Joshua Steven Grisetti (December 1, 1981 – July 10, 2026) was an American actor, director, educator, and author who worked in theater, television, and film.

Early life

Joshua Steven Grisetti was born in Washington, D.C., on December 1, 1981, and grew up in Rocky Mount, outside of Roanoke, Virginia. He attended Franklin County High School in Rocky Mount before graduating from North Carolina School of the Arts with a high school diploma in drama in 2000. He attended college at The Boston Conservatory where he graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre.[citation needed]

Career

Broadway and Off-Broadway

Grisetti starred in the York Theatre's 2008–2009 musical adaption of Enter Laughing (originally titled So Long, 174th Street), garnering a Theatre World Award for "Outstanding Debut Performance" as well as Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel and Drama League Award nominations. Grisetti was supposed to have made his Broadway debut in the 2009–2010 season, starring as "Eugene Morris Jerome" in the Neil Simon revival of Broadway Bound, directed by David Cromer. Because of poor ticket sales, Broadway Bound's sister show (Brighton Beach Memoirs) closed just days after opening at the Nederlander Theatre, canceling Broadway Bound two weeks before its scheduled premiere. In 2011, he portrayed Mordred in a Broadway concert of Camelot.

His actual Broadway debut took place in the original musical It Shoulda Been You in 2015, playing the role of Marty Kaufman. He received nominations from the Drama Desk Awards and the Outer Critics Circle for his performance, and won one of two 2015 Clarence Derwent Awards. He returned to Broadway in 2016 to replace John Cariani as Nigel Bottom in Something Rotten! and originated the role on the first national tour (2017–18).

Television and film

In 2007, Grisetti starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom The Knights of Prosperity. On film, he has appeared in The Immigrant, The Namesake and others. He also starred in two pilots for NBC, The Gates (2013) and Like Magic (2019), that were not ordered to series. He also appeared in a recurring role throughout the final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2023) on Amazon Prime.

University teaching and TikTok presence

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Grisetti became the first graduate with an MFA in performance pedagogy from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. He began teaching at Cal State Fullerton in Fall 2021 where he helped redesign the BFA in Musical Theatre; he achieved tenure at the University two years later.

Grisetti also gained recognition for creating provocative TikTok content about musical theatre training frequently critiquing the higher education system—particularly the student loan industry.

Publishing

In February 2016, under his full name of Joshua Steven Grisetti, he published a memoir entitled God in my Head: the true story of an ex-Christian who accidentally met God. In this memoir, Grisetti claims he overdosed on pain medications while at his dentist's office and experienced a near-death experience in which God essentially explained to him the secrets of the universe. These 'secrets' are New Age in orientation, similar to the writings of Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth) and William Young (The Shack). The book was originally self-published, but subsequently purchased by Tantor Media and republished as an audiobook.

Death

Grisetti died on July 10, 2026 from suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, at the age of 44.

Theatre credits

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005CamelotMordredNorth Shore Music Theatre
2007–2008SpamalotPrince Herbert / Minstrel / French Guard / Not Dead Fred / The HistorianLas Vegas
2008–2009Enter Laughing The MusicalDavid KolowitzOff-Broadway
2009The Neil Simon Plays: Broadway BoundEugene JeromeNederlander Theatre
2010How to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingJ. Pierrepont FinchFreud Playhouse
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumHysteriumWilliamstown Theatre Festival
2011CamelotMordredBroadway Concert
Enter Laughing The MusicalDavid KolowitzBay Street Theatre
2012RentMark CohenOff-Broadway
2013–2014Peter and the StarcatcherFighting Prawn
2014CamelotMordredKennedy Center
Granada Theatre
2014–2015DinerShrevieSignature Theatre
2015It Shoulda Been YouMarty KaufmanBroadway
2016–2017Something Rotten!Nigel Bottom
2017–2018US National Tour
2019Beauty and the BeastLumiereLa Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
MatildaMr. WormwoodThe Muny
2021SpamalotSir Robin / 1st Sentry / Brother Maynard / 2nd GuardOgunquit Playhouse
2023Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatSimeonLa Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
RagtimeTatehBroadway Sacramento
2024SpongeBob SquarePants the MusicalSheldon J. Plankton

Awards and nominations

Awards

Nominations

External links