Brandon Jacob Uranowitz (born July 9, 1986) is an American actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Leopoldstadt (2022–23) and has also received Tony Award nominations for An American in Paris (2014–15), Falsettos (2016), Burn This (2019), and Ragtime (2025–26). His other credits include Baby, It's You! (2011), Prince of Broadway (2017), The Band's Visit (2018), and Assassins (2022).
Early life and education Uranowitz grew up in West Orange, New Jersey and attended the nearby Montclair Kimberley Academy. He is from a Jewish family and had a bar mitzvah.
He began performing at age six and studied at Performers Theatre Workshop. In the mid-1990s, he was a working child actor; professional roles included an ensemble member in Evita at the Paper Mill Playhouse (1996) and a swing in A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden. In 1997, he assumed the role of Little Boy in the world premiere of Ragtime in Toronto. He was also member of The Broadway Kids, a musical revue and recording project; he performed live off-Broadway and appears on the 1998 album The Broadway Kids Back on Broadway. Of Uranowitz's contribution as part of the ensemble cast, The New York Times wrote he "was a testament to youthful enthusiasm and lung power".
He attended New York University and graduated in 2008 with a degree in theater arts from their Tisch School of the Arts.
Career 2006–2013: Early career and Broadway debut Uranowitz resumed his acting career while training at NYU; early on, he held the roles of Richard in Richard III and the King of France in All's Well That Ends Well at Classical Studio, Cardinal Bellarmin in Galileo at The Skirball Center (2007), and Dante in Only Children at The Abe Burrows Theatre.
Following graduation, he played the role of Feste in Twelfth Night at the Kirk Theatre off-Broadway (2009) and the role of Eugene in Brighton Beach Memoirs / Broadway Bound in 2010 at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Of Uranowitz's appearance as Feste in Twelfth Night, MusicOMH wrote "Uranowitz rocks it... ...playing the fool character with restrained glee," PlayShakespeare.com wrote, "Brandon Uranowitz' effortless command of the language and, again, his willingness to explore his characters' depth makes him absolutely spellbinding." For his performance, Uranowitz received a PlayShakespeare.com Falstaff Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance, Male.
His first role in a major production was as an ensemble member and understudy of Mark in the national tour of Rent. Uranowitz made his Broadway debut in the 2011 jukebox musical Baby It's You!. He played the role of Stanley, the blind composer and son of Florence Greenberg as played by Beth Leavel. In their review of the musical, Variety noted that the "show is continually perked up by... ...Brandon Uranowitz (as a long-suffering press guy and Goldberg's blind son)."
In 2013, he was cast in Michael Kahn's Washington, D.C. production of Torch Song Trilogy. He starred as Arnold in the four-hour unabridged version of the play and was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Resident Play.
During this time, Uranowitz has had minor appearances in the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, As the World Turns, and Inside Amy Schumer.
2014–present: Breakthrough and acclaim In 2014, he joined the original cast of the stage adaption of An American in Paris as composer Adam Hochberg. The show premiered in Paris at Théâtre du Châtelet in December 2014 and transferred to Broadway, opening in April 2015. He departed the show on August 7, 2016. The show was Uranowitz's breakthrough performance and netted him his first Tony Award nomination. He also portrayed Mrs. White in the 30th Anniversary one time tribute performance of the classic film Clue in December 2015.Clement, Olivia (December 7, 2015). "Michael Urie and Brandon Uranowitz Headline Celebrity Performance of Clue". Playbill.
Uranowitz joined the first revival of 1992 musical Falsettos, which opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on October 27, 2016, as a limited engagement. He portrayed Mendel, a psychiatrist, opposite Christian Borle as Marvin, Andrew Rannells as Whizzer, and Stephanie J. Block as Trina. For his performance, he received a 2017 Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. His turn as Mendel in Falsettos received rave reviews. He was called "warmly funny and convincingly neurotic" as Mendel by The New York Times, "wholly endearing" by Entertainment Weekly, and The Hollywood Reporter said "Uranowitz is a worthy successor to the wonderful Chip Zien in the original production. He flirts with the stereotypical view of a Jewish therapist only marginally less messed-up than his patients, while also finding the truth in a compassionate man who has to convince himself of his right to be happy". Vulture said that Uranowitz offered "an unusually sexy Mendel".
Uranowitz appeared in the revue Prince of Broadway, which opened on Broadway in August 2017 and closed in October 2017. The revue featured the work of the director and producer Harold Prince. In 2018, he had a three episode arc on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Buzz Goldberg, a Catskills activities director. Beginning in October 2018, he performed for four months in The Band's Visit on Broadway, replacing John Cariani. He subsequently played Larry in a limited run of Burn This on Broadway, opposite Adam Driver and Keri Russell. For his role, Uranowitz received nominations for the Drama Desk Award and Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
In fall 2019, it was announced that he would star in a limited-run off-Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins at the Classic Stage Company in spring 2020. The production was postponed to late 2021 due to the global pandemic. In 2020, he took part in the amfAR COVID-19 relief benefit The Great Work Begins, a live streamed event featuring scenes from Angels in America. He performed in the role of Louis Ironson. Uranowitz appeared in the 2021 Billy Crystal feature film Here Today. In 2022, he appeared in the Broadway run of the Tom Stoppard play Leopoldstadt, for which he won a Tony Award.
