Gavin James Creel (April 18, 1976 – September 30, 2024) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter best known for his work in musical theater.

Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002 in the leading role of Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie before starring as Claude in the 2009 Broadway revival of Hair, both Tony Award-nominated performances. From 2012 to 2015, he starred as Elder Price in The Book of Mormon; he received a Laurence Olivier Award for originating the role in the West End version of the musical and has played the role in the U.S. National Tour and on Broadway. In 2017, he received a Tony Award for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in Broadway's Hello, Dolly!.

Creel's other stage credits include La Cage aux Folles (2004), She Loves Me (2016), Waitress (2019), and Into the Woods (2022) on Broadway, Mary Poppins (2006) and Waitress (2020) in the West End, and the national tours of Fame (1998) and Into the Woods (2023). Primarily a theater actor, his most notable screen acting role is as Bill in Eloise at the Plaza and its Christmas-themed sequel.

Early life

Creel was born in Findlay, Ohio, on April 18, 1976. He was raised in a devoutly religious environment which he found highly alienating, and was drawn to theater as a way to escape it. He attended Findlay High School, graduating in 1994. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance in 1998.

Personal life and death

Creel was gay and was heavily involved in gay rights activism. He was one of the founders, with Rory O'Malley and Jenny Kanelos, of Broadway Impact, an LGBT activist group that mobilized the New York theatre community in the pursuit of marriage equality. He was also a regular on the LGBT RFamilyVacations cruise with Rosie O'Donnell. In 2009, Creel dated fellow actor Jonathan Groff.  At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with Alex Temple Ward.

Creel divided his time between residences on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and in Carmel, New York.

Creel took a temporary leave from Hello, Dolly! in March 2018 to recover from back surgery.

In July 2024, Creel was diagnosed with metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, a rare cancer. He died from the disease at his home in Manhattan on September 30, 2024, at the age of 48.