Will Chase
Will Chase (born September 12, 1970) is an American Tony-Award-nominated actor and singer, best known for his work in Broadway musicals and and a role as country superstar Luke Wheeler on ABC’s Nashville. Chase was born in Frankfort, Kentucky, and is the youngest of three boys. He graduated from Western Hills High School and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied conducting with Robert Spano and majored in percussion.[1][2]
Life
He has two daughters, Daisy and Gracie, with Lori Chase, with whom he was married from 1998 to 2008, when the pair amicably divorced.[12] He married Stephanie Gibson on November 15, 2009; they filed for divorce in January 2012.[13] As of 2012[update], he was dating his Smash costar Debra Messing.[14] As of October 2014, Messing and Chase have reportedly split.[15]
Career
He first performed in a Broadway show in 1998 as the Squeegee Man and Roger understudy in Rent; he also starred as the last Roger in the final Broadway company of Rent, which was recorded for the theatrical release entitled Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway.[3][4] His additional Broadway credits include Miss Saigon (with the original star Lea Salonga playing Kim to close the Broadway production), The Full Monty as Jerry Lukowski replacement (2001), Lennon (2005), and Aida (Radames replacement, 2003–04),another role originated by Pascal, and Tony in Billy Elliot the Musical.[5] He was also in A Little Princess the Musical as Captain Crewe.
In 2005, he played Neville Craven in the 2005 World AIDS Day The Secret Garden concert.[6] In 2006 he starred in the short lived High Fidelity on Broadway, and starred as Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA, for which he received a nomination for the 2009 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor.[7] He appeared in The Pajama Game opposite Kate Baldwin at The Muny in July 2007.[8] He also starred in Oklahoma in 2007 at the Lyric Theatre opposite Kelli O’Hara, as well as the Broadway musical The Story of My Life, with Malcolm Gets in February 2009.[9]
Chase’s television guest appearances include the recurring role of Pat Mahoney on Rescue Me, Cupid, Canterbury’s Law, Law & Order, Third Watch, Conviction, and Queens Supreme. He had a small role in the 2000 film Shaft.[10] Chase guest-starred in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode “Passion” in July 2009.
His television appearances include Hallmark’s The Lost Valentine alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt and Betty White, the 2011 season finale of Royal Pains (USA), Blue Bloods (CBS), and the new ABC drama Pan Am. In 2012, he appeared on the series White Collar in the episode “Neighborhood Watch” and appeared on the series Unforgettable in the episode “The Comeback”. He also guest starred as Michael Swift in the NBC series, Smash.[11]
Most recently, he has completed the production on Butterflies of Bill Baker, where he plays the title role. He currently plays the role of country superstar Luke Wheeler on the television series Nashville. He was nominated for the 2013 Tony Awards for Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as John Jasper / Mr. Clive Paget in the revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Broadway
| Productions | Date of Productions |
|---|---|
| The Mystery of Edwin Drood [Musical, Revival]
|
Nov 13, 2012 – Mar 10, 2013 |
| Nice Work If You Can Get It [Musical, Comedy, Original]
|
Apr 24, 2012 – Jun 15, 2013 |
| The Story of My Life [Musical, Original]
|
Feb 19, 2009 – Feb 22, 2009 |
| Billy Elliot: The Musical [Musical, Original]
|
Nov 13, 2008 – Jan 08, 2012 |
| High Fidelity [Musical, Comedy, Original]
|
Dec 07, 2006 – Dec 17, 2006 |
| Lennon [Musical, Original]
|
Aug 14, 2005 – Sep 24, 2005 |
| The Full Monty [Musical, Comedy, Original]
|
Oct 26, 2000 – Sep 01, 2002 |
| Aida [Musical, Drama, Original]
|
Mar 23, 2000 – Sep 05, 2004 |
| Rent [Musical, Drama, Original]
|
Apr 29, 1996 – Sep 07, 2008 |
| Miss Saigon [Musical, Drama, Original]
|
Apr 11, 1991 – Jan 28, 2001 |
References
- Feldman, Ed.Spotlight on Will Chase Talkin’Broadway, accessed July 11, 2009
- BWW News Desk.The Story of My Life broadwayworld.com, January 8, 2009
- Rent Internet Broadway Database, accessed July 11, 2009
- “Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway” Appears on DVD and Blu-Ray Feb. 3
- Will Chase Internet Broadway Database, accessed July 11, 2009
- Gans, Andrew and Jones, Kenneth.“Chase, Pasquale, Cavenaugh and More Join All-Star Secret Garden Benefit Concert,” playbill.com, November 11, 2005
- Will Chase on BroadwayWorld.com
- Gans, Andrew.“Chase and Baldwin Play The Pajama Game at the Muny Beginning July 23,” playbill.com, July 23, 2007
- The Story of My Life” Internet Broadway Database, accessed July 11, 2009
- Will Chase Internet Movie Database, accessed July 11, 2009
- Will Chase Joins the Cast of SMASH on NBC
- Lori Chase to host fundraiser
- Registry registry.weddingchannel.com
- Debra Messing’s New Man Meets Her Parents, People, January 27, 2012
- Lee, Esther and Brown, Brody. “Debra Messing and Will Chase Split After Nearly Two-and-a-Half Years of Dating” usmagazine.com, October 27, 2014
External Links
- Will Chase at the Internet Movie Database
- Will Chase at the Internet Broadway Database
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