Aaron Scott Lazar (born June 21, 1976) is an American actor, singer, and entrepreneur known for his work on Broadway, television, film and concerts. In August 2024, Lazar released an album titled, Impossible Dream, featuring a cover of the song of the same name. The cover of the song was in a We Are the World style recording featuring solos by Josh Groban, Loren Allred, Sting, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Norm Lewis, Kristin Chenoweth, Leslie Odom Jr, Lin Manuel Miranda, Neil Patrick Harris, and a posthumous appearance from Rebecca Luker. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Classical Compendium" in November, 2024.

Early life and education

Lazar was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He graduated from Cherry Hill High School West, where he performed in musicals and competed in track and field as a discus and javelin thrower. Lazar attended Duke University, where he earned a Bachelor of Art degree, magna cum laude, while completing the prerequisite classes for medical school and taking the MCAT. After being accepted at the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), he earned an MFA in musical theater.

Career

Broadway and theater

Lazar's eleven Broadway and national tour credits include The Phantom of the Opera as understudy Raoul, Oklahoma! as Joe and understudy Curly, The Scarlet Pimpernel as Dewhurst and understudy Percy, Mamma Mia! as Sam, The Last Ship as Arthur, Impressionism as Ben, A Little Night Music as Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, Dear Evan Hansen as Larry Murphy, Les Misérables (Drama Desk Award nominee) as Enjolras, A Tale of Two Cities as Charles, and The Light in the Piazza as Fabrizio. Since he started performing at age nine, Lazar has performed in more than forty professional productions including A New Brain and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at New York City Center Encores! In 2007, he was Lt. Joseph Cable in South Pacific at the Hollywood Bowl. In 2016, he played Franklin Shepard in a Los Angeles production of Merrily We Roll Along. He was most recently in Fun Home as Bruce at TheaterWorks Hartford and the pre-Broadway regional tryout of The Secret Garden as Dr. Neville Craven at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Lazar played Paul in the 2011 New York Philharmonic concert version of Company. He was also in Anastasia as Gleb in a 2012 workshop.

Television and film

Lazar has starred in over 20 television shows including the role of Reverend Paul Thomas on Fox's Filthy Rich. He's also known for roles in The Wolf of Wall Street, This Is Where I Leave You, J. Edgar, and Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Concert and cabaret

Lazar has performed with some of the world's top symphonies from the New York Philharmonic to the NYPops at Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center, to Masada as both a guest artist and soloist with his own one-man shows Broadway to Hollywood and All For You, with Tony nominee Kate Baldwin, maestro Luke Frazier, and members of the American Pops Orchestra. His voice can be heard on numerous Broadway and off-Broadway cast albums. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lazar produced the album Broadway Lullabies with a cast of Broadway friends and parents to soothe families with reimagined Broadway classics.

Personal life

Lazar is a single father to two boys. In 2023, Lazar got engaged to Nawal Bengholam. In January 2024, Lazar announced that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) two years prior.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre