Oliver Tompsett
Born	(1981-08-25) 25 August 1981 (age 42) Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
Occupation(s)	Actor, singer
Years active	2002–current

Oliver Tompsett (born 25 August 1981) is a British actor and singer, best known for his work in musical theatre. He originated leading roles in multiple West End productions, including Drew Boley in Rock of Ages and William Shakespeare in & Juliet. In addition, Tompsett is known for his portrayal of Fiyero in Wicked and Galileo in We Will Rock You.

Early life and education

Tompsett was born in Abingdon-on-Thames. His father, John, was an engineer and opera singer, and his mother, Judy, who ran a dance studio. He has an older brother, Ben, who is a musician, and a sister, Amy.^[1] Tompsett attended John Mason School. He was a member of the Oxfordshire Youth Music Theatre, which sparked his interest in musical theatre, where he performed in youth productions of Me and My Girl, Godspell and Anne of Green Gables.^[1] He is a graduate of Arts Educational School, where he played the lead role of "Tony" in West Side Story.^[1]

Career

Tompsett made his professional and West End debut in October 2002 in the Madness/Tim Firth musical Our House, directed by Matthew Warchus, at London's Cambridge Theatre. He is featured on the DVD of the production, recorded for BBC3 in 2003, as the character Callum and as a member of the ensemble.^{[citation needed]}

His subsequent London stage appearances include: Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' Mamma Mia!, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, at the Prince of Wales Theatre; Notes From New York at the Trafalgar Studios and Christmas in New York at the Apollo Theatre, both directed by David Randall; 'Caliph' in Kismet, directed by Tiffany Watt-Smith, at the Arcola Theatre and "Harry Lytton" in Richard Stirling's Over My Shoulder: The Story of Jessie Matthews, directed by Stewart Nicholls, at Wyndhams Theatre.^{[citation needed]}

Immediately prior to joining the original cast of Wicked, in September 2006, he appeared in Trevor Nunn's production of Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun at the National Theatre. He has twice appeared on the Royal Variety Performance, in 2002 and 2006.^{[citation needed]}

Tompsett next played the role of Fiyero in the West End musical Wicked, which opened 27 September 2006. He is a member of the original London cast, having previously performed in the ensemble and serving as the understudy for Fiyero, before replacing Adam Garcia on 16 July 2007. He played his final performance on 27 March 2010 after three and a half years with the production. He was succeeded by Lewis Bradley who played the role until May 2010, when Lee Mead took over.^[2]

Tompsett originated the role of Drew in the West End production of Rock of Ages.^[3] For this role he was nominated for the whatsonstage.com Theatergoers Choice Award for Best Actor in a Musical.^[4] Oliver left the show on 23 September 2012 when his contract ended.

On 12 September 2012 it was confirmed that Tompsett will replace Noel Sullivan as Galileo in We Will Rock You on 6 October 2012. For this part he was nominated for the whatsonstage.com Theatergoers Choice Award for Best Take Over in a Role.^[5] He remained with the show until its closure on 31 May 2014.

From November 2014 to 24 January 2015, Tompsett played the role of Phil Davis in the musical White Christmas alongside Darren Day in Leeds.^[6]

From 16 March to 14 August 2016, Tompsett played the role of Sky Masterson in the West End revival of Guys and Dolls following its transfer to the Phoenix Theatre in London.^[7] Tompsett reprised the role for the show's Israeli premiere at the Opera House in Tel Aviv for 10 performances.^[8]

On 20 November 2016, Tompsett starred alongside Seth Rudetsky, Jennifer Simard, Sally Ann Triplett, Alice Fearn, Sandra Marvin and Jodie Jacobs in two benefit gala performances of satirical comedy musical Disaster at the Charing Cross Theatre in London.^{[citation needed]}

In 2019, Tompsett joined the cast of & Juliet as Shakespeare.^[9] The world premiere production opened at the Manchester Opera House on 10 September 2019 and closed on 12 October 2019. He continued on in the role when the musical transferred to the West End, where it began performances at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 2 November 2019.^[10] At the 2020 WhatsOnStage Awards, he was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical.^[11] Tompsett continued in the role for the entire West End run of & Juliet, until the show closed on 25 March 2023.^[12]

On 4 April 2023, Tompsett took over the role of Edward Lewis in the West End production of Pretty Woman. He will continue to play the role until the show's closing on 18 June 2023.^[13]

On 18 May 2023, it was announced that Tompsett will star in the musical In Dreams, which will begin performances at Leeds Playhouse on 3 July 2023.^[14]

Personal life

Tompsett is married to actress Michelle Potter.^[15] They met in 2003 while performing in the West End production of Mamma Mia.^[16] Their first child, a son named George, born in 2013.^[1] Their second child, a daughter named Kaia, was born in February 2017.^[17]

Tompsett ran in the 2022 London charity marathon for Parkinson's disease.^[18]

Theatre credits

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Recordings

In 2008 he recorded a song for the CD Act One – Songs From The Musicals Of Alexander S. Bermange, an album of 20 new recordings by 26 West End stars, released in October 2008 on Dress Circle Records. He can be heard on the recent Alexander S. Bermange CD singing "More than a Memory" and more.

In late 2008 he released his debut album entitled "Sentimental Heart", with all of the songs written, performed and produced by Tompsett.

Tompsett also recorded the song 'We Are Not Alone' on Terry Pratchett's 'Only You Can Save Mankind', which was released on 23 November 2009.

In May 2010, Tompsett announced on his Official Twitter account that due to the success of his début album, he had signed a record deal with Major Record Label Warner Brothers.^[22] His second album was released in 2011.^[23]