Graham Phillips (actor)

Personal life

Phillips was born on April 14, 1993, in Orange County, California. His father is Layn R. Phillips, an attorney and former U.S. district court judge. He was raised Episcopalian, and during his K-12 school years, attended St. Margaret's Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, California. He dated singer Ariana Grande from 2008 to 2011.

Phillips entered Princeton University in the fall of 2012, majoring in history while maintaining his acting career. His undergraduate thesis was on indigenous marginalization and resistance in the U.S. He graduated in 2017.

Career

Stage and music

Phillips starred as Evan Goldman in the musical comedy 13 on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre which opened October 5, 2008 and closed January 4, 2009. It was directed by Jeremy Sams, choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, and its music and lyrics were by Jason Robert Brown and book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn.

Prior to his role in 13, Phillips played the title role in The Little Prince with the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center. The New York Times critic called Phillips' performance in the title role "smashing." From there Phillips went directly into the world premiere of An American Tragedy at the Metropolitan Opera where he played the part of Young Clyde, both opening and closing the opera with a solo.

Phillips' other professional stage credits include A Christmas Carol: The Musical performed at Madison Square Garden where he sang the role of Tiny Tim to Jim Dale's Scrooge; The Ten Commandments: The Musical with Val Kilmer at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

Phillips, at ten years old, was the second youngest person to sing the National Anthem to open a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game (behind 9-year-old Jessica Tivens in 1990). He has also debuted original songs composed by Martin Charnin and John Kander in New York. He appeared twice on The Today Show as a soloist. Phillips recorded a solo composed by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz for the film Noel starring Robin Williams and Susan Sarandon. He also was a soloist on Meat Loaf's 2006 album Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose.

Recent stage credits include Nick in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Geffen Playhouse (2022), starring alongside Zachary Quinto and Calista Flockhart. Phillips then played George in Sunday in the Park with George at Pasadena Playhouse (2023), directed by Sarna Lapine, and reprised the role in a 2024 production at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center, directed by fellow Princetonian and 13: The Musical alum Eamon Foley.

In June 2025, Phillips returned to the New York stage in the Off Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors as Seymour Krelborn.

Screen acting

Phillips had a co-starring role as Jordan Baxter, the middle son, in the feature film Evan Almighty, starring Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman and Lauren Graham, which premiered June 22, 2007. In the fall of 2007 he completed working on the feature film Stolen Lives starring Josh Lucas. Phillips also played the lead role in Ben 10: Race Against Time. His television credits include The Good Wife, Crossing Jordan, Judging Amy, The King of Queens, White Collar, and the Hallmark film Love's Long Journey.

Phillips, along with the rest of the cast of The Good Wife, has received three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. He has also received three Young Artist Award nominations; Best Performance By a Leading Young Actor in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special for his role in Ben 10: Race Against Time, Best Performance by a Supporting Young Actor in a Feature Film for his role in Evan Almighty, and Best Supporting Young Actor in a TV Series for his role in The Good Wife. He also plays Roger in the go90.com series Guidance.

Phillips played Austin in the 2018 film Blockers. He starred alongside Kathryn Newton.

Phillips played Nick St. Clair in the second season of the teen drama television series Riverdale. In 2019, Phillips played Prince Eric in ABC's The Little Mermaid Live!

In 2023, Phillips provided the voice and motion capture for Harry Osborn in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. He replaced Scott Porter, who provided the voice for the character in Marvel’s Spider-Man.

He will appear as Matt Petersen in the upcoming Amazon series Scarpetta alongside Nicole Kidman.

Directing and production

In 2014, Phillips co-founded a small production company Grind Arts Co. with choreographer-actor Eamon Foley. Foley, who co-starred with Phillips in 13, also was attending Princeton. With Grind, Phillips produced and acted in experimental adaptions of Sweeney Todd and The Last Five Years, and directed a short film titled Color + Light. Phillips also directed a Princeton production of the musical Once in 2016.

Since 2014, Phillips has run the independent film production studio Phillips Pictures with his brother Parker Phillips. As a writer-director team – billed as Graham & Parker Phillips – they have worked on a number of projects together. They released the original short film The Mediator in 2015. In 2019, the Phillips brothers made their feature filmmaking debut with The Bygone. The film was distributed by Netflix.

Their most recent effort, Rumble Through the Dark, written by Michael Farris Smith and adapted from his own novel, The Fighter, starred Aaron Eckhart, Bella Thorne and Academy-Award nominee Marianne Jean Baptiste. The project was released theatrically by Lionsgate November 10th 2023, and internationally by Universal Pictures.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

Video games

Discography

References

References

1. (16 September 2010). "Oceana's Third Annual SeaChange Summer Party Draws Star-Studded Crowd".
2. (6 June 1990). "U.S. Attorney Names Two New Prosecutors". Tulsa World.
3. "Episcopal News Service - FEATURES". Episcopal Church.
4. "Archived copy".
5. Zauzmer, Emily. (July 22, 2015). "Graham Phillips Defends Ex-Girlfriend Ariana Grande After Doughnut Controversy: 'It Doesn't Speak to Her Character at All'". [[People (magazine).
6. Cabrera, Daniela. (August 26, 2016). "Who Has Ariana Grande Dated? The Singer Has a Thing for Guys in the Music Biz".
7. Princeton. (November 17, 2016). "#TellUsTigers".
8. [[Princeton University]]. (November 5, 2019). "Tonight on @ABC: Graham Phillips '17 takes the stage as Prince Eric in #LittleMermaidLive!".
9. Midgette, Anne. (November 14, 2005). "From Grown-Ups, a 'Little Prince' for Children". [[The New York Times]].
10. "It's Evening in America". ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine). Vanity Fair]]''. May 2012. p. 158.
11. (December 14, 2011). "Nominations Announced for the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". SAG Awards.
12. (December 16, 2010). "The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". SAG Awards.
13. "Blockers: Graham Phillips On Leslie's Character Not Liking Austin".
14. "Riverdale Casts Graham Phillips as Veronica's Ex".
15. (September 25, 2019). "John Stamos & Graham Phillips Join 'The Little Mermaid Live!' On ABC". Deadline Hollywood.
16. Archivist, Overly Devoted. (2023-10-31). "A new interview with Graham Phillips, Harry Osborn's actor in Spider-Man 2".
17. "About".
18. "Team".
19. (2016-10-27). "Lewis Center for the Arts' Programs in Theater and Music Theater present the Tony Award-winning musical Once".
20. "About Brother Writer/Directors Graham Phillips and Parker Phillips".
21. (August 11, 2017). "Riverdale Casts The Good Wife Alum as Veronica's Ex". TV Guide.
22. (September 3, 2018). "Atypical Remains the Most Surprising Family Comedy on TV". TV Guide.
23. (October 6, 2019). "Meet Ariel, Prince Eric, Ursula, and more of The Little Mermaid Live! cast in new video".
24. Gans, Andrew. (May 27, 2025). "Graham Phillips Will Join Cast of Off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors".