Gavin Creel, Tony-Winning Broadway Actor, Dead At 48

Gavin Creel, a Tony-winning Broadway actor who starred in “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “Into The Woods,” among other hit musicals, died Monday at the age of 48.

Creel’s death was first confirmed to The New York Times by his partner, Alex Temple Ward, via theater publicist Matt Polk. The cause was metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, which the actor had been diagnosed with in July.

News of Creel’s passing drew an outpouring of condolences from fellow stage and screen actors, including several of his former co-stars.

“Gavin was my first role model, idol and hero,” Ben Platt wrote on his Instagram stories. “He showed me around backstage after I saw my first Broadway show. I couldn’t believe someone that supernaturally talented could also be every single person’s favorite human being. I wanted to sing just like him and be just like him.”

Bette Midler shared similar sentiments on X, formerly Twitter.

“He played Cornelius Hackl to my Dolly in ‘Hello Dolly’ and I looked forward to working with him every single night. He was fantastic,” she wrote. “I can’t believe he’s gone. What a loss.”

A native of Findlay, Ohio, Creel graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theater & Dance in 1998. Four years later, he made his Broadway debut opposite Sutton Foster in “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” earning him the first of three Tony nominations. He went on to showcase his talents in musicals like “Hair,” “She Loves Me” and “Waitress.”

He received an Olivier Award ― the British equivalent of a Tony Award ― in 2014 for his portrayal of Elder Price in the London production of “The Book of Mormon,” a role he later reprised on Broadway. In 2017, he won a Tony for his sterling performance in “Hello, Dolly!” starring Midler.

Though Creel was primarily known as a stage actor, he appeared on television several times, mostly notably in the family films “Eloise at the Plaza” and its holiday-themed sequel, “Eloise at Christmastime.” In 2021, he had a supporting role in Hulu’s “American Horror Story” spinoff series, “American Horror Stories.”

Behind the scenes, Creel was known as a staunch LGBTQ+ rights advocate. In 2009, he co-founded Broadway Impact, an advocacy…