1994–2002: Early career and voice acting

Active in community theater, Rannells got his start as a professional actor as a teenager through voice acting. In the mid-1990s, he found work with the animation production company DIC Entertainment through an Omaha casting call. He was subsequently cast in a number of their television productions in main voice roles.^[9] He continued to work in the medium for a number of years while pursuing theater. Rannells worked with the New York City-based production company 4Kids Entertainment from 2001 to 2004 and did voice acting for several English dubs of anime series such as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!,^[7] in addition to serving as voice director for the dubs of Kirby: Right Back at Ya! and Sonic X.^[2]

One of his first theater roles was as the character James in the touring production of Pokémon Live! from September 2000 to August 2001. When asked about his experience in 2014, he jokingly said that he would have rather starred in a porn film or snuff film instead and that he only took the job for the pay.^[10][11]

Before winning his first Broadway role, Rannells had parts in a number of regional theater productions, including Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Miss Saigon, and Thoroughly Modern Millie.^[12] For his turn as Hedwig at the Zachary Scott Theater Center in Austin, Texas, in 2002,^[13] he won best actor in a musical at the B. Iden Payne Awards in September 2002, which honor outstanding achievements in Austin theater.^[14]

2002–2012: Broadway debut and The Book of Mormon

In 2002, Rannells made his Broadway debut when he assumed the role of Link Larkin in the Broadway production of Hairspray.^[15]

He followed this with some regional performances.^[3][16][17] He played Bob Gaudio in the First National Tour of Jersey Boys. His last performance with the tour was on December 6, 2008, in Toronto. In January 2009, he reprised the role of Gaudio in the musical's Broadway production.^[18]

In 2011, Rannells originated the role of Elder Price in The Book of Mormon, a musical written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q composer Robert Lopez. For his performance, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for his performance in the musical's Original Broadway Cast Recording. His last performance was June 10, 2012.^[19]

2012–present: Work in television and theater

Rannells played a stripper in the 2012 film Bachelorette^[20] and played a lead character, Bryan Collins, in the 2012–13 television series The New Normal.^[21][22] One of his most well known roles, he played the recurring role of Elijah on the HBO television series Girls.^[23]

He temporarily replaced Jonathan Groff in the role of King George III in Hamilton on Broadway from October 27 to November 29, 2015, while Groff fulfilled pre-arranged filming commitments.^[24]

Rannells played the role of Whizzer Brown in the Broadway revival of Falsettos directed by James Lapine. He was joined by Christian Borle and Stephanie J. Block who played Marvin and Trina, respectively.^[25] The musical ran from October 27, 2016 (with previews beginning September 29), to January 8, 2017.^[26][27] He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance.^[28]

He played Larry in the 2018 Broadway revival of The Boys in the Band. It was a limited run, in honor of the play's 50th anniversary. It won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. He revived his role (along with the rest of the revival cast) for the film adaptation for Netflix, which was released on September 30, 2020.

Rannells played Blair Pfaff, one of the leading roles on the television show Black Monday. The show premiered on January 20, 2019, on Showtime. In April 2019, the series was renewed for a second season that premiered on March 15, 2020. In October 2020, the series was renewed for a third season which premiered in 2021.^[29] In January 2022, it was confirmed by cast member Paul Scheer that the show was cancelled by Showtime.^[30]

During this period, he also returned to voice acting; notable credits include main roles in Netflix's Big Mouth (2017–present) and Amazon's Invincible (2021–present). He played Trent Oliver in Netflix's 2020 movie musical The Prom, an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name.^[31]

Rannells published his first book, a memoir titled Too Much Is Not Enough, in 2019. It is a series of essays about his childhood in Omaha, Nebraska, and his years spent in New York leading up to his 2005 Broadway debut in Hairspray.^[32]

He made his directorial debut with season 2 episode 7 of Modern Love, titled How Do You Remember Me?^[33] He also wrote the episode, adapting an essay he wrote for the New York Times column (which also appeared in his memoir).^[34]

Film

Television

Video games