| Santino Fontana | |
| Birth Name: | Santino Anthony Fontana |
| Birth Place: | California, U.S.[1] |
| Alma Mater: | University of Minnesota (BFA) |
| Years Active: | 2007–present |
| Children: | 1[2] |
Santino Fontana is an American actor and singer. He began his career in 2006 playing Hamlet at the Guthrie Theater. He has received a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Obie Award, and Clarence Derwent Award. In 2019, Fontana won the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his lead performance as Michael Dorsey in the stage adaptation of Tootsie.[3] In addition to his stage and TV work, Fontana voiced Prince Hans in Disney's 2013 animated film Frozen.
Fontana was born in California.[1] He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program.[1]
Highly regarded for his stage work, which includes 10 Broadway credits, Fontana has performed in a vast number of roles during his career. He has won a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and was nominated for a Drama League Award.
Fontana made his Broadway debut in the 2007 revival of Sunday in the Park with George. Three years later, he was awarded the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his work in Brighton Beach Memoirs. The Washington Post wrote, "Fontana is a find as Stanley, immensely likable and thoroughly convincing in the character's struggle between his selfish impulses and his fiscal obligations to the family."[4]
In 2011, Fontana portrayed Algernon Moncrieff in the revival of The Importance of Being Earnest. Fontana received rave reviews, with Entertainment Weekly writing, "Kudos especially to the ever-versatile Fontana-best known on Broadway as the angry older brother in Billy Elliot- as the "ostentatiously eligible" Algernon, who gets the bulk of Wilde's ridiculously clever bons mots. Fontana does have a spot-on British accent and an immense likability- more important in my book."[5]
Fontana received his first Tony nomination with his portrayal of Prince Topher in the 2013 production of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella opposite Laura Osnes. Roma Torre on NY1 praised his performance, stating, "Santino Fontana is not your typical Prince Charming, but this wonderfully versatile actor is loaded with so many unique charms, he is instantly winning." Fontana followed up this performance with the Tony-nominated Act One opposite Tony Shalhoub in 2014. Shalhoub and Fontana were dynamic in their performance together, with USA Today writing, "Fontana has brought a vigorous, probing humanity to a number of characters, and he gives Moss the right mix of earnest intelligence and restless ambition."[6]
Fontana starred as Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels in the stage musical adaptation of the film Tootsie, which premiered in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre from September 11 to October 14, 2018. The musical opened on Broadway on April 23, 2019, and closed on January 5, 2020. Direction was by Scott Ellis with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and book by Robert Horn. Fontana won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his work. The New York Times' Jesse Green wrote that "Mr. Fontana sings beautifully, in a novel tenor-falsetto blend, and nails every joke," that "The persistence of Michael even in Dorothy drag, and later vice versa, is charmingly handled [by Mr. Fontana], helping us get past both Michael's obtuseness and Dorothy's unlikeliness," and that "[Mr. Fontana's] comic timing is impeccable."[7]
Other notable credits include Hello Dolly! (2018 revival) opposite Bernadette Peters, A View from the Bridge (2010), and Billy Elliot the Musical (2008).
In 2006, Fontana starred as Hamlet in The Guthrie Theatre's performance of the Shakespearean classic before moving to New York City to star as Matt in the Off-Broadway revival of The Fantasticks. He was one of the youngest Hamlets in American theatre history.
