David Bedella
Encyclopedia
David Bedella is an American
TV and musical stage actor
, perhaps best known for his Olivier award winning role in the controversial Jerry Springer - The Opera. With a baritone
voice he can successfully hit notes well into the bass
, tenor
and even the countertenor
range.
he had roles in Jesus Christ Superstar
with Ted Neeley
from 1992 to 1995, where he played Caiaphas
, in 2000 HMS Pinafore
and Brutus in a 2002 productions of Oh What A Night With Luke B.
Bedella then won his most famous role in Jerry Springer - The Opera, where he played both the Warm Up Man "Jonathan Wierus"(in the First Act) named after the 15th century devil worship Johann Weyer
and Satan
in the Second Act. For this role, Bedella received the 2004 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
Bedella then appeared a reaccuring role as the plastic surgeon Dr. Carlos Fashola in 2004 in the British
hospital
drama Holby City
. He then went on to play the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch
, and had a 16-month run playing Frank N Furter in the 2006/2007 UK tour of Richard O'Brien
's The Rocky Horror Show
.
Bedella has also had minor roles in a number of movies, including Batman Begins
, Red Light Runners and Alexander
.
In 2008 he played the role of Alexander Molokov in a concert version of Chess
at the Royal Albert Hall
on May 12–13, 2008, and performed in the West End
gala performance of Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens
at Soho Revue Bar.
In 2009, Bedella voiced Victor, a new character in the children's series Thomas & Friends. In 2009/2010 he reprised his role as Frank'n'Furter in the UK tour cast of The Rocky Horror Show.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
TV and musical stage actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, perhaps best known for his Olivier award winning role in the controversial Jerry Springer - The Opera. With a baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
voice he can successfully hit notes well into the bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
, tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
and even the countertenor
Countertenor
A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
range.
Career
Having graduated from Merrillville High School in Merrillville, IndianaMerrillville, Indiana
Merrillville is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 35,246 at the 2010 census. Merrillville is located in the east-central portion of Lake County.-Geography:Merrillville is located at ....
he had roles in Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
with Ted Neeley
Ted Neeley
Ted Neeley is a rock and roll drummer, singer, actor, composer, and record producer. He is probably best known for performing the title role in the film Jesus Christ Superstar in 1973....
from 1992 to 1995, where he played Caiaphas
Caiaphas
Joseph, son of Caiaphas, Hebrew יוסף בַּר קַיָּפָא or Yosef Bar Kayafa, commonly known simply as Caiaphas in the New Testament, was the Roman-appointed Jewish high priest who is said to have organized the plot to kill Jesus...
, in 2000 HMS Pinafore
HMS Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
and Brutus in a 2002 productions of Oh What A Night With Luke B.
Bedella then won his most famous role in Jerry Springer - The Opera, where he played both the Warm Up Man "Jonathan Wierus"(in the First Act) named after the 15th century devil worship Johann Weyer
Johann Weyer
Johann Weyer , was a Dutch physician, occultist and demonologist, disciple and follower of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. He was among the first to publish against the persecution of witches...
and Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
in the Second Act. For this role, Bedella received the 2004 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
Bedella then appeared a reaccuring role as the plastic surgeon Dr. Carlos Fashola in 2004 in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
drama Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
. He then went on to play the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a rock musical about a fictional rock and roll band fronted by an East German transgender singer. The text is by John Cameron Mitchell, and the music and lyrics are by Stephen Trask. The musical premiered in 1998 and has been performed throughout the world in hundreds...
, and had a 16-month run playing Frank N Furter in the 2006/2007 UK tour of Richard O'Brien
Richard O'Brien
Richard Timothy Smith , better known under his stage name Richard O'Brien, is an English writer, actor, television presenter and theatre performer. He is perhaps best known for writing the cult musical The Rocky Horror Show and for his role in presenting the popular TV show The Crystal Maze...
's The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
.
Bedella has also had minor roles in a number of movies, including Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
, Red Light Runners and Alexander
Alexander (film)
Alexander is a 2004 epic film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It is not a remake of the 1956 film which starred Richard Burton. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role...
.
In 2008 he played the role of Alexander Molokov in a concert version of Chess
Chess (musical)
Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;...
at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
on May 12–13, 2008, and performed in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
gala performance of Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens
Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens
Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens is a song cycle with music by Janet Hood and lyrics and additional text by Bill Russell. The work features songs and monologues inspired by the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology...
at Soho Revue Bar.
In 2009, Bedella voiced Victor, a new character in the children's series Thomas & Friends. In 2009/2010 he reprised his role as Frank'n'Furter in the UK tour cast of The Rocky Horror Show.