WILLIAM MICHALS is an award-winning Broadway actor, singer, and international concert artist. He made his Broadway debut in 1997 at the fabled PALACE THEATER as The Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and, later in the same production, as Gaston. He is perhaps best known for playing Emile de Becque, the Frenchman, in LINCOLN CENTER’S landmark multiple-Tony® Award winning revival of South Pacific, directed by Bartlett Sher. In 2022, he proudly was the first American to play the role in France, at OPÉRA DE TOULON, to rave reviews in the French press - even noting a flawless French accent!
Signature roles include Javert (Les Misérables), Billy Flynn (Chicago), Max von Mayerling (Sunset Boulevard), Captain Von Trapp (The Sound Of Music), Chauvelin (The Scarlet Pimpernel), , and the title roles of Sweeney (Sweeney Todd), Cervantes/Don Quixote (Man of La Mancha), Professor Harold Hill (The Music Man), and Tony Esposito (The Most Happy Fella). William appeared in the World Premier Broadway cast of Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Bright Star, and at its Kennedy Center staging prior to its Broadway transfer. He recently returned to the Kennedy Center as Doolittle in the national tour of My Fair Lady (dir. Bart Sher). In 2023, William was part of the multiple-Tony® Award winning and Grammy® Award-nominated hit revival of Jason Robert Brown’s Parade, directed by Michael Arden, and starring Ben Platt.
In addition to his work on Broadway, William appears regularly in concert halls from CARNEGIE HALL to TANGLEWOOD, in numerous venues and festivals across the United States. He has performed with the world’s leading symphony orchestras, including the NEW YORK POPS (with the late Marvin Hamlisch), the NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA in Washington, D.C., the BOSTON SYMPHONY, the CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA, the SAN FRANCISCO & SAN DIEGO SYMPHONIES, the PHILLY POPS, the UTAH SYMPHONY, the HONG KONG PHILHARMONIC, the TAIWAN PHILHARMONIC, the MAUI POPS, and many others. His operatic roles include Figaro and the Count in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen, Marcello in Puccini’s La Bohème, Danilo in the Lehár’s The Merry Widow, and the dark Hunding in Wagner’s Die Walküre.
He has sung The National Anthem for major league sporting events from coast to coast, and enjoys the rare distinction of having performed at THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL for the joint leadership of the House and Senate. William’s Symphonic performances of "The House I Live In" and John Williams' "America, The Dream Goes On" have garnered the praise and admiration of many D.C. notables. William was honored to open the December 11, 2001 memorial service at the hallowed GROUND ZERO with an a cappella rendition of "Let There Be Peace On Earth", which has been rebroadcast worldwide over every medium.
Awards include Chicago’s “Jeff” Award and the National STAR Award for his work as Chauvelin in The Scarlet Pimpernel, the Anselmo Award, and the NJ Footlight Award and Atlanta’s Suzy Bass Award for his work as Emile de Becque in South Pacific.
TV appearances include roles on “Blue Bloods”, "Law and Order", "All My Children", and "Guiding Light”.
His solo show “William Michals - Broadway In Concert” continues with multiple return engagements and private events in venues across the country. He regularly entertains in NYC’s finest rooms, including the RAINBOW ROOM, THE PLAZA, and countless engagements at the glittering 54 BELOW.
I wish everyone could have heard my father’s glorious, warm baritone! This song from Maltby & Shire’s Closer Than Ever reflects my love for my dear father. I owe it all to you, Dad! ❤️
LIVE… in PARIS!
”Some Enchanted Evening”
It was an honor to be an American playing the role of
Emile de Becque… in France!
South Pacific, Opéra de Toulon 2022
“The Quest”, a.k.a. “The Impossible Dream”
The triple roles of Miguel de Cervantes/Alonso Quixana/Don Quixote continue to inspire and motivate me, on- and offstage.
“…The blood-guzzling Captain Hook, played by the thrilling baritone William Michals, who also doubles as her father, Mr. Darling.“
- New York Times
“…The powerhouse William Michals as Captain Hook
(doubling as a very disturbed Mr. Darling)”
- The Village Voice
“I am I, Don Quixote, the lord of La Mancha, my destiny calls and I go,” he sings with a rapt gaze. “And the wild winds of fortune will carry me onward, Oh whithersoever they blow ... Onward to glory I go!” It is a thrilling moment in both this 1965 musical and the performance by William Michals, who plays the dual roles of Cervantes and Don Quixote splendidly, with a ringing baritone voice and a fervent manner. By the time Mr. Michals launches into “The Impossible Dream,” halfway through the show, audience members may feel the urge to march with him into hell for a heavenly cause.”
- The New York Times
“The most enjoyable and accomplished vocalism came from Broadway (and opera) veteran William Michals … superb, offering both vocal and verbal clarity of a caliber we rarely encounter these days in theater music.”
- Opera News
“In ’The Impossible Dream,‘ William Michals, with a voice that knows no boundaries, made that standard sound as fresh as a world-premiere performance. With booming clarity, the hymn appeared to rise beyond the balcony ’to reach the unreachable star.‘“
— Variety
“In the title role, William Michals looked nothing like any other Sweeney I've ever seen. …This Sweeney was a dark avenger, sometimes clad in a long coat that swirled and whipped around like the cape of a super-antihero. With his magnificent baritone and expert acting ability, Michals also communicated deep sorrow and the other myriad emotions that are so much a part of Todd's damaged psyche. … Michals made this Sweeney worth the price of admission.”
- The Sondheim Review
The most haunting melody from the Gabriel Fauré Requiem, in a new arrangement and studio recording
What fun! From the genius of Frank Wildhorn’s Jekyll & Hyde. The dual roles of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, all in one tour de force aria!
Frank Wildhorn’s sexiest song, from The Scarlet Pimpernel
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