In 2011 he starred in Roundabout Theatre Company's Off-Broadway production of Sons of the Prophet to high acclaim. Fontana won a Lucille Lortel, Obie, and Outer Critics Circle Award and was nominated for a Drama Desk and Drama League Award. Scott Brown of Vulture commended his performance, stating, "Santino Fontana...firmly establishes himself as an indispensable stage star. The role he plays here, Joseph Douayhii- a young man dealing with an older man's pain, spiritually, physically psychologically, and perhaps psychosomatically- couldn't be more different than his buoyant, impish Algernon Moncrieff, yet both parts display Fontana's impressive gifts: his flawless timing, his jeweler's eye for the emotional cruxes of every exchange, his comfort with discomfort. He's always a step ahead of us, emotionally, as a great performer should be...Sons of the Prophet belongs to Fontana."[8]
Fontana has performed in many productions at New York City Center's Encores! His first performance with Encores! was his portrayal of Niko in Zorba. In 2016 he starred as Eliot Rosewater in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. Pop Culturalist wrote of his performance, "The undeniable star of this show is Santino Fontana. Fontana is a reliably wonderful actor, but his performance as the good-hearted troubled Eliot Rosewater is masterful– quite simply, this is the best I've ever seen him."[9] That same year he starred as John Adams in Encores! production of 1776. BroadwayWorld praised his performance, stating, "Santino Fontana's smart and empathetic performance is always winning."[10]
Fontana is known for voicing Prince Hans in Frozen in 2013. He appeared in Sisters (2015) opposite Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and starred in Lost & Found in Cleveland (2023), currently in post-production. His independent film work includes the romantic comedy Off The Menu (2018), the psychological thriller Impossible Monsters (2019), Brenda & Billy and The Pothos Plant (2023), Stalking The Boogeyman (2023), and the comedy Papercop in 2018, for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Williamsburg International Independent Film Festival.[11]
Fontana has appeared in many television productions to high acclaim. Fontana joined the cast of The CW romantic musical comedy-drama Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in 2015. On November 11, 2016, it was announced that Fontana was leaving the TV series after his one-year contract with The CW. The New Yorker stated that "Greg, played by the Broadway star Santino Fontana, is particularly appealing,"[12] with the AV Club adding "Fontana has solid timing (and great eyebrow waggling capabilities)" and "Santino Fontana, in particular, does excellent work.”[13]
In 2016, Fontana starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in NBC's Shades of Blue. He played David Saperstein, a detective who is part of Wozniak's (Lopez) crew. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, “In addition to Lopez, the best performances are turned in by Santino Fontana."[14]
Fontana has had starring roles in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2022) and Mozart in the Jungle (2014-2018), where he portrayed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He has also appeared in Fosse/Verdon, The Good Wife, Nurse Jackie, BrainDead, and Royal Pains.
Fontana performs routinely with orchestras and symphonies across the United States. He has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, at the American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center, and Birdland Jazz Club, among many others. Fontana has made four appearances at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. When Fontana performed with the American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center, BroadwayWorld wrote, "Fortunately, thanks to artists like Fontana, America's rich musical past can be kept alive and well in the hearts of the young and old alike, and provide a source of inspiration for future generations to enjoy.”[15]
In 2015, Fontana became the first guest artist to perform three times in the space of one year with the Tabernacle Choir on Temple Square, where he met the cast of Sesame Street.[16]
In addition to Fontana's extensive work as an actor, he is also heard on many notable audiobook recordings including Stephen King's The Institute, where he won an Audie Award for his performance.[17] He is also heard on Caroline Kepnes’ You series, and The Hunger Games prequel Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes, among many others.
Fontana began dating actress Jessica Hershberg in mid-2011. The couple met backstage at the Birdland jazz club, where both were performing.[18] They became engaged in September 2014 and married in September 2015.[19] [18] They have one child (b. 2019).[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Theater | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Sunday in the Park with George | A Soldier / Alex / Bather u/s Georges Seurat / George | Roundabout Theatre Company | Broadway debut | |
