Max von Essen

Max von Essen (born January 11, 1974) is an American actor and singer. His Broadway credits include roles in An American in Paris (of which he was nominated for a Tony Award for), Anastasia, Evita, and Chicago. He also starred as Marvin in the United States national tour of Falsettos.

Life and career Raised on Long Island, von Essen is a graduate of South Side High School in Rockville Centre, New York. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and after graduation toured with Liza Minnelli. He is a member of the Von Essen family, who are part of the German and Swedish nobility. A son of Rita and Thomas Von Essen, who was the New York City Fire Commissioner during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, he is the youngest of four children. He is openly gay.

He toured Europe in West Side Story and was a cast member of the U.S. national tour of Chicago. He made his Broadway debut in Jesus Christ Superstar in 2000 as Disciple and Jesus of Nazareth understudy. He appeared in Les Misérables on Broadway as the replacement for Fauchelevent and other roles, and starred in Dance of the Vampires alongside Michael Crawford in 2002. He played the role of student revolutionary leader Enjolras (replacement) in the Les Misérables Broadway revival in 2006 at the Broadhurst Theater.

In 2006, he was a soloist at the biggest Andrew Lloyd Webber musical gala to date, held in Tallinn, Estonia. He performed in the national tour of Xanadu as "Sonny" in 2008 and in the Roundabout Theater Company Off-Broadway production of Maury Yeston's Death Takes a Holiday at the Laura Pels Theatre in 2011. In 2015, von Essen played the role of Parisian aristocrat Henri in the Broadway production of An American in Paris, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical nomination.

Film and television

Theatre credits Broadway Source: Internet Broadway Database

Year(s)ProductionRoleLocation 2000 Jesus Christ Superstar Disciple;u/s Jesus Christ Ford Center for the Performing Arts 2002 Dance of the Vampires Alfred Minskoff Theatre 2003Les Misérables Fauchelevent / Jean Prouvaire / Ensemble;

National and international tours

Off-Broadway

Regional

Awards and nominations Source: IBDB