Walter O'Neil(I)
- Actor
It could be said that Walter came from a family of American gypsies -
by the age of 18, he had attended over a dozen schools throughout the
U.S., each providing its own particular set of obstacles. In each case,
he had to learn how to "improvise, adapt and overcome." His hard earned
talents were instrumental in winning consecutive full-ride acting
scholarships to both the University of Michigan and Brandeis
University. Since completing his M.F.A. in acting and speech at the
young age of twenty-four, he has appeared in over 250 professional
stage productions worldwide. With such tremendous stage success, Walter
easily transitioned into film, TV, recording, voice over, casting,
teaching, writing, directing, and producing. Chiefly among his
producing credits are Broadway's A Tale Of Two Cities at the Al
Hirschfeld Theatre, Off-Broadway's Barbara's Blue Kitchen at the Lamb's
Theatre, and LA's critically and commercially acclaimed 30th
anniversary revival of Hair. In addition, Walter has produced numerous
star-studded Broadway concerts and celebrity benefits. As a performer,
he was an original cast member in the Broadway companies of Wicked
(Averick/Boq) and A Tale Of Two Cities (Cronie). Walter is unique in
being the only cast member of Wicked to be with the show from its
table-read inception through its triumphant Broadway opening. Walter's
commitment to A Tale Of Two Cities went above and beyond when he
performed the highest ballistic free fall stunt in Broadway history.
His favorite stage credits include Yoko Ono's New York Rock (Violence),
the title role in Sweeney Todd, The Rocky Horror Show (Riff-Raff), The
Who's Tommy (Tommy), Western Star (Red Willie~LA Robby Award winner),
as well as the international tours of Hair (Berger), Jesus Christ
Superstar (numerous productions portraying Jesus, Judas, and Simon),
and The Golden Musicals Of Broadway (with Jennifer Lopez). Walter can
be heard on the original cast recordings of Wicked (Grammy/certified
platinum), the international cast of A Tale Of Two Cities, The Prince
of Egypt, including the single: "When You Believe" with Mariah Carey &
Whitney Houston (Oscar/Grammy/certified platinum), Hair (LA and
European casts), Yoko Ono's New York Rock, including the single: "Never
Say Goodbye," Visions, and most recently on Dale Wasserman's Western
Star. Memorable film and TV appearances include: The Black Rose,
Killers, CTU, The Merchants Of Venice, Dragon Fury II, Cyberdorm, Baja
Run, Babylon 5, MAD TV, Secrets, IFC Shorts (No Dogs Allowed), Off
Madison, VH1's Behind the Music: Hair, VH1's Driven: J'LO, Broadway:
The American Musical, Show Business: The Road To Broadway, Late Show
With David Letterman, The Today Show, and The Tony Awards.