| 2008 | Billy Elliot the Musical | Tony Elliot | Imperial Theatre | Originated role on Broadway | |
| 2009 | Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound | Stanley Jerome | Nederlander Theatre | Revival Winner of Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | |
| 2010 | A View from the Bridge | Rodolfo | Cort Theatre | Left the show in previews due to a performance-related injury and was replaced by his understudy, Morgan Spector | |
| 2011 | The Importance of Being Earnest | Algernon Moncrieff | American Airlines Theatre | Revival | |
| 2013 | Cinderella | Prince Topher | The Broadway Theatre | Nominated for Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical Nominated for Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical | |
| 2014 | Act One | Moss Hart | Vivian Beaumont Theatre | ||
| 2016 | Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater | Eliot Rosewater | New York City Center | Encores! | |
| 2018 | Hello, Dolly! | Cornelius Hackl | Shubert Theatre | Temporary replacement | |
| 2019 | Tootsie | Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels | Marquis Theatre | Originating role on Broadway Winner of Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical Winner of Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical Winner of Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical Nominated for Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance | |
| 2023 | Gutenberg! The Musical! | Producer | James Earl Jones Theatre | One night only |
| 2006 | The Fantasticks[21] | Matt | Theater Center | |
| 2011 | Sons of the Prophet[22] | Joseph | Laura Pels Theatre | Winner of Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Lead Actor[23] Winner of Obie Award for Performance Winner of ITBA Patrick Lee Award, Citation for Excellence in Individual Performance Nominated for Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor In a Play Nominated for Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play |
| 2012 | The Game of Love[24] | Anatol | York Theatre | |
| 2014 | Stalking the Bogeyman | New World Stages | Author of additional material | |
| 2015 | Zorba[25] | Niko | Encores! New York City Center | |
| 2016 | God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater[26] | Eliot Rosewater | Encores! New York City Center | Original Encores! cast recording |
| 2016 | 1776[27] | John Adams | Encores! New York City Center | |
| 2022 | A Man of No Importance | Father Kenny | East 13th Street/CSC Theatre | Replacement |
| 2023 | The Goodbye Girl | Elliot Garfield | Theatre Row Building | |
| I Can Get It for You Wholesale | Harry Bogen | Classic Stage Company | Nominated for Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical |
| Year | Title | Role | Theater | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Unbuilt City | Jonah | NY Stage & Film | |||
| Shakespeare's Lovers | Rich III/Launce/Touchstone | The Guthrie | |||
| The Winter's Tale | Autolycus/Polixenes | The Guthrie | |||
| Six | Massemo | Guthrie Theater | |||
| The American Clock | Lee | Guthrie Theater | |||
| September 11 Project | Various | Chautauqua Theater Company | |||
| On the Verge | Grover | Chautauqua Theater Company | |||
| Love's Labour's Lost | Berowne | Chautauqua Theater Company | |||
| New York's Leaving | Eggman, etc. | Sundance Theatre Lab | |||
| The Boys | Orson Welles | Guthrie Theater | |||
| 2003 | Six Degrees of Separation[28] | Doug | Guthrie Theater | ||
| 2004 | A Christmas Carol | Young Jacob Marley, Squeeze | Guthrie Theater | ||
| 2004 | Death of a Salesman[29] | Bernard | Guthrie Theater | ||
| 2005 | Most Wanted[30] | Daddy-O, etc. | Sundance Theatre Lab | ||
| 2005 | Perfect Harmony | Philip Fellowes V | Studio Tisch[31] | Also Co-Writer | |
| 2005 | As You Like It[32] | Silvius | Guthrie Theater | ||
| 2006 | Hamlet | Hamlet | Guthrie Theater | ||
| 2007 | Noël Coward's Hay Fever[33] | Simon Bliss | Old Globe Theatre, San Diego | ||
| 2016 | The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd[34] | With new book by Fontana | |||
| 2016 | Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater[35] | Elliot Rosewater | Encores! New York City Center | ||
| 2017 | Man of La Mancha | Don Quixote / Miguel de Cervantes | Merkin Hall | Concert | |
| 2018 | Tootsie | Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels | Cadillac Palace Theatre | Pre-Broadway regional tryout | |
| 2022 | Anyone Can Whistle | J. Bowden Hapgood | Carnegie Hall | Concert |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Newsworthy | Mr. Kerry | Short film | |
| 2012 | Nancy, Please | Charlie | ||
| 2013 | Marion Knapp Doesn't Smile[36] | Dominic Peters | Short film | |
| 2013 | Frozen[37] | Hans (voice) | ||
| 2014 | Running Banker | |||
| 2014 | Fade to White | Damon | ||
| 2015 | Frozen Fever[38] | Hans (voice) | Short film | |
