Wesley Taylor (born August 13, 1986) is an American stage actor and writer, best known for his work in musical theatre and television.
Theatre career In summer 2008, Taylor performed in Barrington Stage Company's production of the musical See Rock City and Other Destinations. The show won Richard Rodgers and Jerry Bock Awards. Taylor made his Broadway debut in the rock musical Rock of Ages, where he originated the role of the German city developer Franz. He won a Theatre World Award for this role and was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award.
His second major role on Broadway was as Lucas Beineke, Wednesday's love interest, in the musical The Addams Family, a role he originated after previously playing the role in the 2009 Chicago production of the show. The show premiered on Broadway in April 2010, with Taylor appearing alongside Krysta Rodriguez, who played Wednesday Addams, Lucas' love interest. He left the role on March 8, 2011.
On March 7, 2011, Taylor played the title role alongside Lauren Molina in a reading for a stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, penned by playwright Michael Raver. On April 2, 2011, Taylor, Erin Davie, Ann Harada, Kendrick Jones, and Burke Moses performed the concert, Broadway Tribute in Northport, Long Island at the Engeman Theater. The concert performance featured "the performers re-creating songs they performed on Broadway."
He then starred as Michael "Mouse" Tolliver in the world-premiere musical Tales of the City (based on the book series by Armistead Maupin), which began performances on May 18, 2011, in San Francisco at the American Conservatory Theater, directed by Jason Moore. After three extensions, Tales of the City closed on July 31, 2011.
Taylor played the role of God in An Act of God in 2016 at the Denver Center. Taylor played the role of Sheldon Plankton opposite Stephanie Hsu as Karen Plankton in the Broadway musical adaptation of SpongeBob SquarePants, which opened on December 4, 2017. Taylor played the role of The Mad Hatter in Alice by Heart at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater, which opened on February 26, 2019.
Other projects He has appeared on television in One Life to Live, Live! with Regis and Kelly, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Taylor played Bobby on NBC series Smash. Taylor co-wrote and starred alongside Alex Wyse in the webseries "Indoor Boys", playing the character Luke.
Since early 2009, Taylor and former Rock of Ages co-stars have maintained a YouTube web series titled Billy Green. The series deals with an up-and-coming actor Billy Green, who arrives in New York City but has no idea how to act around established performers, constantly giving away his resume. Billy Greens main cast stars Taylor as Billy and Jackie Hoffman as his over-protective mother. The idea came about during Taylor's senior year at drama school:
... I was looking for a short comic scene for the showcase, our presentation for casting directors and agencies. I could not find anything that I thought was funny enough or not overdone. My classmate E.J. Cantu and I wrote a scene called "The Audition," revolving around a guy named Carson who is auditioning for Death of a Salesman and a clueless, brand-new-to-the-city boy named Billy who sits next to Carson in the waiting room. That sketch became the premise for the pilot of Billy Green.
Taylor also participated in a reading for a play called A Dog's Tale (or The Thing About Getting) at the Kennedy Center. In addition, Taylor has written several short plays: Star-Crossed, The Game, and The Delivery Boy. His latest project, What's So Funny?, received a developmental reading on August 12, 2011, at Ripley-Grier Studios in Manhattan.
Personal life Taylor was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and raised in Orlando, Florida. He is half Puerto Rican, and his parents once resided in China, where they taught at a university: "[I]t's kind of hard for them to come and see the shows I'm in. I always get a little jealous of other people's families ... But my parents – I love them and I totally respect them. They kind of didn't want to settle into being bored in middle age, and they wanted to start over and move to a different country."
Taylor graduated from the theatre magnet at Dr. Phillips High School and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from North Carolina School of the Arts.Wesley Taylor . Theatre Mania Celebrities. At the latter, Taylor performed as Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2 and Action in West Side Story.
Theater credits
Year Title Role Theatre Director(s) 2008-09Rock of AgesFranz New World Stages 2009 Brooks Atkinson Theatre 2009–10The Addams Family Lucas Beineke Oriental Theatre 2010-11 Lunt-Fontanne Theatre 2011 Tales of the City Michael American Conservatory Theater 2013 Little Miss Sunshine Josh / Kirby Second Stage Theater 2015 Cabaret The Emcee Signature Theatre 2016-17 An Act of God God Garner Galleria Theatre 2017-18 SpongeBob SquarePants, The Broadway Musical Sheldon Plankton Palace Theatre 2019 Alice by Heart Mad Hatter / Harold Pudding / Mock Turtle / Pigeon / Knave of Spades MCC Theater The Who's Tommy Kevin Kennedy Center 2021-22AssassinsGiuseppe Zangara Classic Stage Company2022 Stephen Sondheim Theatre 2023 The 12 Tom Goodspeed Opera House 2025 Titanic J. Bruce Ismay Ogunquit Playhouse 2026Oh, Mary!Mary's TeacherNorth American TourSam Pinkleton
Filmography Films Year Title Role Notes2014Lucky StiffTrain waiter2017WildmanWildmanShort film2020The SurrogateDave2026Movin’ On Up DarrenShort Film
Television Year Title Role Notes2010Billy GreenBilly Green10 episodes2011One Life to LiveBartonEpisode dated 02.152012–13SmashBobby26 episodes2014The Tomorrow PeopleMonty the MagnificentEpisode: "Smoke and Mirrors"2015LookingMiloEpisode: "Looking for Home"The Good WifeTodd DippleEpisode: "Loser Edit"2017I'm Dying Up HereKenEpisode: "Girls Are Funny, Too"Difficult PeopleLyleEpisode: "Bernie and Blythe"2017–19Indoor BoysLuke24 episodes2019–20The Two PrincesPrince Darling of the North7 episodes2023Only Murders in the BuildingClifford "Cliff" DeMeo6 episodesNominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
See also LGBT culture in New York City List of LGBT people from New York City NYC Pride March
References
External links