Tony and Olivier Award winner Gavin Creel, known for performances in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hair, Hello, Dolly! and many more, passed away September 30, just two months after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma. He was 48.
Born on April 18, 1976, in Findlay, Oh., Creel received his BFA from the University of Michigan and went on to make his Broadway debut in Thoroughly Modern Millie opposite Sutton Foster in 2002, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.
Creel would go on to star in many other of Broadway shows after his breakthrough performance, including Hair, for which he received his second Tony nomination; La Cage aux Folles; She Loves Me; The Book of Mormon; Waitress; and Hello, Dolly!—which earned him his Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 2017. He also starred in West End runs of The Book of Mormon, Mary Poppins, and Waitress. For his performance as Elder Price in the original West End production of The Book of Mormon, Creel received an Olivier Award for Best Actor.
He is survived by his partner Alex Temple Ward, pet dog Nina, parents Nancy Clemens Creel and James William Creel, older sisters Heather Creel, Allyson Creel and her partner Jennifer Kolb. Per the family, gifts in Creel’s memory can be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.
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