Barrett Foa

Barrett Conrad Foa (born September 18, 1977) He has played many leading characters in Off-Broadway and regional theatre productions. He has appeared in multiple Broadway shows, including Mamma Mia! and as Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q. to 2021, he portrayed Eric Beale on the military police procedural NCIS: Los Angeles.

Early life and education Barrett Conrad Foa was born and raised in Manhattan, New York. He is the son of Conrad Foa, an international insurance broker, former musician and Army veteran, and mother Linda Rimanich, an executive, editor and author. Foa's parents are both Manhattan natives, community and civic activists, philanthropists, and organizers in the Democratic party.

Foa graduated from The Dalton School, a K-12 college preparatory school in New York City. He was involved with the arts—especially musical theater—as a hobby, "a fun, non-athletic, after-school activity that kept me busy and helped me get a little attention". He attended Interlochen Center for the Arts—a Northern Michigan school for music, dance, writing, film, visual arts and theater—during his four summers of high school in the 1990s. According to Foa, his experience at Interlochen "instilled the passion and the drive that I feel toward my craft and my business. Finally, I was surrounded by people who were obsessed with something that no else back home even understood. I got excited and I got voracious. 'Other weirdos like me!' I still carry that hunger inside me to this day." Over many summers, he had featured parts in plays, musicals, and operettas. He played an effeminate version of evil Mordred in Camelot.

Career Foa has played many leading roles in plays and musicals Off-Broadway, and in regional theatre. His regional credits include Sweet Charity, The Music Man, Camelot, Pirates! The Musical, The Lady in Question, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Fantasticks. His Off-Broadway credits, , include Buyer & Cellar, The Drunken City, Godspell, and Tio Pepe (aka Somewhere). After months with the show, Foa left to accept a three-month job at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, California, where he created the lead role in a musical called Kept with music by Henry Kreiger and lyrics by Bill Russell. He was the first actor cast in Avenue Q who had not been a puppeteer first, "It was a bit of a scary experience going into a room full of puppeteers and saying: 'I'm going to be your new lead.' They put me into an intensive two-day course and I proved at the audition I could fit in with everyone else. I got to be the understudy for a year". It was the first spin-off of NCIS, at the time the second most popular show in the country. It was his first stable job in his life with a ten-months a year, 9-5p schedule. In May 2021, after the 12th season finale of NCIS: LA, Foa announced that he was leaving the series after twelve seasons.

Foa continues to do live performing in addition to his television work, "I'm used to having a live connection with an audience on a stage, and also after the show. ... There's more of an immediate personal touch." Foa is co-writer, producer and star of For the Record: John Hughes, a live musical event featuring scenes and songs from the movies of the 1980s film director; it played multiple sold-out runs in LA and NYC. Her Malibu home's basement has a mall of quaint shops, "purely for her own amusement" built to house her extensive collections.

For NCIS: Los Angeles''' seventh season (2015-6), Foa's character, usually seen at headquarters, is trained for field work, including weapons handling.

In early 2019, Foa had a guest starring role on Will & Grace'' as Will Truman (Eric McCormack)'s love interest—and fellow teacher Paul. In February 2020 Foa led a cabaret benefit night, "Barrett Foa Has Friends!", for the LA-based PAWS which aids people with chronic diseases care for their pets.

Barrett's older brother by five years, Justin, is the fifth generation owner and CEO of Foa & Son, an international insurance brokerage firm established in 1861. Their mother, Linda, died of breast cancer in June 2016. He listed it for sale in September 2020 at $1.7 million. In May 2019, he bought another home, a newly rehabilitated 1950s single-story three bedroom ranch-style structure in the foothills above L.A.'s Beachwood Canyon for $2.09 million.

In addition to various workshops and readings, Foa donates his time and talents to community causes and non-profit theatre companies and organizations, including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Actors' Fund.

Filmography