Wesley Taylor

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title: "Wesley Taylor" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1986-births", "living-people", "21st-century-american-male-actors", "american-male-musical-theatre-actors", "american-gay-actors", "lgbtq-people-from-florida", "american-people-of-puerto-rican-descent", "male-actors-from-orlando,-florida", "theatre-world-award-winners", "dr.-phillips-high-school-alumni", "university-of-north-carolina-school-of-the-arts-alumni", "hispanic-and-latino-american-lgbtq-people"] description: "American stage actor and writer (born 1986)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Taylor" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American stage actor and writer (born 1986) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Wesley Taylor
birth_date
birth_place	Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S.
occupation
years_active	2008–present
partner	Isaac Cole Powell (2017–2021)
education	University of North Carolina School of the Arts (BFA)
awards	Theatre World Award (Rock of Ages)
::

| name = Wesley Taylor |birth_date = | birth_place = Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = | years_active =2008–present | partner = Isaac Cole Powell (2017–2021) | education = University of North Carolina School of the Arts (BFA) |awards= Theatre World Award (Rock of Ages) 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:

::quote ... 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. At the latter, Taylor performed as Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2 and Action in West Side Story.

Taylor is openly gay. In 2016, Taylor met Isaac Cole Powell, when Taylor was visiting his alma mater North Carolina School of the Arts, where Powell was a junior in the school's theatre program. The two then began a relationship in 2017 and were engaged in May 2019. Their relationship ended in 2021.

Theater credits

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Theatre	Director(s)
2008-09	Rock of Ages	Franz	New World Stages	Kristin Hanggi
2009	Brooks Atkinson Theatre
2009–10	The Addams Family	Lucas Beineke	Oriental Theatre	Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott
2010-11		Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
2011	Tales of the City	Michael	American Conservatory Theater	Jason Moore
2013	Little Miss Sunshine	Josh / Kirby	Second Stage Theater	James Lapine
2015	Cabaret	The Emcee	Signature Theatre	Matthew Gardiner
2016-17	An Act of God	God	Garner Galleria Theatre	Geoffrey Kent
2017-18	SpongeBob SquarePants, The Broadway Musical	Sheldon Plankton	Palace Theatre	Tina Landau
2019	Alice by Heart	Mad Hatter / Harold Pudding / Mock Turtle / Pigeon / Knave of Spades	MCC Theater	Jessie Nelson
The Who's Tommy	Kevin	Kennedy Center	Joshua Rhodes
2021-22	Assassins	Giuseppe Zangara	Classic Stage Company	John Doyle
2023	The 12	Tom	Goodspeed Opera House
::

|url=https://www.playbill.com/person/wesley-taylor-vault-0000043881 |title=Wesley Taylor |website=Playbill}}{{cite web |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Wesley-Taylor/ |title=Wesley Taylor |website=BroadwayWorld}}

Filmography

Films

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2014	Lucky Stiff	Train waiter
2017	Wildman	Wildman	Short film
2020	The Surrogate	Dave
::

Television

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Billy Green	Billy Green	10 episodes
2011	One Life to Live	Barton	Episode dated 02.15
2012–13	Smash	Bobby	26 episodes
2014	The Tomorrow People	Monty the Magnificent	Episode: "Smoke and Mirrors"
2015	Looking	Milo	Episode: "Looking for Home"
The Good Wife	Todd Dipple	Episode: "Loser Edit"
2017	I'm Dying Up Here	Ken	Episode: "Girls Are Funny, Too"
Difficult People	Lyle	Episode: "Bernie and Blythe"
2017–19	Indoor Boys	Luke	24 episodes
2019–20	The Two Princes	Prince Darling of the North	7 episodes
2023	Only Murders in the Building	Clifford "Cliff" DeMeo	6 episodes
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
::