| 2015 | Sisters[39] | Mr. Geernt | ||
| 2018 | The Limit of Wooded Country[40] | Grant | Short film | |
| 2018 | Off the Menu[41] | Joel Flanagan | ||
| 2018 | Papercop | Neil | Short film | |
| 2018 | The Vanishing Princess | The First Soldier | ||
| 2019 | Impossible Monsters[42] | Dr. Rich Freeman | ||
| 2019 | Frozen II[43] | Hans (voice) | Archive footage | |
| 2020 | The Devil All The Time | AM Radio DJ (voice) | ||
| 2022 | Just One Kiss | Tony Romano | [44] | |
| 2023 | Once Upon a Studio | Hans (voice) | Short film, Archive footage | |
| TBA | Lost & Found in Cleveland | Completed |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Danny Willoughby | Episode: "Heart" | |
| 2011 | Nurse Jackie | David | Episode: "Play Me" | |
| 2011–2014 | Submissions Only | Aaron Miller | Series regular (16 episodes) | |
| 2012 | A Gifted Man | Gene Tipton | Episode: "In Case of Heart Failure" | |
| 2012 | Royal Pains | Jason | Episode: "Dawn of the Med" | |
| 2012 | Made in Jersey | ADA Van Pelt | Episode: "Ancient History" | |
| 2014 | A Summer Celebration of Song | Himself/guest artist | 2014 Mormon Tabernacle Choir Pioneer Day Concert[45] | |
| 2014–2018 | Mozart in the Jungle | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | 4 episodes | |
| 2015 | Keep Christmas With You | Himself/guest artist | 2014 Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert[46] | |
| 2015–2016 | Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | Greg Serrano | Main role (seasons 1–2) | |
| 2016–2017 | Shades of Blue | David Saperstein | 9 episodes | |
| 2016 | BrainDead | Kevin | Episode: "The Path to War Part One: The Gathering Political Storm" | |
| 2018 | Singularity[47] | Stan | Pilot | |
| 2019 | Fosse/Verdon | James Henaghan | Episode: "Me and My Baby"[48] | |
| 2020 | Vampirina | Petru (voice) | Episode: "Phantom of the Auditorium/Meemoreek!"[49] | |
| 2022 | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Boise | 4 episodes | |
| 2022 | Would I Lie to You? (US) | Himself | Episode: "Newman's Piggyback Ride" | |
| 2024 | Evil | Head of ethics | Episode: "How to Build a Chatbot" | |
| 2024 | Grotesquerie | Dr. Witticomb | 3 episodes |
| Year | Title | Voice role | class=unsortable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Disney Speedstorm | Hans (voice) |
| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Wheelmen | ||
| 2014 | You | ||
| 2015 | The Children's Crusade | ||
| 2015 | The Marriage of Opposites | ||
| 2015 | The Bazaar of Bad Dreams | ||
| 2015 | The Laws of Medicine | ||
| 2016 | Glory Over Everything: Beyond the Kitchen House | ||
| 2016 | The Perfect Pass | ||
| 2016 | Hidden Bodies | ||
| 2017 | The Deal of A Lifetime | ||
| 2018 | Flight or Fright | ||
| 2019 | Things My Son Needs to Know About the World | ||
| 2019 | The Institute | [50] | |
| 2020 | The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes | ||
| 2020 | The What If Guy | ||
| 2020 | Cliff Falls | ||
| 2020 | The Red Badge of Courage | ||
| 2021 | You Love Me | ||
| 2024 | Middle Of The Night |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Brighton Beach Memoirs | ||
| 2011 | Clarence Derwent Awards | Most Promising Male Performer | The Importance of Being Earnest | ||
| 2012 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Sons of the Prophet | ||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | ||||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | ||||
| Obie Award | Performance | ||||
| ITBA Patrick Lee Award | Citation for Excellence in Individual Performance | ||||
| Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Lead Actor | ||||
| 2013 | Tony Award | Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Cinderella | ||
| Broadway.com Audience Awards | Favorite Lead Actor in a Musical | ||||
| Broadway.com Audience Awards | Favorite Onstage Pair (with co-star Laura Osnes) | ||||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | ||||
| 2014 | Behind the Voice Actors Award: Feature Film | Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film | Frozen | ||
| Behind the Voice Actors Award: People's Choice | Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film | ||||
| 2016 | Poppy Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy | Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | ||
| 2018 | BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards | Best Actor in a Touring Production | Tootsie | ||
| Williamsburg Independent Film Festival | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Papercop | |||
| 2019 | Tony Award | Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Tootsie | ||
| Broadway.com Audience Awards | Favorite Leading Actor in a Musical | ||||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | ||||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | ||||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | ||||
| 2020 | Audie Award | Best Thriller/Suspense Audiobook | The Institute |