémon Meet Broadway".
12. Lazarus, Catie. (November 26, 2014). "Andrew Rannells On Touring With Pokemon {{!}} Employee of the Month".
13. Rannells, Andrew. (March 12, 2019). "Too Much Is Not Enough: A Memoir of Fumbling Toward Adulthood". [[Crown Archetype]].
14. (December 30, 2008). "Andrew Rannells Tapped to Play Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys". Broadway.com.
15. Brenner, Wayne Alan. (February 8, 2002). "Hedwig and the Angry Inch".
16. Faires, Robert. (October 4, 2002). "Articulations".
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18. Truitt, Brian. (June 9, 2011). "Rannells relishes first Tony nomination". [[USA Today]].
19. Pincus-Roth, Zachary. (April 27, 2007). "Foster, Cody, Cuccioli, Hoty and Goener Join Cape Playhouse Season".
20. (June 21, 2001). "New Musical ''Go Go Beach'', Gets NYC Reading June 21–22".
21. BWW News Desk. "Andrew Rannells Is New Bob Gaudio In 'JERSEY BOYS' Starting 1/13".
22. Hetrick, Adam. (June 6, 2012). "'Two By Two': Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells Will Be Succeeded By Jared Gertner and Nic Rouleau in ''Book of Mormon''". [[Playbill]].
23. Gans, Andrew. (August 10, 2012). "Book of Mormon's Andrew Rannells Takes It Off in "Bachelorette" Film; Comedy Available on VOD Aug. 10". [[Playbill]].
24. Goldberg, Lesley. (February 22, 2012). "'The Hangover Star Joins NBC's Ryan Murphy Comedy". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
25. Miller, Bruce. (November 24, 2012). "Andrew Rannells sends up boss in 'New Normal'". [[Sioux City Journal]].
26. Lynch, Matthew. (April 28, 2011). "Andrew Rannells: Keeping the Faith". [[Women's Wear Daily]].
27. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (April 8, 2015). "'Girls' Co-Star Andrew Rannells To Star In, Co-Write Comedy For Universal And Judd Apatow".
28. Webber, Imogen Lloyd. (October 8, 2015). "Tony Nominee Andrew Rannells Will Step In for Jonathan Groff in Hamilton on Broadway".
29. Paulson, Michael. (March 31, 2016). "'Falsettos' Revival Casts Its Leads: Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells and Stephanie J. Block".
30. Gans, Andrew. (October 27, 2016). "Falsettos Revival, Starring Christian Borle, Stephanie J. Block, Andrew Rannells, Opens".
31. Hetrick, Adam. (December 29, 2016). "13 Shows Close as Broadway Gears Up for a Packed Spring".
32. (June 11, 2017). "Andrew Rannells on Coming Full Circle at the 2017 Tony Awards".
33. Los Angeles Times. (April 2, 2019). "Andrew Rannells on 'Black Monday,' producing, writing — and singing Springsteen".
34. Iannucci, Rebecca. (October 15, 2020). "Black Monday Renewed for Season 3".
35. (January 27, 2022). "'Black Monday' & 'Work in Progress' Canceled at Showtime".
36. Lefkowitz, Andy. (June 25, 2019). "The Prom Film to Star Meryl Streep, James Corden, Andrew Rannells & Nicole Kidman".
37. Wolf, Matt. (October 27, 2022). "Review: Praise the Lord for 'Tammy Faye'". The New York Times.
38. (April 2, 2023). "Olivier Awards 2023 – Live Updates of Winners: My Neighbour Totoro, Standing at the Sky's Edge, Streetcar, Paul Mescal, jodie Comer, Beverly Knight winners".
39. Logan, Culwell-Block. (June 26, 2024). "Christian Borle Joins Broadway Transfer of Tammy Faye".
40. "Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad to Star in Gutenberg! The Musical on Broadway".
41. Brenner, Joanna. "Andrew Rannells's New Memoir Is All About the Perks of Being a Late Bloomer".
42. "Andrew Rannells talks 'Uncle of the Year,' reuniting with Josh Gad".
