Steven Skybell

Steven Skybell is a theater, film and television actor. He has performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in regional theater productions, on television, and in film.

Biography

Early life and education

Skybell grew up in Lubbock, Texas, and performed in two productions of Fiddler on the Roof from an early age: First as a "chuppa boy" and then Tevye at the Interlochen Center for the Arts summer camp. He went on to attend the Yale School of Drama, performing alongside Jodie Foster in Getting Out, directed by Tina Landau. At Yale, Steven would reprise the role of Tevye again.

On stage (2000s-2010s)

Skybell worked with Stephen Schwartz and Joe Mantello on the workshop for Wicked, playing the character Doctor Dillamond. He would later reprise this role in the Chicago and Broadway productions, as well as on the Wicked National Tour. They held adjunct faculty positions at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and at Fordham University in their theater departments. His credits in the 2000s and early 2010s would include productions by the Classic Stage Company and Shakespeare in the Park. During this time, Skybell yearned to play Tevye again when he was much closer to the character's age.

Fiddler on the Roof and Fidler Afn Dakh (2015–2022)

In 2015, Skybell took over the role of Lazar Wolf in a Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof. He starred as Tevye in the all-Yiddish production, directed by Joel Grey, Fidler Afn Dakh at the Museum of Jewish Heritage by National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. The production was a critical success, leading to four separate extensions. In February 2019, the show transferred uptown to Stage 42 where it played until January 5, 2020. For his portrayal of Tevye, Skybell won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical, and was nominated for the Drama League Distinguished Performance Award, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. Skybell would reprise his role as Tevye at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, his first English performance in the role on a larger stage, and again for a limited run of the Yiddish version at New World Stages both in 2022.

Cabaret (2024)

In 2024, Skybell played Herr Schultz in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, opposite Bebe Neuwirth as Fraulein Schneider. The two had previously worked together for a Classic Stage Company production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. In this role, he received his first Tony Award nomination, for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

Stage credits