Anthony Rapp Biography
Summary
"Anthony Dean Rapp" (b. October 26 1971 in Chicago) is an American stage and film actor best known for originating the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway production of "Rent" in 1996 and later for reprising the same role in the film version. He also performed the role of Charlie Brown in the 1999 Broadway revival of "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown".
Biography
Rapp was born in Chicago, where he attended high school at Joliet West High School in Joliet and theatre camp at the prestigious Michigan Interlochen Arts Academy. Rapp's brother is playwright, novelist, and filmmaker Adam Rapp. Rapp also has a sister, Anne, as well as a 'little sister,' Rachel, although she is actually a cousin of his who was taken in by his mother.
Career
He first performed on Broadway in 1981 in "The Little Prince and the Aviator", a musical based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novel "The Little Prince". The show closed during previews. He also appeared in the 1987 movie "Adventures in Babysitting", which was directed by Chris Columbus. Columbus would later direct Rapp in the film version of "Rent".
Rapp has gone on to appear in several movies and Broadway shows, most notably as intellectuals. His notable work includes films "Dazed and Confused", "A Beautiful Mind", "School Ties", "Road Trip", the stage and film versions of "Six Degrees of Separation", "An American Family", and "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown".
Rapp is probably best known for playing Mark Cohen in the off-Broadway and original Broadway casts of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent. He reprised that role in the film adaptation, which was released on November 23, 2005. Rapp has embraced his role as an unofficial spokesperson for the musical and has given numerous television and print interviews regarding the show and its development. Some of Rapp's photographs from rehearsals of "Rent" have been published.
In 2000, Rapp released a solo CD, entitled "Look Around". He is represented as a keynote speaker by Greater Talent Network speakers bureau.
Rapp returned to Rent on July 30 2007, for a six week run, along with original cast member Adam Pascal. (... more)
Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal will continue in their return to Broadway's Rent through Oct. 7 at the Nederlander Theatre, a spokesman for the show confirmed.
(... more)
Personal life
Rapp, a self-identified 'queer,' is an advocate in show business for LGBT rights. As of 2007, Rapp's partner is aspiring actor Rodney To. The couple is trying to adopt a child. They have three cats named Emma, Sebastian, and Spike.
In 2006, Rapp released a memoir about his days in "Rent", as well as his mother's struggle with cancer and his experiences growing up, entitled "Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent", which was released February 7, 2006 by publisher Simon & Schuster. The book was re-released in paperback on October 31, 2006.
He still remains close friends with some of his "Rent" castmates, such as Daphne Rubin-Vega, Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, and Jesse L. Martin.
Works
Filmography
"Adventures in Babysitting" (1987)
"Grave Secrets" (1989)
"Far From Home" (1989)
"School Ties" (1992)
"Dazed and Confused" (1993)
"Six Degrees of Separation" (1993)
"The Mantis Murder" (1996)
"Twister" (1996)
"David Searching" (1997)
"Man of the Century" (1999)
"Road Trip" (2000)
"Cruise Control" (2001)
"A Beautiful Mind" (2001)
"Paradisco" (2002)
"Open House" (2004)
"Winter Passing" (2005)
"Rent" (2005)
"Danny Roane: First Time Director" (2006)
"Scaring the Fish" (2006)
"Let Them Chirp Awhile" (2007)
Television
"Sky High" (1990)
"Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker" (1994)
"The Lazarus Man" (1996)
"The X-Files" (1997)
"The Beach Boys - An American Family" (2000)
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (2004)
"Kidnapped" (2006)
Theater
"The Little Prince and the Aviator"
"Precious Sons"
"Six Degrees of Separation" (1990)
"RENT New York Theater Workshop" (1994)
"RENT" (1996, 2007)
"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" (1999)
"Henry V" (2002)
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" (2003)
"Little Shop of Horrors" (2004)
"Feeling Electric" (2005)
Discography
"Look Around" (2000)
Author/Books
"Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent" (2006)
External links
(Review of "Without You") from * (Kirkus Reviews)
( Anthony's Official MySpace Page)
(Out Out Damn Spot Fanlisting)
(Anthony Rapp) "Downstage Center" interview at American Theatre Wing.org, August 2007
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Anthony Rapp.
