Actor John Dossett

John Dossett (born April 15, 1958) is an American actor and singer.

Early life and education

Dossett attended Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Delaware, from 1972 through 1976, where he was an announcer for the school’s radio station, WMPH, and appeared in student theater productions.

Career

Dossett made his Broadway debut in 1979 in a short-lived musical entitled the King of Schnorrers. In 1982 he joined the cast of Fifth of July, after which the bulk of his work was in off-Broadway productions and on television. He was a member of the off-Broadway Circle Repertory Company, performing in many plays between 1980 and 1994. A significant screen credit is the 1990 AIDS drama, Longtime Companion.

He later achieved success in two popular musicals, Ragtime (1998) and the 2003 revival of Gypsy as “Herbie” opposite Bernadette Peters. His performance in the latter garnered him both Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. He was re-united with his Gypsy co-star Peters in a one-night only benefit reading of Love Letters in September 2007, for Opening Act.

Dossett appeared in the world premiere of the Michael John LaChiusa and Sybille Pearson musical Giant, as Bawley, at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia through May 31, 2009. He reprised his role at the Dallas Theater Center production of Giant, from January 18, 2012 through February 19.

He played the role of “Aaron” in the new musical First Wives Club, starting in July 2009 at the Old Globe, San Diego, California. In September 2009, Dossett returned to the Broadway musical Mamma Mia! in the role of Sam Carmichael opposite Tony Award winner Beth Leavel and later Lisa Brescia.

In September 2011, he played the role of Joseph Pulitzer in the premiere of the Disney stage musical Newsies at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. He had been cast as Frank Crawley in the Broadway production of Rebecca, but left that musical because he appeared in Newsies on Broadway as Joseph Pulitzer. Newsies opened on Broadway on March 15, 2012 in previews. He later joined the Broadway production of Chicago as Billy Flynn for an engagement lasting from March to May 2015.

He played the role of “Larry Murphy” in the Off-Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen, which opened in previews on March 26, 2016 at the Second Stage Theatre, and closed on May 29, 2016. He appears as “Tommy Lewis” in the musical by Doug Wright (book), Scott Frankel (music) and Michael Korie (lyrics) titled War Paint. The musical, which stars Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersole, premiered at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago, on June 28, 2016.

Personal life

Dossett married actress Michele Pawk on February 14, 2004. The couple met in 1994 while working together in an off-Broadway musical, Hello Again. They worked together in the musical Mamma Mia! in 2005. The couple resides in South Orange, New Jersey. They have a son, Jack, born in February 2000.

