Wade McCollum

Wade McCollum (born 1978) is an American film actor, stage actor and composer/musician.

Early life McCollum was born in 1978 in Chico, California. His father is a rock-n-roll drummer and McCollum spent his early life on the road traveling from town to town.

Career After graduating from the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, McCollum went on to land the role of Hedwig in a 2002 Triangle Theatre production of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. McCollum went on to star in several productions of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, including the Ovation Award-winning 2004 Celebration Theatre production in Hollywood, CA. For this production McCollum won the Backstage West Garland Award, The Los Angeles Drama Critic’s Circle Award and was praised by publications such as Variety and the Los Angeles Times. the Emcee in Cabaret opposite Storm Large as Sally Bowles, and Prior in Angels in America. At Portland Center Stage, he starred as Batboy in Bat Boy: The Musical and the one-person shows I Am My Own Wife and The Santaland Diaries. McCollum also co-founded and functioned as artistic director of Insight Out Theatre Collective where his hit original musical ONE ( The Other Shore) was produced. ONE was still in development for commercial production, as of 2022. led Broadway’s Priscilla Queen of the Desert First National Tour, and upon his return to New York City, made his Broadway debut in Wicked. McCollum has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway shows including Triassic Parq and most notably his Lucille Lortel Award nominated turn as Ernest Shackleton in Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, for which he garnered the prestigious Norton Award for “Best Actor” with the show winning the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical in 2017 Ernest Shackleton Loves Me was streamed live during its run in NYC and available on Broadway HD.

In 2011 McCollum appeared as the Emcee in Dallas Theatre Center’s Cabaret opposite Kate Wetherhead as Sally Bowles. Wetherhead is the creator of the Web Comedy Submissions Only in which McCollum played Nolan Grigsby.

In 2018, McCollum originated the role of Carl von Cosel in the new musical It Happened In Key West on London’s West End.

McCollum’s first performance back in the theatre after the Covid-19 shutdown was as a last-minute emergency cover for Henry Higgins in Lincoln Center Theatre’s national tour of My Fair Lady directed by Bartlett Sher.

In 2022 McCollum completed Secondary Dominance, his first feature film as co-director and co-writer with longtime collaborator Sarah Small.

In 2023 McCollum originated the role of Wade in Water for Elephants at the Alliance theatre in Atlanta. and Wade’s performance was nominated for the Drama Desk Award (Best Solo Performance)

In 2024 Darius Rose (a.k.a. Jackie Cox) replaced McCollum in Make Me Gorgeous as Wade left to originate his first principal role on Broadway in Water for Elephants. Wade performed “The Road Don’t Make You Young” from Water For Elephants on the 2024 live Tony Award show for CBS.

In 2025 Wade went on to originate the role of Bee Doyle in Floyd Collins by Tina Landau and Adam Guettel at the Lincoln Center Theatre. This show was Andre Bishop's final production and LCT's 40th anniversary season . The production starred Jeremy Jordan as Floyd (Wade covered the role) and Lizzy McAlpine as Nelly. McCollum finished out the year playing Huey in an Off-Broadway revival of John Patrick Shanley's Italian American Reconciliation playing opposite Mary Testa and Robert Farrior.

In 2026 McCollum wrote, directed, composed, choreographed and starred in ZAF: The Chemistry of Control at the Royal Institution in London. produced and conceived by cultural entomologist Bridget Nicholls the show blends Wade's neuroscience and theatre disciplines into a biology based musical lecture. McCollum then returned to star as Kenny "Killer" Kane in the World Premier of the new musical Freak the Mighty at Cleveland Playhouse and Seattle Rep. Freak the Mighty has Book & Lyrics by Anthony Drewe, music by Ryan Fielding Garrett, directed by Michael Barakiva, is based on the novel by Rodman Philbrick, and is produced by Tony Award winning (Come From Away) Junkyard Dog Productions.

Personal life McCollum is married to artist Noah Jordan. McCollum’s father-in-law is 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner Robert Lefkowitz.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

u/s AugustBroadway 2025Floyd CollinsBee Doyle

Awards