43. Jones, Daniel. (August 13, 2021). "What Did He Think of Our Night Together?". The New York Times.
44. Rannells, Andrew. (July 28, 2017). "During a Night of Casual Sex, Urgent Messages Go Unanswered". The New York Times.
45. (May 7, 2024). "Ep 29: 4Kids Flashback: Andrew Rannells: Anime Podcast About the History of Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, One Piece and More".
46. Siegel, Miranda. (May 29, 2012). "Andrew Rannells on His Girls Character, Slapping Marnie, and His New Ryan Murphy Show". Vulture-[[New York (magazine).
47. Martin, Denise. (January 29, 2013). "Andrew Rannells: The Boy Scout With the Dirty Mouth". Vulture-[[New York (magazine).
48. (September 22, 2019). "Andrew Rannells and Tuc Watkins Make Their Relationship 'Instagram Official'".
49. Broverman, Neal. (October 1, 2020). "Andrew Rannells and Tuc Watkins: The Couple That Plays Together".
50. Rudolph, Christopher. (March 8, 2018). "Shania Twain, "Broad City" Stars And More Join The Judges' Panel On "Drag Race" Season 10".
51. (2018). "Andrew Rannells in Concert".
52. "History of the World Part II reveals massive starry guest cast and (some) character names".
53. (December 5, 2023). "'Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake' Renewed for Season 2 at Max".
54. (June 19, 2024). "The Boys songwriter behind Vought on Ice did the excruciating homework".
55. "The Tallest Man I Ever Loved {{!}} With Andrew Rannells".
56. "Andrew Rannells".
57. Jones, Kenneth. (December 2, 2004). "Hai-Ya! ''It's Karate, Kid!'', Hick-Kicking New Musical Spoof, Premieres in NYC Dec. 2-18".
58. Joy, Cara. (November 11, 2005). "Andrew Rannells to Star as Hairspray's Next Link Larkin".
59. Jones, Kenneth. (September 6, 2005). "John Pinette Slips Into Edna's Housecoat in Broadway's ''Hairspray'' Sept. 6".
60. BWW News Desk. "Andrew Rannells to Take Over as Link in Hairspray, Nov. 15".
61. Jones, Kenneth. (October 8, 2006). "NAMT's Festival of New Musicals, a Vital Marketplace for New Shows, Plays NYC Oct. 8-9".
62. [https://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/46661-miss-saigon-at-merry-go-round-playhouse-may-29-june-21-2007 Miss Saigon]
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66. Gans, Andrew. (October 20, 2008). "''Jersey Boys'' Extends Toronto Run Through February 2009; New Canadian Cast Expected".
67. Gans, Andrew. (December 29, 2008). "''Hairspray's'' Rannells Will Join Broadway's ''Jersey Boys'' in January".
68. Gans, Andrew. (July 14, 2009). "Arcelus Returns to ''Jersey Boys'' Cast July 14".
69. Gans, Andrew. (April 7, 2010). "Paper Mill's ''Smokey Joe's Cafe'', with Finley, Rannells, Summers, Begins April 7".
70. (January 28, 2010). "The Dallas Theater Center's World Premiere, Give It Up! Asks The Audience To Give Up More Than Two And A Half Hours To Its Redbull-buzzed Idiocy". Dallas Observer.
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73. "Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Broadway, 2014)".
74. "Hamilton (Broadway, 2015)".
75. (January 14, 2016). "Brian d'Arcy James, Jonathan Groff, and Andrew Rannells on Playing Hamilton Fan Favorite King George III".
76. "Falsettos (Broadway, 2016-2017)".
77. Clement, Olivia. (December 15, 2017). "The Leftovers'' Charlie Carver Joins Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, and More for Broadway's ''The Boys in the Band".
78. (August 25, 2022). "Tammy Faye Bakker musical comes to the stage with new music by Elton John". NBC News.
79. Wild, Stephi. "TAMMY FAYE, New Musical From Elton John Starring Katie Brayben and Andrew Rannells, Sets World Premiere Dates".
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