Original Hedwig Star & Co-Creator John Cameron Mitchell Will Receive the 2015 Special Tony Award

Lift up your hands! John Cameron Mitchell will receive the 2015 Special Tony Award. The original Hedwig and the Angry Inch star and co-creator recently completed a run in the Broadway production at the Belasco Theatre. The 2015 Tony Awards will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 7.

“John’s return to Hedwig and the Angry Inch is one for the history books. He not only wrote and co-created the role with Stephen Trask—before directing and starring in the film—but returned to Broadway to star as Hedwig this season after a series of rave performances by Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells and Michael C. Hall. This is a remarkable undertaking, and we are honored to recognize his outstanding success with this honor,” Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing, and Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, said in a statement.

Mitchell wrote the book for Hedwig alongside composer Trask, and the stars performed early versions of the musical at Don Hill’s and the Westbeth Theatre Center. Mitchell later starred in the off-Broadway incarnation of the hit musical at the Jane Street Theatre in 1998. He directed, wrote and starred in the 2001 film adaptation of Hedwig, garnering a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. Mitchell has appeared on Broadway in The Secret Garden, Big River and Six Degrees of Separation, and was most recently seen on the small screen in Girls, playing David Pressler-Goings, Hannah’s book publisher. Mitchell is preparing to direct a film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s punk-era story How to Talk to Girls at Parties starring Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman.

Bruce Willis and Mary-Louise Parker will announce the 2015 Tony Award Nominations on April 28.

Check out Mitchell performing "Origin of Love" in the movie below.