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Douglas Sills
Born
Douglas Howard Sills

(1960-07-05) July 5, 1960 (age 64)
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
Cranbrook Kingswood School
Occupation(s)Actor and singer
Known forThe Scarlet Pimpernel
The Addams Family

Douglas Howard Sills (born July 5, 1960) is an American actor and singer.[1]

He made his professional stage acting debut with principal roles in the national tours of Into the Woods and The Secret Garden. He is most well-known for his leading roles in the Broadway production and national tour of The Scarlet Pimpernel, the Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, and the national tour of The Addams Family.[2]

Early life

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Sills was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Rhoda (Nemeth) and Archie Sills,[3][4] and grew up in the suburb of Franklin, in a Jewish household.[5] He was friends (and did amateur theatrics and films) with both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell.[1] Sills attended Cranbrook School, from which he graduated in 1978, and the University of Michigan where he majored in music. He then continued his education at the American Conservatory Theater in California.

Career

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During the 1990s, Sills built a reputation as a stage character actor, especially in the professional theaters of southern California. He also performed in several national tours, including Into the Woods and The Secret Garden, which would also feature future Broadway stars as James Stacy Barbour and Audra McDonald. He met his partner, Todd, in 1994 while touring with The Secret Garden.[6] His first Broadway role, however, came when composer Frank Wildhorn and lyricist Nan Knighton approached him in hopes of finding a male lead for their new musical, The Scarlet Pimpernel. Before this audition, Sills told his agent not to send him to any more auditions because he planned to attend law school. With a score in the 99th percentile on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), Sills hoped to attend Stanford Law School. However, being a fan of the movie as a child, Sills decided to give acting one more chance and was offered the lead as Sir Percy Blakeney.[7]

Douglas Sills opened in his first Broadway show on November 9, 1997. Continuing the role in three other versions of the show, Sills received a Tony Award nomination. He portrayed the foppish hero in SP 1.0 (The Original Broadway Production, starring Terrence Mann, Christine Andreas and Gilles Chiason), SP 2.0 (the revised Broadway production, starring Rachel York and Rex Smith), and for several months in the national tour.[8][9] Although rumored as playing the title role in Wildhorn's Dracula, the Musical, Sills opted out (despite doing a recording demo), and Tom Hewitt portrayed the gothic character at the premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2001.[citation needed] He played Orin Scrivello and several other roles in the 2003 Broadway revival cast of Little Shop of Horrors.[10]

In 2004, Sills joined the Broadway-bound Chicago production of Monty Python's Spamalot.[11] However, before the production began, Sills left due to reported "major script changes."[12] In early 2005, production plans were announced for Wildhorn's new musical Cyrano de Bergerac, from the same team that helped launch his career with The Scarlet Pimpernel.[13] The title role was written specifically for Sills,[14] however, producers dropped plans for the show in spring 2006 without explanation. A studio-concept recording was planned, starring Sills, Linda Eder and Rob Evan, but plans for it also quickly fell through.

In 2009, Sills starred opposite Kristin Chenoweth at the Encores! New York City Center production of Music in the Air, a long-forgotten Kern-Hamerstein musical from the 1930s. The concert-style version ran February 5 through February 8.[15] Sills assumed the role of Gomez Addams in the national tour of The Addams Family in September 2011 until the company's closing on December 30, 2012.[16]

From March 27 to April 12, 2013, Sills took on the role of Jack in Long Wharf Theatre's production of William Mastrosimone's Ride the Tiger.[17]

Sills played Walter Burns in La Jolla Playhouse's production of His Girl Friday from May 28 to June 30, 2013.[18]

Sills appeared on Broadway beginning in April 2015, playing an aging orchestra conductor in the comedy Living on Love, written by Joe DiPietro, starring Renee Fleming, Jerry O'Connell and Anna Chlumsky.[19]

He appeared in the new musical Dave at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., in 2018, in the role of Chief of Staff Bob Alexander. The musical has music by Tom Kitt, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and the book by Benjamin and Thomas Meehan and is based on the 1993 film Dave.[20]

As of 2022, Sills plays Monsieur Baudin in HBO's The Gilded Age.

