Aaron Lazar
Birth nameAaron Scott Lazar
Birth dateJune 21, 1976 (age 50)
Birth placeCherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationActor, singer
Years active2000–present
Websitewww.aaronlazar.com
EducationDuke University (BA)
University of Cincinnati (MFA)
SpouseLeAnn Garris (m. 2004; div. 2018)

Aaron Scott Lazar (born June 21, 1976) is an American actor, singer, and entrepreneur known for his work on Broadway, television, film and concerts.

In August 2024, Lazar released an album titled, Impossible Dream, featuring a cover of the song of the same name. The cover of the song was in a We Are the World style recording featuring solos by Josh Groban, Loren Allred, Sting, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Norm Lewis, Kristin Chenoweth, Leslie Odom Jr, Lin Manuel Miranda, Neil Patrick Harris, and a posthumous appearance from Rebecca Luker.[1] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Classical Compendium" in November, 2024.[2]

Early life and education

Lazar was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.[3] He graduated from Cherry Hill High School West, where he performed in musicals and competed in track and field as a discus and javelin thrower. He is Jewish and had a Bar Mitzvah.[4] Lazar attended Duke University, where he earned a Bachelor of Art degree, magna cum laude, while completing the prerequisite classes for medical school and taking the MCAT. After being accepted at the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), he earned an MFA in musical theater.[5]

Career

Broadway and theater

Lazar's eleven Broadway and national tour credits include The Phantom of the Opera as understudy Raoul, Oklahoma! as Joe and understudy Curly, The Scarlet Pimpernel as Dewhurst and understudy Percy, Mamma Mia! as Sam, The Last Ship as Arthur, Impressionism as Ben, A Little Night Music as Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, Dear Evan Hansen as Larry Murphy, Les Misérables (Drama Desk Award nominee) as Enjolras, A Tale of Two Cities as Charles, and The Light in the Piazza as Fabrizio.[6][7][8]

Since he started performing at age nine, Lazar has performed in more than forty professional productions including A New Brain and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at New York City Center Encores![9] In 2007, he was Lt. Joseph Cable in South Pacific at the Hollywood Bowl. In 2016, he played Franklin Shepard in a Los Angeles production of Merrily We Roll Along. He was most recently in Fun Home as Bruce at TheaterWorks Hartford and the pre-Broadway regional tryout of The Secret Garden as Dr. Neville Craven at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.[10] Lazar played Paul in the 2011 New York Philharmonic concert version of Company. He was also in Anastasia as Gleb in a 2012 workshop.[11]

Television and film

Lazar has starred in over 20 television shows including the role of Reverend Paul Thomas on Fox's Filthy Rich.[12] He's also known for roles in The Wolf of Wall Street, This Is Where I Leave You, J. Edgar, and Everything Everywhere All at Once.[13][14]

Concert and cabaret

Lazar has performed with some of the world's top symphonies from the New York Philharmonic[15] to the NYPops at Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center, to Masada[16] as both a guest artist and soloist with his own one-man shows Broadway to Hollywood and All For You, with Tony nominee Kate Baldwin, maestro Luke Frazier, and members of the American Pops Orchestra.[17][18][19]

His voice can be heard on numerous Broadway and off-Broadway cast albums.[20][21]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lazar produced the album Broadway Lullabies with a cast of Broadway friends and parents to soothe families with reimagined Broadway classics.[22]

Personal life

In 2004, he married LeAnn Garris, a model signed with Ford Models at Temple Israel, a Reform synagogue in Wilmington in North Carolina.[23][24][25] The couple had two boys together and divorced in 2018.[26]

In January 2024, Lazar announced that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) two years prior.[27]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005The Notorious Bettie PageJake
2011CompanyPaul
2011J. EdgarDavid T. Wilentz
2013The Wolf of Wall StreetBlair Hollingsworth
2014This Is Where I Leave YouBarry Weissman
2018Avengers: Infinity WarDoctor Strange Double
2019Avengers: Endgame
2022Everything Everywhere All at OnceSoldier
TBAKockroachProducer only

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2006Live from Lincoln CenterFabrizio Naccarelli / SelfEpisode: "The Light in the Piazza
2008New AmsterdamBen RobbinsEpisode: "Horror"
2008Ugly BettyClaudioEpisode: "Bad Amanda"
2009All My ChildrenRon Lipkin / Producer2 episodes
2009White CollarFather D'AllesioEpisode: "Book of Hours"
2011A Gifted ManSteve PowersEpisode: "In Case of Discomfort"
2011Onion News NetworkO'Brady Shaw7 episodes
2012Person of InterestTerrance BaxterEpisode: "Firewall"
2014The FollowingBilly Boyer2 episodes
2014The Good WifeWilliam SattmannEpisode: "The Last Call"
2014Blue BloodsDr. LevinEpisode: "Righting Wrongs"
2014The BlacklistAgent Paul SalernoEpisode: "Monarch Douglas Bank (No. 112)"
2016UnforgettableAvra FeldEpisode: "Breathing Space"
2016Girl Meets WorldMr. Jackson2 episodes
2016The StrainKroft3 episodes
2016QuanticoPaul
2018BullMark BurnsEpisode: "Justified"
2018The Good FightWilliam SattmannEpisode: "Day 471"
2020Filthy RichPaul Luke Thomas10 episodes
2022Black-ishAndrew CollinsEpisode: "That's What Friends Are For"
2022YellowstoneRobert BaldusEpisode: "Tall Drink of Water"

