Star File

Will Swenson

Will Swenson is known as one of Broadway’s most versatile leading men and has been seen on Broadway in roles across a wide character spectrum. Will received critical acclaim for his performance as the subversive hippie Berger in the 2009 revival of Hair for which he received Tony, Drama Desk and Drama League Nominations. He went on to perform the role in London’s West End as well. He starred as Inspector Javert in the 2014 revival of Les Miserables, and played the conflicted drag queen Tick in Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, (Drama League Nomination). In Waitress Will performed opposite the show’s creator Sara Bareilles. Other Broadway: Disaster!, Lestat, Brooklyn: The Musical, and his sentimental favorite 110 in the Shade: the production where he met his wife, actress Audra McDonald. Off-Broadway favorites include the recent revival of Assassins, Nantucket Sleighride, and Jerry Springer: The Opera for which he won an Obie Award. Will originated the role of Tom in Murder Ballad, and also created the role of Stacey Jaxx in the original Off-Broadway production of Rock of Ages. Other favorites include Little Miss Sunshine, Adrift in Macao, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Pericles. Tours and Other: Miss Saigon, We Will Rock You, Camelot with the NY Philharmonic, Pirates of Penzance, Moon for the Misbegotten, The Royal Family of Broadway. Film & Television: Will played Philo Barnum in the movie musical The Greatest Showman, and can be seen in the feature films This is Where I Leave You, The Kitchen and The Switch. Will spent a season on the Netflix series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as the evil Professor Carcosa. He played opposite his wife in the Covid/Zombie thriller series The Bite. He has guest-starred on Law & Order (SVU & CSI), The Good Wife, No Tomorrow, and The Code. He played Henry Donnenfeld on the Netflix crime drama series “Hit and Run”, and later this year will be seen as the father of the Vampire clan The Fairmont’s in the new Netflix drama First Kill. Some of Will’s earliest memories involve listening to his Dad’s 8-track copy of “Hot August Night”. Will can’t remember not having most of Neil Diamond’s songs permanently imprinted on his brain. And he’s super happy about that.