Notable theatre roles

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Show: Role(s): Year(s): Production:
Into the Woods Rapunzel's Prince

u/s Cinderella's Prince

1988–1990 US National Tour
The Philadelphia Story C.K. Dexter Haven 1992 Cosa Mesa, California
The Secret Garden Dr. Neville Craven

u/s Lord Archibald Craven

1992–1994 US National Tour
Lord Archibald Craven 1995 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
She Stoops to Folly Ned Thornhill Cosa Mesa, California
Chess Freddie Trumper "The American" Los Angeles, California
The Scarlet Pimpernel Percy Blakeney / The Scarlet Pimpernel 1997–2000 Broadway
2000 US National Tour
Mack and Mabel Mack Sennett Los Angeles, California
Much Ado About Nothing Benedict 2001 Cosa Mesa, California
Show Boat Gaylord Ravenal Hollywood, California
Carnival Marco 2002 New York, New York
Wish Upon a Star N/A New York, New York (Workshop)
A Little Night Music Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm Washington, D.C.
The Gondoliers Don Alhambra 2003 New York, New York
Little Shop of Horrors Orin Scrivello & Others 2003–2004 Broadway
Midnight and Magnolias David O. Selznick 2005 Off-Broadway
On the Twentieth Century Oscar Jaffee Broadway
Music in the Air Bruno Mahler 2009 New York, New York
The Addams Family Gomez Addams 2011–2012 US National Tour
Ride the Tiger Jack 2013 New Haven, Connecticut
His Girl Friday Walter Burns San Diego, Los Angeles
Lady, Be Good! J. Watterson Watkins 2015 Off-Broadway
Living on Love Vito De Angelis Broadway
Anastasia Vlad Popov Workshop
War Paint Harry Fleming 2016 Chicago (World Premiere)
2017 Broadway
Hey, Look Me Over! N/A 2018 Off-Broadway
Dave Chief of Staff Bob Alexander Washington, D.C.
Nantucket Sleigh Ride Dr. Harbinger / Shuyler / Walt Disney 2019 Off-Broadway
Mack and Mabel Mack Sennett 2020
Anyone Can Whistle Comptroller Schub 2022 Carnegie Hall
The Frogs Dionysos 2023 Lincoln Center[21]

Awards and nominations

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Year Association Category Project Result Ref.
2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series The Gilded Age Nominated [22][23]

References

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  1. ^ a b Matthew Blank (December 2, 2014). "CUE & A: Tony-Nominated My Favorite Year Star Douglas Sills on Jerry Orbach, Talking to Animals and His Hebrew Name". Playbill. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  2. ^ BroadwayWorld Bio
  3. ^ "Douglas Sills" filmreference.com
  4. ^ [1] tachna.com
  5. ^ Larry Hankin (June 21, 2012). "Is the Addams Family kind of Jewish? Maybe". Intermountain Jewish News. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2012. ljn.com
  6. ^ "Douglas Sills" Archived February 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine fenuxe.com
  7. ^ Sam Whiting (April 2, 2000). "Master of Disguise: 'Pimpernel' star could have been mistaken for a lawyer, or 'just' a singer". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  8. ^ Ernio Hernandez (November 19, 2004). "Douglas Sills Leaves Upcoming Broadway Musical Monty Python's Spamalot". Playbill. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  9. ^ Ernio Hernandez (February 5, 2009). "PHOTO CALL: There Is Music in the Air at City Center". Playbill. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  10. ^ Ernio Hernandez (July 15, 2009). "Three Knights and a Lady Join Monty Python's Spamalot Round Table". Playbill. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  11. ^ Andrew Gans (August 14, 2003). "Frank Wildhorn Penning New Cyrano Musical for Pimpernel Star". Playbill. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  12. ^ Andrew Gans. "Be a Dentist: Douglas Sills Offered Role of Orin in Broadway Little Shop". Playbill. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  13. ^ Kenneth Jones (December 22, 1999). "Douglas Sills Will Buckle His Swash For Scarlet Pimpernel Tour in 2000". Playbill. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  14. ^ Kenneth Jones (February 20, 2009). "Douglas Sills Swashbuckles Into Pimpernel Tour Feb. 20 in CT". Playbill. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  15. ^ Robert Simonson (January 31, 2005). "Frank Wildhorn's Cyrano to Play London in Spring 2006". Playbill. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  16. ^ Andrew Adler (September 20, 2011). "'Addams Family' creative team comes to New Orleans". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  17. ^ Kelsey Denette (March 3, 2013). "Long Wharf Theatre Presents RIDE THE TIGER, 3/27-4/21". BroadwayWorld.
  18. ^ "Patrick Kerr, Mary Beth Peil and More Set for La Jolla Playhouse's HIS GIRL FRIDAY; Full Cast Announced!". BroadwayWorld. April 16, 2013.
  19. ^ Brantley, Ben. "Review: Renée Fleming Plays Against Type in ‘Living on Love’" The New York Times, April 20, 2015
  20. ^ Andrew Gans (July 27, 2018). "World Premiere of Dave Musical, Starring Drew Gehling and Mamie Parris, Opens at Arena Stage July 27". Playbill.
  21. ^ Nathan Lane and More Set For Concert Version of THE FROGS at Lincoln Center
  22. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  23. ^ "The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
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