Robbie Fairchild
{{Short description|American dancer and actor (born 1987)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Robbie Fairchild
| image = Robert Fairchild American in Paris 2015.jpg
| image_size = 190
| caption = Fairchild in An American in Paris 2015
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|06|09}}
| occupation = Dancer, actor
| nationality = American
| education = School of American Ballet
| spouse = {{marriage|Tiler Peck|2014|2017|end=divorced}}
| relatives = Megan Fairchild (sister)
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
Robbie Fairchild (born June 9, 1987) is an American dancer and actor. He is best known for originating the role Jerry Mulligan in the musical An American in Paris, and as Munkustrap in the 2019 film Cats. He was a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet.
Early life
Fairchild was raised in Salt Lake City. His mother is a dietitian and his father worked for Utah's wildlife resources.{{cite news|url=https://www.dancemagazine.com/robert-fairchild-2559002489.html|title=Robert Fairchild Is Ready to Break the Rules|work=Dance Magazine|date=16 April 2018}} He started dancing at the age of four, and began formal ballet training at age ten. After attending the School of American Ballet's summer intensives in 2002 and 2003, he relocated to New York City and enrolled in the school as a full-time student in fall 2003.{{cite web|url=https://www.stepsnyc.com/faculty/bio/Robert-Fairchild/|title=Robert Fairchild|work=Steps on Broadway|access-date=May 12, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nycballet.com/Dancers/Dancers-Bios/Robert-Fairchild.aspx|title=Robert Fairchild|work=New York City Ballet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004150005/https://www.nycballet.com/Dancers/Dancers-Bios/Robert-Fairchild.aspx|archive-date=October 4, 2017}}
Fairchild's elder sister, Megan, is a principal dancer with New York City Ballet.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/arts/dance/robert-fairchild-new-york-city-ballet-duo-concertant.html|title=Robert Fairchild Says Goodbye to City Ballet With Balanchine and Roses|work=New York Times|date=October 16, 2017}}
Career
=Dance=
Fairchild became an apprentice at the New York City Ballet in 2005, and joined the company's corps de ballet the following year. He became a soloist in 2007 and principal dancer in 2009. During his time in the company, he had danced works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon, Alexei Ratmansky and Justin Peck.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/11/arts/dance/robert-fairchild-to-leave-new-york-city-ballet.html|title=Robert Fairchild to Leave New York City Ballet|work=The New York Times|date=September 11, 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/arts/dance/robert-fairchild-crosses-back-to-ballet-gershwin-in-tow.html|title=Robert Fairchild Crosses Back to Ballet, Gershwin in Tow|work=New York Times|date=April 28, 2015}}
In October 2017, Fairchild left the company after a performance of Balanchine's Duo Concertant, he danced with his longtime stage partner, Sterling Hyltin.
=Acting=
In December 2014, Fairchild starred as Jerry Mulligan in the musical An American in Paris, directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, in Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, which ran until January 2015. The musical also starred Leanne Cope.{{cite news|title=Broadway-Bound An American in Paris Opens in Paris Tonight|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/broadway-bound-an-american-in-paris-opens-in-paris-tonight-336941|access-date=December 10, 2014|agency=www.Playbill.com|publisher=Andrew Gans|date=December 10, 2014}} The musical transferred to Palace Theatre on Broadway the same year. The previews began in March and officially opened on April 12. He and Cope starred in the show until his departure in March 2016. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2015{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/13/theater/review-an-american-in-paris-a-romance-of-song-and-step.html|title=Review: 'An American in Paris,' a Romance of Song and Step|work=New York Times|date=April 12, 2015}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/10/theater/robert-fairchild-to-depart-an-american-in-paris.html|title=Robert Fairchild to Depart 'An American in Paris'|work=New York Times|date=February 9, 2016}} In 2017, the show premiered in Dominion Theatre on West End. Fairchild and Cope returned to the show, though he only stayed for three months.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36080832|title=An American in Paris show to dance into West End in 2017|work=BBC News|date=April 22, 2016}}
Fairchild had also starred in A Chorus Line at the Hollywood Bowl, Oklahoma! at the Royal Albert Hall in London and Brigadoon at the New York City Center.
He played Munkustrap in Cats, the 2019 film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name.{{Cite web|title='Cats' Breakout Robbie Fairchild Brings Broadway + New York City Ballet to the Big Screen|url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/robbie-fairchild-broadway-film-acting-advice-69685/|date=2019-12-19|website=www.backstage.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-09}} He also appeared in the 2019 Netflix series, Soundtrack.{{cite news|url=https://www.dancemagazine.com/netflix-soundtrack-2641624300.html|title=A New Musical Netflix Series Starring Robbie Fairchild and Jenna Dewan Drops Tomorrow|work=Dance Magazine|date=December 17, 2019}}
In 2024, Fairchild starred in the stage adaptation of the film The Artist on the West End. He played George Valentin, a silent film era star who finds his career in jeopardy when the "talkies" become popular.{{Cite news |last=Bamigboye |first=Baz |date=September 27, 2023 |title=Breaking Baz: Broadway’s Robbie Fairchild To Star In Stage Adaptation Of Oscar Winner ‘The Artist’; West End’s Gary Wilmot & Briana Craig Also Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2023/09/the-artist-stage-adaptation-cast-robbie-fairchild-uk-1235558019/ |work=Deadline}}{{Cite news |last=Culwell-Block |first=Logan |date=February 29, 2024 |title=See Who's Joining Robbie Fairchild in World Premiere Stage Adaptation of The Artist |url=https://playbill.com/article/see-whos-joining-robbie-fairchild-in-world-premiere-stage-adaptation-of-the-artist |work=Playbill}}{{Cite web |title=The Artist |url=https://playbill.com/production/the-artist-london-theatre-royal-plymouth-2024 |access-date=December 25, 2024 |website=Playbill}}
=Other ventures=
In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fairchild started his floral arrangement business, boo.kay, which was intended to be a "side hustle".{{cite news|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/home-decor/a33348248/robbie-fairchild-flower-business-boo-kay/|title=Robbie Fairchild Can Do Ballet, Broadway, and Even Bouquets|work=Town & Country|date=July 17, 2020}}{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Anna Grace |date=November 19, 2022 |title="A Broadway Star Celebrates a Different Kind of Opening Night" |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/19/style/robbie-fairchild-flowers-bookay-nyc.html |url-status=live |work=New York Times}} The company closed in 2024.{{Cite web |last=Fairchild |first=Robbie |date=January 12, 2024 |title="As my grandma always said before hanging up the phone, 'All our love, bye for now.'" |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C2AMZfwuQkE/?hl=en&img_index=1 |url-status=live |website=Instagram}}
References
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Category:American male ballet dancers
Category:New York City Ballet principal dancers
Category:School of American Ballet alumni
Category:Mae L. Wien Award recipients