George Salazar

George Ernest Salazar (born March 7, 1986) is an American actor, singer, and musician known for his work on and off-Broadway. He made his Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of Stephen Schwartz's Godspell. Salazar originated in the role of Michael Mell in the 2015 musical Be More Chill and performed in the musical's 2018 Off-Broadway and Broadway in 2019 at the Lyceum Theater in New York City, New York. He originated the role of Grover in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical and starred in Pasadena Playhouse's production of Little Shop of Horrors as Seymour Krelborn. Early life and education Salazar is originally from Kissimmee, Florida. He was raised in Orlando, Florida. His mother, Jonah, is Filipino and his father, George, is Ecuadorian. Growing up, Salazar focused his studies on pursuing a career as a doctor but switched his focus to the theater in his last two years of high school. After graduating high school, he attended the University of Florida where he majored in Musical Theatre. In 2008, he graduated from the University of Florida with a BFA degree in Musical Theatre. He moved to New York City shortly after to pursue his acting career. He is also an experienced percussionist on drumkit and cajón. Acting career Salazar's first break came in 2010 when he was cast as "Otto" in the second national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening. The production toured the United States as well as Canada and closed in May 2011. Upon returning to New York City from touring, Salazar earned his Actors' Equity Association membership.