Will Chase
Encyclopedia
Will Chase is an American
actor and singer, best known for his work in Broadway musicals.
Chase was born in Frankfort, Kentucky
to Jerry and Betty Chase and is the youngest of three boys. He graduated from Western Hills High School and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
, where he majored in Percussion studied conducting with Robert Spano
and percussion.
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 Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway. 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), and Tony in Billy Elliot.
In 2005, he played Neville Craven in the 2005 World AIDS Day The Secret Garden
concert. 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 2009 Helen Hayes Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor. He appeared in The Pajama Game
opposite Kate Baldwin
at The Muny in July 2007. He also starred in Oklahoma in 2007 at the Lyric Theatre opposite Kelli O'Hara.
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
.
Chase was in the short-lived Broadway musical The Story of My Life
, with Malcolm Gets
in February 2009.
Chase guest-starred in the "Law & Order: Criminal Intent
" episode "Passion
" in July 2009.
His most recent television appearances include Halmark'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".
He has two daughters, Daisy and Gracie from a previous marriage. He married Stephanie Gibson on November 15, 2009.
Chase played the role on Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman at Signature Theater in Shirlington, VA from March 11 - April 20, 2008.
Chase will play Michael Swift in the new NBC series, Smash
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor and singer, best known for his work in Broadway musicals.
Chase was born in Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
to Jerry and Betty Chase and is the youngest of three boys. He graduated from Western Hills High School and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Oberlin Conservatory of Music
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, located on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, was founded in 1865 and is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. Students of Oberlin Conservatory enter a very broad network within the music world, as the school's alumni...
, where he majored in Percussion studied conducting with Robert Spano
Robert Spano
Robert Spano is an American conductor and pianist. Since 2001 he has been Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra , and he served as Music Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic from 1996 to 2004...
and percussion.
He first performed in a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
show in 1998 as the "Squeegee Man" and "Roger" understudy in Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
; he also starred as the last Roger in the final Broadway company of Rent, which was recorded for the theatrical release Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway. His additional Broadway credits include Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
(with the original star Lea Salonga playing Kim to close the Broadway production), The Full Monty
The Full Monty (musical)
The Full Monty is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally and score by David Yazbek.In this Americanized musical stage version adapted from the 1997 British film of the same name, six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers, low on both cash and prospects, decide to present a strip act at a local club...
as Jerry Lukowski replacement (2001), Lennon
Lennon (musical)
Lennon is a musical with music and lyrics by John Lennon and book by Don Scardino, who also directed its premiere. The musical is about the life of John Lennon and was notable for Scardino's choice to be almost exclusively-based on Lennon's own words and to focus on Lennon's solo career, with no...
(2005), and Aida
Aida (musical)
Aida is a musical with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang, and produced by Walt Disney Theatrical....
(Radames replacement, 2003–04), and Tony in Billy Elliot.
In 2005, he played Neville Craven in the 2005 World AIDS Day The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was initially published in serial format starting in the autumn of 1910, and was first published in its entirety in 1911. It is now one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's...
concert. In 2006 he starred in the short lived High Fidelity
High Fidelity (musical)
High Fidelity is a musical with a book by David Lindsay-Abaire, lyrics by Amanda Green, and music by Tom Kitt. Based primarily on the Nick Hornby novel rather than the subsequent film version it inspired, the plot focuses on Rob Gordon, a Brooklyn record shop owner in his thirties obsessed with...
on Broadway, and starred as Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman
Kiss of the Spider Woman (musical)
Kiss of the Spider Woman is a musical with music by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with the book by Terrence McNally. It is based on the Manuel Puig novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña...
at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA, for which he received a 2009 Helen Hayes Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor. He appeared in The Pajama Game
The Pajama Game
The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded...
opposite Kate Baldwin
Kate Baldwin
-Biography:Born in Evanston, Illinois, Baldwin graduated from the theatre program at Northwestern University in 1997.-Career:Kate Baldwin made her Broadway debut in The Full Monty in 2000, followed by appearances in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town...
at The Muny in July 2007. He also starred in Oklahoma in 2007 at the Lyric Theatre opposite Kelli O'Hara.
Chase's television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
guest appearances include the recurring role of Pat Mahoney on "Rescue Me", "Cupid", "Canterbury's Law", Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, Third Watch
Third Watch
Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....
, Conviction, and "Queens Supreme". He had a small role in the 2000 film Shaft
Shaft (2000 film)
Shaft is a 2000 American action-crime film directed by John Singleton, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale, Pat Hingle, Toni Collette, Busta Rhymes, Vanessa L. Williams, and Mekhi Phifer. This film is not a remake of the 1971 film of the same name, but rather a sequel,...
.
Chase was in the short-lived Broadway musical The Story of My Life
The Story of My Life (musical)
The Story of My Life is a musical with music and lyrics by Neil Bartram, and a book by Brian Hill. The show follows two childhood friends from age six to 35 and has only two characters....
, with Malcolm Gets
Malcolm Gets
Hugh Malcolm Gerard Gets is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Richard in the American television sitcom Caroline in the City. Gets is also a dancer, singer, composer, classically trained pianist, vocal director, and choreographer. He has a small part in the film adaptation of...
in February 2009.
Chase guest-starred in the "Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
" episode "Passion
Passion (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)
"Passion" is an eighth-season episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and the 167th episode overall.-Summary:Egocentric poet Jacob Garrety would do anything to keep his poetry journal, The Village Quarterly, afloat...
" in July 2009.
His most recent television appearances include Halmark's "The Lost Valentine
The Lost Valentine
The Lost Valentine is a 2011 American drama film starring Betty White, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Sean Faris. It is based on the novel by James Michael Pratt of the same name, previously titled The Last Valentine, a 1998 New York Times and USA Today bestseller.-Plot:The story follows the characters...
" alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated...
and Betty White
Betty White
Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
, the 2011 season finale of "Royal Pains
Royal Pains
Royal Pains is a USA Network television series that premiered on June 4, 2009, starring Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Flint and Reshma Shetty. The series is based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies...
" (USA), "Blue Bloods
Blue Bloods
The Blue Bloods was the name of the professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling that consisted of "Lord" Steven Regal, "Earl" Robert Eaton, and "Squire" David Taylor, along with their butler Jeeves, that operated in the middle to late 1990s....
" (CBS), and the new ABC drama "Pan Am".
He has two daughters, Daisy and Gracie from a previous marriage. He married Stephanie Gibson on November 15, 2009.
Chase played the role on Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman at Signature Theater in Shirlington, VA from March 11 - April 20, 2008.
Chase will play Michael Swift in the new NBC series, Smash
Smash (TV series)
Smash is an upcoming American NBC series set to premiere on Monday, February 6, 2012.-Synopsis:The show revolves around a group of characters who come together to put on a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. But before that can happen, the people who will try to bring it all...
.