References

References

1. "Production History".
2. Murray, Larry. (August 19, 2008). "See Rock City & Other Destinations at Barrington Stage Company".
3. Varley, Eddie. (December 18, 2008). "ROCK OF AGES Storms To Broadway 4/7, Previews Begin 3/20".
4. Vire, Kris. (October 22, 2009). "''The Addams Family'': Q&A With Krysta Rodriguez and Wesley Taylor".
5. "Wesley Taylor".
6. Jones, Kenneth. (February 26, 2009). "''Addams Family'' Musical to Star Lane, Neuwirth, Carmello, Hoffman, Chamberlin and More". Playbill.
7. Jones, Kenneth. (March 8, 2010). "Lane and Neuwirth Lead ''The Addams Family'' to Broadway, Starting March 8". Playbill.
8. Mellini, Michael. (July 30, 2010). "What's Up, Wesley Taylor? The ''Addams'' Star on ''Family'' Life, Being Beautiful and Making the Stage His Playground".
9. Jones, Kenneth. (February 4, 2011). "Brad Oscar Will Play Uncle Fester in ''Addams Family''; Blickenstaff, Grupper, Potter Join Cast".
10. Gans, Andrew. (March 7, 2011). "Wesley Taylor, Lauren Molina Uncover the ''Picture of Dorian Gray'' at March 7 Reading".
11. Hetrick, Adam. (March 9, 2011). "Erin Davie, Ann Harada, Burke Moses, Wesley Taylor to Perform Broadway in Long Island".
12. (April 2, 2011). "Wesley Taylor, Ann Harada, et al. Set for Engeman's BROADWAY TRIBUTE".
13. (March 18, 2011). "Judy Kaye, Wesley Taylor and More to Tell ''Tales of the City'' in San Francisco".
14. "American Conservatory Theater: Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City – A New Musical".
15. (October 15, 2016). "Wesley Taylor Is God in ''An Act of God'', Beginning Tonight".
16. Weiss, Hedy. (June 19, 2016). "Feel-good 'SpongeBob Musical' rumbles, toils and bubbles".
17. Rosky, Nicole. (2017-06-05). "Breaking: SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS Will Open at the Palace Theatre This Fall!". BroadwayWorld.
18. Lefkowitz, Andy. (December 6, 2018). "Full Cast Set for ''Alice by Heart'' Musical from ''Spring Awakening'' & ''Waitress'' Writers".
19. (June 2011). "''Tales of the City''". Playbill.
20. Gans, Andrew. (December 2, 2011). "''Addams Family'' Star Wesley Taylor Will Have Recurring Role on NBC's "Smash"". Playbill.
21. "Kanaal van RockofAgesProd". YouTube.
22. (August 9, 2010). "''The Addams Family''{{'}}s Wesley Taylor Lands an Agent in New Web Spoof".
23. (August 23, 2010). "STAGE TUBE: Hoffman, Taylor Lead 'Billy Green' Webisode – Episode 4".
24. "Billy Green : Behind the Scenes".
25. Propst, Andy. (September 1, 2010). "Patrick Heusinger, Phoebe Strole, Wesley Taylor, et al. Set for ''A Dog's Tale'' Reading".
26. Peter, Thomas. (September 1, 2010). "Patrick Heusinger, Pheobe Strole, Wesley Taylor to Participate in Reading of ''A Dog's Tale''".
27. Wolman, Lauren. (August 7, 2011). "Wesley Taylor's New Play Gets Developmental Reading; Features Mike Wartella, Matthew Gumley et al".
28. Gans, Andrew. (August 8, 2011). "Reading of Wesley Taylor's ''What's So Funny?'' to Feature Max Von Essen, Rachel de Benedet and More".
29. (March 2023). "Not archived".
30. Nondorf, Tom. (April 8, 2010). "THE LEADING MEN: Kevin Chamberlin and Wesley Taylor of The Addams Family".
31. [http://www.theatermania.com/cast/wesley-taylor.html Wesley Taylor]. ''Theatre Mania'' Celebrities.
32. (May 20, 2009). "UNCSA Alumni Win Theatre World Awards". University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
33. (June 5, 2019). "Wesley Taylor Boyfriend, Engaged, Gay, Affair, Net Worth, Family".
34. (March 14, 2018). "Broadway First Dates: Wesley Taylor and Isaac Powell".

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