Claybourne Elder (born April 21, 1982) is an American actor, singer, and writer who is best known for his work on television and on Broadway.
Early life and education Elder was born in Springville, Utah. His mother was a schoolteacher and his father was a carpenter. He is the youngest of eight siblings and was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At an early age he played violin in the school orchestra.Kaye, Kimberly. "Claybourne Elder" broadway.com, November 26, 2008
Elder studied acting at the Moscow Klasse Centre in Russia before attending Brigham Young University (BYU). He was kicked out of BYU for being gay, and ultimately earned a degree in dramaturgy and directing from the University of Utah.Howell, Blair. "From Utah to Broadway: Actors with Utah ties share Broadway stages in 'Cinderella' and 'Les Miz' " Deseret News, June 16, 2014
Career Elder received rave reviews and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Leading Actor in A Play for originating the role of "Ollie Olson" in One Arm directed by Moisés Kaufman. He was nominated for a 2015 Lucille Lortel Award"Elder" lortel.org. Retrieved February 25, 2017 for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Musical for Allegro at Classic Stage.Classic Stage He originated the roles of "Buck Barrow" in Bonnie & Clyde, "Hollis Bessemer" in Stephen Sondheim's Road Show and "Michael Victor" in Venice.
He played the Soldier/Alex and understudied Jake Gyllenhaal in the Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George, which opened in February 2017. He also played the role in the concert performances in October 2016 at New York City Center.
Elder can be heard on the cast recordings of Bonnie & Clyde, Road Show, Venice and Sunday in the Park with George.
Elder guest-starred as Pete O'Malley in the second season of The CW's The Carrie Diaries.
Regionally, Elder played George in Sunday in the Park with George at the Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia, in 2014.
On Broadway, Elder played the role of Andy in the 2021 revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Company.
Elder played Gaston in the 2023 production of Beauty and the Beast at The Muny.
Starting in 2022, Elder played John Adams (descendant of the President) in The Gilded Agehttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm3737379/. In May 2026, he joined the cast of Little Shop of Horrors replacing Andy Karl as Orin Scrivello at the Westside Theatre, Off-Broadway.
Acting credits Film Year Title Role Notes2007Blue MoonYoung ManShort film2016According to My MotherHot Actor DudeShort filmFlatbush LuckDerrick2019Small MindsCameron GlassShort film2020NetuserJackShort film2021Bad CupidHenry2023Mikey's ArmyChad HartmanShort film2024Deck The WallsJake HunterHallmark TV Movie
Television Year Title Role Notes2014It Could Be WorseActorWeb series, 1 episode: "Uncharted Territory"The Carrie DiariesPete4 episodes: "Date Expectations," "Hungry Like the Wolf," "This Is the Time," and "Run to You"2019FBIJim Russo1 episode: "Crossroads"2022–2025The Gilded AgeJohn Adams12 episodeshttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm3737379/
Theater Year Title Role Notes2008 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Ensemble Wells Fargo Pavilion Road Show Hollis The Public Theater, Off-Broadway2009 Into the Woods The Wolf / Cinderella’s Prince Kansas City Repertory TheatreBonnie & ClydeBuck Barrow La Jolla Playhouse 2010 Asolo Repertory Theatre2011 Cabaret Clifford Bradshaw Kansas City Repertory Theatre Cinderella Prince Charming Starlight Theatre Bonnie & Clyde Buck Barrow Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Broadway 2012 Pippin Pippin Kansas City Repertory Theatre 2013 Venice Michael Victor The Public Theater, Off-Broadway2014 Sunday in the Park with George Georges Seurat / George Signature Theatre Allegro Joe Taylor Jr. Classic Stage Company, Off-Broadway 2015 Angels in America Joe Pitt Kansas City Repertory Theatre2016 Do I Hear A Waltz? Eddie New York City Center, Encores! Oklahoma! Curly McLain Music Theatre WichitaSunday in the Park with GeorgeA Soldier / Alex u/s Georges Seurat / George New York City Center, Off-Broadway 2017 Hudson Theatre, Broadway 2018Passion Giorgio Signature Theatre 2020–2022CompanyAndyBernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Broadway 2023Beauty and the Beast GastonThe Muny 2024 Strike Up the Band G. Edgar Sloane Carnegie Hall2026 The Wild Party Jackie New York City CenterRabinowitz, Chloe Rachel Dratch, Wayne Brady and More Join 2026 Encores! Productions BroadwayWorld, December 9, 2025 Little Shop of HorrorsOrin Scrivello & OthersWestside Theatre, Off-BroadwayGans, Andrew Get a 1st Look at Claybourne Elder in Little Shop of Horrors Off-Broadway Playbill, May 28, 2026
Video games Year Title Role Notes2013Grand Theft Auto VThe Local Population (voice)
Other productions We Chose to Go to the Moon (2026)
Personal life Elder and director Eric Rosen were married on July 28, 2012, in New York State.Wontorek, Paul. "Exclusive! Claybourne Elder on Puppy Love, His Broadway Wedding & Making Music in Pippin with New Hubby Eric Rosen" broadway.com, August 20, 2012 In 2017, they had a son through surrogacy.
In 2022, many news outlets reported a human interest story about Elder. In 2007, as a 23-year-old aspiring actor visiting New York City, he was in the standing-room section of the Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee when a stranger approached him, noted his obvious enthusiasm for theater, gave him $200, and told him to spend it the next night on a ticket to a revival of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Elder did see that show and considered it—and the stranger's kindness—to be the factors that helped him decide to move to New York and pursue acting. By 2022 Elder was starring on Broadway in a different Sondheim revival, Company, alongside Patti LuPone, one of the stars of the Sweeney Todd production that so affected the course of Elder's career; at the same time, Elder was also starring in the HBO series The Gilded Age with Michael Cerveris, who had played the title role in that Sweeney Todd revival. Elder was reunited with Mark Howell, the stranger who had given him the money, and "paid forward" the favor by buying strangers tickets to Company. In July 2022, Elder retold this story on an episode of the WBEZ radio program This American Life that examined acts of kindness from strangers.
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