Theatre

YearTitleRoleNotes
2000-2001The Scarlet PimpernelDewhurst u/s Sir Percy BlakeneyUS Tour
2001CarouselBilly BigelowNorth Shore Music Theatre
2001-2002The Phantom of the OperaFireman u/s RaoulBroadway
2002-2003Oklahoma!Joe u/s Curly
2005On the TownGabeyWest End
2005-2006The Light in the PiazzaFabrizio NaccarelliBroadway
2006-2007Les MisérablesEnjolras
2007South PacificLieutenant CableHollywood Bowl
2008A Tale of Two CitiesCharles DarnayBroadway
2009ImpressionismBen Joplin
2009-2010A Little Night MusicCount Carl-Magnus Malcolm
2011CompanyPaulAvery Fisher Hall
2012AnastasiaGlebWorkshop
Gentlemen Prefer BlondesHenry SpoffordOff-Broadway
Encores!
2012-2014Mamma Mia!Sam CarmichaelBroadway
2014-2015The Last ShipArthur Millburn
2015A New BrainRoger Delli-BoviOff-Broadway
Encores!
2016Merrily We Roll AlongFranklin ShepardWallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
2018-2019Dear Evan HansenLarry MurphyUS Tour
2022The Bridges of Madison CountyRobertAxelrod Performing Arts Center
Fun HomeBruceTheaterWorks
2023The Secret GardenDr. Neville CravenAhmanson Theatre
2025FolliesBenjamin StonePasadena Playhouse

References

  1. ^ Aaron Lazar Collaboration Album Impossible Dream Released August 23
  2. ^ "2025 GRAMMYs: See The Full Nominations List". Grammys. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  3. ^ "BIO". AARON LAZAR. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  4. ^ Liner, Alixandra (30 September 2005). Aaron Lazar of The Light in the Piazza Broadway. Retrieved on 25 January 2025
  5. ^ Breen, Mike (30 April 2019). "CCM Grad and Popular Broadway Singer/Actor Aaron Lazar Using Day Off from 'Dear Evan Hansen' Touring Show for Cincinnati Concert". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  6. ^ "Aaron Lazar – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  7. ^ "Aaron Lazar – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  8. ^ "Aaron Lazar – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  9. ^ "See Jonathan Groff, Aaron Lazar, and Ana Gasteyer in Encores! A New Brain". 2015-06-24. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  10. ^ "The Secret Garden". Center Theatre Group. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  11. ^ "Exclusive: Crawford, Barrett, Halston, Page Join Tveit, Lansbury, Lazar in ANASTASIA Reading!". broadwayworld.com. BroadwayWorld. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2019-09-13). "'Filthy Rich': Aaron Lazar Cast In New Fox Series As Steven Pasquale Departs". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  13. ^ "Aaron Lazar". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  14. ^ "'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Cast Celebrates James Hong With SAG Awards Win for Best Film Cast | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  15. ^ "Aaron Lazar Photos on BroadwayWorld.com - Page 23". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  16. ^ Gans, Andrew (2007-04-18). "Lazar to Be Part of Masada and South Pacific Concerts". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  17. ^ Quintos, Michael. "BWW Review: Aaron Lazar Presents BROADWAY TO HOLLYWOOD at OC's Segerstrom Center". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  18. ^ "All For You". www.theamericanpops.org. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  19. ^ "Review: Kate Baldwin & Aaron Lazar: All for You at 54 Below". Exeunt Magazine NYC. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  20. ^ "Amazon.com". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  21. ^ "CONCERTS". AARON LAZAR. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  22. ^ "Broadway Lullabies by Various Artists", 2020-12-04, retrieved 2023-05-04
  23. ^ LeAnn Garris, Aaron Lazar The New York Times. 7 November 2004
  24. ^ Ballard, Allison (9 November 2004). Eating happily ever after on The Food Network Star News. Retrieved on 25 January 2025
  25. ^ Vermeer, John (September 2015). Aaron & LeAnn Lazar: Endless Summer Broadway Style Guide. Retrieved on 25 January 2025
  26. ^ Gladstone, Jim (December 5, 2018). "Aaron Lazar: playing Dad". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  27. ^ King, Darryn (January 3, 2024). "Actor Aaron Lazar Shares His A.L.S. Journey: 'I'm Going to Heal'". Broadway Across Canada. Retrieved 10 January 2024.