From January to February 2024, Uranowitz starred as Jon in Tick, Tick... Boom! at the Kennedy Center directed by Neil Patrick Harris. In November of that same year, he starred as Tateh in New York City Center's Encores! production of Ragtime opposite Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy and Colin Donnell,Green, Jesse Review: A Vocally Splendid 'Ragtime' Raises the Roof New York Times, October 31, 2024 and the production transferred to Broadway the following year.
Personal life Uranowitz is gay.Wong, Curtis (June 5, 2017). "This Tony Nominee Doesn't Want Praise For Playing A Straight Guy". HuffPost. As of 2011, he is in a relationship with actor Zachary Prince. They met at the audition for Baby It's You! and Prince was subsequently cast as Uranowitz's understudy.Spaner, Whitney (July 10, 2016). "What Happens When You Have a Crush on Your Standby?". Playbill. Uranowitz and Prince have since married.
Acting credits
Theatre Selected credits Year(s)TitleRoleTheatre Director(s) 1997 Ragtime Little Boy Ford Centre for the Performing Arts 2009Twelfth Night Feste Wild Project 2009–2010 Rent Mark Cohen U.S National Tour 2010Broadway BoundEugene JeromeOld Globe TheatreScott Schwartz 2011 Baby, It's You! Stanley Greenberg, Murray Schwartz, Johnny Cymbal, Kingsman Broadhurst Theatre 2013 Torch Song Trilogy Arnold The Studio Theatre Michael Kahn 2014–2015 An American in Paris Adam Hochberg Théâtre du Châtelet 2015–2016 Palace Theatre 2016–2017 Falsettos Dr. Mendel Walter Kerr Theatre 2017 Prince of Broadway Various roles Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Man of La Mancha Sancho Panza / Cervantes' Manservant Merkin Concert Hall 2018 Grand Hotel Otto Kringelein New York City Center The Band's Visit Itzik Ethel Barrymore Theatre 2019 Burn This Larry Hudson Theatre Road Show Addison Mizner New York City Center 2021–2022AssassinsLeon Czolgosz Classic Stage Company 2022 Stephen Sondheim Theatre 2022–2023 Leopoldstadt Ludwig Jakobovicz, Nathan Fischbein Longacre Theatre 2024 Tick, Tick... Boom! Jon Kennedy Center Titanic J. Bruce IsmayNew York City Center Ragtime Tateh 2025 Becoming Eve Jonah New York Theatre Workshop Tyne Rafaeli 2025–2026 Ragtime Tateh Vivian Beaumont Theatre 2026 Falsettos Dr. Mendel Carnegie Hall
Readings Year Title Role Theatre Notes 2015 Clue Mrs. White The Players 30th Anniversary tribute
Film Year Title Role 2014 Stage Fright Artie Getz 2018 Goodbye, Brooklyn Nicolas 2019 The Kitchen Shmuli Chudakoff 2021 Here Today Justin
Television Year Title Role Notes 2009 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Dovid Episode: "Rock Star" TBD As the World Turns Day Player Uncredited 2013 Inside Amy Schumer Generations Instructor Episode: "Real Sext" TBD The Soul Man U 5 Uncredited 2017Falsettos: Live from Lincoln Center Mendel Filmed stage production Blue Bloods Michael Goldman Episode: "Pick Your Poison" 2018Dietland Pablo Episode: "F... This" 2018–2022 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Buzz Goldberg 4 episodes 2019 Fosse/Verdon Dustin Hoffman Episode: "All I Care About Is Love"
Cast recordings 2011: Baby It's You! (Original Cast Recording); featured on 2 tracks 2015: An American in Paris (Original Broadway Cast Recording); featured on 6 tracks 2016: Falsettos (2016 Broadway Cast Recording); featured on 14 tracks 2018: Prince of Broadway (Original Broadway Cast Recording); featured on 3 tracks 2022: Assassins (Studio Cast Recording); featured on 5 tracks 2022: The Violet Hour (The 2022 Off-Broadway Cast Recording); featured on 8 tracks 2026: Ragtime (2025 Broadway Cast Recording); featured on 6 tracks
Awards and nominations +YearAwardCategoryNominated WorkResult2009Falstaff AwardBest Supporting Performance, MaleTwelfth Night 2014Helen Hayes AwardOutstanding Lead Actor, Resident PlayTorch Song Trilogy 2015Tony AwardsBest Featured Actor in a MusicalAn American in Paris 2016Grammy AwardsBest Musical Theater Album 2017Drama Desk AwardsOutstanding Featured Actor in a MusicalFalsettos Tony AwardsBest Featured Actor in a Musical 2019Drama Desk AwardsOutstanding Featured Actor in a PlayBurn This Tony AwardsBest Featured Actor in a Play 2023Drama Desk AwardsOutstanding Featured Performance in a PlayLeopoldstadt Outer Critics Circle AwardsOutstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play Tony AwardsBest Featured Actor in a Play 2026Drama League AwardsDistinguished PerformanceRagtime Outer Critics Circle AwardsOutstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway MusicalCulwell-Block, Logan chmigadoon!, Ragtime Win Big at 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards; Read the Full List of Winners Playbill, May 11, 2026 Drama Desk AwardsOutstanding Lead Performance in a MusicalGordon, David Schmigadoon!, Two Strangers Land Drama Desk Best Musical Nominations TheaterMania, April 29, 2026Tony AwardsBest Actor in a MusicalRosky, Nicole 2026 Tony Nominations: Updating Live! BroadwayWorld, May 5, 2026Dorian AwardOutstanding Lead Performance in a Broadway Musical
References
External links