Bryan Batt
About
Biography
Biography
Actor, author and activist: Bryan Batt was born in New Orleans, LA on Mar. 1, 1963. He praised his mother Gayle Batt in his memoir She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother as having a "magical influence" on his life, citing her lengthy record of civic and charitable work, in addition to encouraging his own artistic pursuits. The openly gay actor began his show business career on the stages of his prep school before moving on to productions for the New Orleans Recreation Department and Tulane University (at which time he similarly performed at Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré). His professional career began to take off in 1986 following a move to New York, where he appeared in a number of productions both on-and-off Broadway, including the massive hits "Cats," "Starlight Express" and "Evita." Batt's Hollywood career began modestly with an appearance in a Dutch film (lensed in New York) called "Flodder in Amerika!" (1992). He did not work again in that medium until 1995 when earning a role in the indie comedy-drama "Jeffrey," starring Steven Weber about a gay man in New York who decides to become celibate. It was a production well familiar to Batt, who had co-starred in the Paul Rudnick-penned play the film was based on. Although Batt continued to focus primarily on his stage work, he also appeared in movies such as the indie romantic comedy "Kiss Me, Guido" (1997), as well as occasional TV guest appearances. His big TV break came when he was cast as closeted advertising executive Salvatore Romano on the hit series "Mad Men" (AMC 2007-15), appearing as a regular on the series' first three seasons. The show earned him and the cast two Screen Actors Guild awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2009 and 2010). He appeared as a regular during the first three seasons. Batt's stage, TV and film work continued unabated after Sal was written off of "Mad Men," with his performance in Steve McQueen's searing "12 Years a Slave" (2013) garnering particular notice.
Life Events
1987
Made NY stage debut in the Off-Broadway staging of "Too Many Girls"
1987
Cast in Broadway debut as Rocky/Greaseball in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Starlight Express"
1991
Played Munkestrap in Lloyd Webber's "Cats"
1993
Was the understudy for the role of Pharoah in the Broadway revival of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"
1994
Had multiple small roles in Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard"
1995
Originated the role of Darius in Paul Rudnick's hit play "Jeffrey"
1995
Made film debut reprising the role of Darius in the feature adaptation of "Jeffrey"
1996
Was part of the ensemble cast of the Off-Broadway spoof "Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back"
1997
Appeared in the film "Kiss Me Guido"
1999
Co-starred in "Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act!"; received a nomination for a Drama Desk Award
1999
Was standby for the lead in "The Scarlet Pimpernel" at the Minskoff Theatre
1999
Cast as Monty, the disco deejay in the Broadway staging of "Saturday Night Fever"
2001
Joined the Broadway cast of "Beauty and the Beast" as Lumiere
2001
Shared Cat in the Hat duties with Rosie O'Donnell in Broadway's "Seussical the Musical"
2004
Made ninth Broadway appearance in "La Cage Aux Folles" as the glamorous drag star ZaZa
2007
Cast as Salvatore, a closeted homosexual advertising executive in the AMC series "Mad Men"