Max von Essen (born January 11, 1974) is an American stage and screen actor, and vocalist.
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (April 2016) |
Max von Essen | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1974-01-11) January 11, 1974 (age 48) Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Education | South Side High School |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Notable work | An American in Paris |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Von Essen (father) Rita Von Essen (mother) |
| Relatives | Von Essen family |
Raised on Long Island, von Essen is a graduate of South Side High School in Rockville Centre, New York. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and after graduation toured with Liza Minnelli.[1] He is a member of the Von Essen family, who are part of the German and Swedish nobility. A son of Rita and Thomas Von Essen, who was the New York City Fire Commissioner during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, he is the youngest of four children.[2] He is openly gay.[3]

He toured Europe in West Side Story and was a cast member of the U.S. national tour of Chicago. He made his Broadway debut in Jesus Christ Superstar in 2000 as Disciple and Jesus of Nazareth understudy.[4] He appeared in Les Misérables on Broadway as the replacement for Fauchelevent and other roles,[5] and starred in Dance of the Vampires alongside Michael Crawford in 2002.[6] He played the role of student revolutionary leader Enjolras (replacement) in the Les Misérables Broadway revival in 2006 at the Broadhurst Theater.[7]
In 2006, he was a soloist at the biggest Andrew Lloyd Webber musical gala to date, held in Tallinn, Estonia. He performed in the national tour of Xanadu as "Sonny" in 2008[8] and in the Roundabout Theater Company Off-Broadway production of Maury Yeston's Death Takes a Holiday at the Laura Pels Theatre in 2011.[9] In 2015, von Essen played the role of Parisian aristocrat Henri in the Broadway production of An American in Paris, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical nomination.[10]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Brooklyn Lobster | Piano Player | |
| 2009 | The Beautiful Life: TBL | Scott | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Sex and the City 2 | Wedding Chorus | |
| 2011-14 | Submissions Only | Cameron Dante | Netflix series, 14 episodes |
| 2012 | Gossip Girl | Father Smythe | 2 episodes |
| Royal Pains | Hair | 1 episode | |
| 2013-14 | The Good Wife | Stephen Delaney | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Blonde | Man | Short |
| Seven Lovers | Dan | ||
| 2015 | The Intern | Businessman at Starbucks #1 |
Source: Internet Broadway Database
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Disciple; Jesus understudy | Ford Center for the Performing Arts |
| 2002 | Dance of the Vampires | Alfred | Minskoff Theatre |
| 2003 | Les Misérables | Fauchelevent/Jean Prouvaire/Drunk/Constable; Marius understudy (replacement) | Imperial Theatre |
| 2007–08 | Les Misérables | Enjolras (replacement) | Broadhurst Theatre |
| 2012–13 | Evita | Magaldi; Che understudy | Marquis Theatre |
| 2015–16 | An American in Paris | Henri Baurel | Palace Theatre |
| 2017-18 | Anastasia | Gleb Vaganov (replacement) | Broadhurst Theatre |
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Fantasticks[11] | Matt | Sullivan Street Playhouse |
| 2001 | John & Paul | Unknown | New Victory Theater |
| 2004 | Finian's Rainbow[12] | Woody Mahoney | Irish Repertory Theatre |
| 2011 | Death Takes a Holiday[13][14] | Corrado Montelli | Laura Pels Theatre (Roundabout Theatre Company) |
| Hello Again[15] | The Soldier | Transport Group | |
| 2017 | Yours Unfaithfully[16] | Stephen Meredith | Beckett Theatre (Mint Theater Company) |
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | A Christmas Carol | Unknown | Mill Mountain Theatre |
| 1999 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Unknown | Connecticut Repertory Theatre |
| 2001 | Blood Brothers[17] | Eddie | Downtown Cabaret Theatre (Bridgeport, Connecticut) |
| Hair | Claude | Bay Street Theatre | |
| 2002 | My Fair Lady | Freddy | Paper Mill Playhouse[18] |
| 2003 | Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera[19] | ||
| Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Joseph | Sacramento Music Circus | |
| 2004 | Auntie Mame | Bay Street Theatre[20] | |
| Ogunquit Playhouse[21] | |||
| Jesus Christ Superstar[22] | Jesus | Sacramento Music Circus | |
| Dorian[23] | Dorian | NoHo Arts Center (North Hollywood, CA) | |
| 2005 | Cabaret[24] | The Emcee | Sacramento Music Circus |
| The Baker's Wife[25] | Dominique | Paper Mill Playhouse | |
| 2006 | Mame[26] | Patrick | The Kennedy Center |
| West Side Story | Tony | Theatre Under the Stars[27] | |
| 2008 | Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera[28] | ||
| Sweeney Todd[29] | Anthony | Sacramento Music Circus | |
| 2010 | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Joseph | |
| 2022 | 42nd Street | Julian Marsh | Goodspeed Musicals |
| Year(s) | Production | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Liza Minnelli in Concert | Ensemble |
| 1998 | West Side Story (European tour) | Ensemble |
| 1999 | Chicago | Mary Sunshine |
| 2008 | Xanadu[30] | Sonny |
| 2019 | Falsettos[31] | Marvin |
Source: IBDB[32]
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Show | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Musical | An American in Paris | Nominated |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Broadway.com Audience Choice Award | Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical | Nominated |
| General | |
|---|---|
| National libraries | |