Acting credits

Stage

Year Title Role Director Venue
1979-1980 King of Schnorrers David Ben Yonkel Grover Dale Playhouse Theatre (NY)
1980 Innocent Thoughts, Harmless Intentions Walter “Fishfoot” Fitzbout B. Rodney Marriott Circle Theatre
1980 The Diviners Dewey Maples Tom Evans Circle Theatre
1981 Childe Byron Boy Marshall W. Mason Circle Theatre
1981-1982 Francis Francis Bernadone Frank Martin Parish Hall at the Church of the Heavenly Rest
1982 Richard II Duke of Aumerle Marshall W. Mason Entermedia Theater
1980-1982 Fifth of July Jed Jenkins (replacement) Marshall W. Mason New Apollo Theatre (NY)
1987 El Salvador McCutcheon John Bishop Circle Repertory Theatre
1988 Reckless Lloyd Norman René Circle Repertory Theatre
1989 Dalton’s Back Dalton Possil Mark Ramont Circle Repertory Theatre
1989 Mastergate John Shepherd Michael Engler Criterion Center Stage Right
1989 Sunshine Nelson Marshall W. Mason Circle Repertory Theatre
1990-1991 Prelude to a Kiss Taylor, Peter (understudy, replacement) Norman René Circle Repertory Theatre, Helen Hayes Theatre
1992 Captains Courageous Manuel Graciela Daniele Ford’s Theatre
1992 Empty Hearts Detective Dave Ennis/Hank Sweetzer John Bishop Circle Repertory Theatre
1993 Down the Road Dan Henniman David Dorwart Linda Gross Theatre
1993 Paper Moon Brother Randolph Sass Matt Casella Paper Mill Playhouse
1993-1994 Hello Again The Senator Graciela Daniele Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater
1994 Moonshots and Cosmos Tom Marshall W. Mason Circle Repertory Theatre
1995 Elmer Gantry Elmer Gantry Michael Maggio Ford’s Theatre
1995 Kiss of the Spider Woman Valentin Harold Prince National Theatre
1996 Applause Bill Sampson Gene Saks Paper Mill Playhouse
1998 How I Learned to Drive Uncle Peck Maria Mileaf Plays and Players Theatre
1999 Dinner with Friends Tom (replacement) Daniel J. Sullivan Variety Arts Theatre
1999 Trudy Blue Don/James Michael Sexton MCC Theater
1999 The Visit Frank Galati
1997-2000 Ragtime Father (replacement) Frank Galati Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Farnsworth Studio
2001 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Judge Thatcher Scott Ellis Minskoff Theatre
2002 A Little Night Music Fredrik Egerman Mark Brokaw Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Kennedy Center
2002 An Almost Holy Picture Samuel Gentle Michael Mayer American Airlines Theatre
2002-2003 Dinner at Eight Dr. J. Wayne Talbot Gerald Gutierrez Vivian Beaumont Theater
2003-2004 Gypsy Herbie Sam Mendes Shubert Theatre
2004-2005 Democracy Helmut Schmidt Michael Blakemore Brooks Atkinson Theatre
2005 Children and Art Richard Maltby Jr. New Amsterdam Theatre
2005 The Constant Wife Bernard Kersal Mark Brokaw American Airlines Theatre
2005-2006 Mamma Mia! Sam Carmichael (replacement) Phyllida Lloyd Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre
2006-2007 The Clean House Matilde’s Father/Charles Bill Rauch Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater
2008 Saved Pastor Skip Gary Griffin Playwrights Horizons
2009 First Wives Club Aaron Francesca Zambello Old Globe Theatre
2009 White People Gus Reyes Atlantic Stage 2
2009-2011 Mamma Mia! Sam Carmichael (replacement) Phyllida Lloyd Winter Garden Theatre
2011, 2012-2014 Newsies Joseph Pulitzer Jeff Calhoun Paper Mill Playhouse, Nederlander Theatre
2012 Giant Uncle ‘Bawley’ Benedict Michael Greif Joseph Papp Public Theater, Dallas Theater Center
2014-2015 Pippin Charles (replacement) Diane Paulus Music Box Theatre
2015 Chicago Billy Flynn (replacement) Walter Bobbie Ambassador Theatre
2016 Dear Evan Hansen Larry Murphy Michael Greif Second Stage Theater
2017 War Paint Tommy Lewis Michael Greif Nederlander Theatre, Goodman Theatre
2018 The Heart of Rock & Roll Stone Gordon Greenberg Old Globe Theatre
2018 Sylvia Greg Matt Lenz The Cape Playhouse
2018 Grand Hotel Hermann Preysing Tommy Tune New York City Center
2019 A Small Fire John Bridges Joanie Schultz Suzanne Roberts Theatre
2019 A Number Salter Eliza Baldi People’s Light and Theatre Company
2021-2022 Paradise Square Frederic Tiggens Frank Galati Nederlander Theatre, Barrymore Theatre

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Homicide: Life on the Street Chick Episode “The Last of the Watermen”
1996 JAG Commander Dennis Brockman Episode “Ares”
1997 Prince Street 2 episodes
1999 Sex and the City Don Episode “Games People Play”
2002 Hack Jack Shannon 2 episodes
1999, 2005 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Tom Dayton (1999), Dr. Trainer (2005) 2 episodes
1993, 1999, 2002, 2005 Law & Order Don Stuart (1993), Frank Wellington (1999), Father Evans (2002), Judge Martin Schnell (2005) 4 episodes
2007 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Judge Nicholas Fenner Sr. Episode “Players”
2007 Gossip Girl Jack Roth Episode “Roman Holiday”
2008 John Adams Benjamin Rush 6 episodes
2010 As the World Turns Joe Chessley 2 episodes
2011 The Good Wife Kyle Murphy Episode “Breaking Up”
2011 Lights Out Dr. Wilson Episode “Cut Men”
2011 Blue Bloods Father McMurray Episode “Model Behavior”
2011 Suits Mr. Dockery Episode “Pilot”
2013 The Americans Kurt Schultz Episode “Comint”
2018 Instinct Reilly Episode “Flat Line”
2018 Madam Secretary General David Nelson Episode “Night Watch”
2018 Elementary Treadwell Episode “How to Get a Head”

Film

Year Title Role Director
1989 Longtime Companion Paul Norman René
1992 That Night Larry Bloom Craig Bolotin
1997 Nick and Jane John Richard Mauro
1997 Clover Chase Porter Jud Taylor
1999 Blue Moon John Barnard Ron Lagomarsino
1999 The Cracker Man Hank Rudy Gaines
2000 Big Eden John Bishop Thomas Bezucha
2005 Little Manhattan Mickey Telesco Mark Levin
2011 The Oranges Shelly Julian Farino
2012 Man on a Ledge Ted Henry Asger Leth
2020 No Loss Here Ted Nathan Brewer

External Links

Actor John Dossett – Wikipedia

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