Jeremy Jordan is the NJB of Broadway. The melodic hunk first sent hearts aflutter in “Rock of Ages” before going on to star as Tony in the most recent revival of “West Side Story.” From there, Jeremy made history when he originated the lead roles in the short-lived “Bonnie and Clyde” and Disney’s hit “Newsies” (his rendition of “Santa Fe,” the show’s iconic ballad, is *chef’s kiss*). He also appeared in “Waitress” and as Seymour in the Off-Broadway revival of “Little Shop of Horrors” just last year. Not a theater aficionado? You can still witness Jeremy’s immense talent by rewatching the musical TV drama “Smash” or the DC Comics-based series “Supergirl.”
At this point, you might be thinking: OK, that resume is so impressive it’s almost personally insulting. But who is the man behind the onslaught of onscreen charm, the arresting grin, the voice of a mal’akh (angel)?
Here are 18 things to know about Jeremy Jordan.
1. Jeremy was born on November 20, 1984 in Corpus Christi, Texas (a Scorpio!).
2. His mother, Debbie Stone, is Jewish (her parents’ families were emigrants from Russia, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania), while his father is of English, Scottish, Welsh and German descent.
3. Jeremy and his two siblings all have “J” names! He has a brother, Joey, and a sister named Jessica.
4. He was a choir boy in grade school!
Note: we would kill for a #throwback pic of Jer in a vest and dreadful dress pants, but alas, we scoured the internet and came up empty-handed.
5. But he wasn’t always the quintessential theater kid! In the seventh grade, Jeremy was injured in a car accident and only pursued singing after being told that he had to take a break from athletics to recover.
6. He’s an Ithaca Bomber! Jeremy graduated from Ithaca College in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in musical theater.
7. Only two (!) years later, Jeremy made his Broadway debut as a swing in the original production of “Rock of Ages.”
8. He’s a Tony and Grammy award nominee! Jeremy was nominated for his performance in Disney’s stage adaptation of the 1992 film “Newsies.” In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jeremy gushed that he had “loved the movie as a kid so I immediately connected with it and knew what I wanted to do.”
Here he is as swoon-worthy leading man Jack Kelly:
FYI, this is the photo that Pavloved us into salivating at the sight of anyone in a newsboy cap (bonus points if they pronounce “nurse” like “noice”).
9. In 2015, Jeremy starred as Jewish American Leo Frank in the concert production of “Parade,” a musical dramatization of Frank’s 1913 trial, imprisonment and 1915 lynching. The role was recently performed by fellow Jewish Broadway star Ben Platt!
10. But “Parade” wasn’t his only Jewish role! Jeremy played Jamie Wellerstein in “The Last Five Years,” a film adaptation of the musical of the same name opposite Anna Kendrick.
You may have seen the movie, but have you seen Jeremy flawlessly belt “Shiksa Goddess” live?
🎶”The JCC of Spring Valley is shaking / And crumbling to the ground…” 🎶
11. He also appeared in the musical “Waitress” on Broadway alongside Jewish actress Shoshana Bean.
12. Jeremy started a band, Age of Madness, which released their first album this past spring!
You can listen to it here:
13. Jeremy is married to fellow Broadway actress and singer Ashley Spencer! Here they are in a photo that we’d frame and display on our own mantle:
14. They even sang in concert together! Audiences who attended “Starring Opposite You” in 2018 got to watch the pair share the stage and multiple duets.
15. Jeremy has a daughter, Clara Eloise Jordan, born April 21, 2019.
Given those genes, we wouldn’t be surprised if this child grows up to be the most talented person alive.
16. The couple also share a pup, Riley!
Precious, no?
17. Jeremy has already graced our screens in two Hallmark Channel films, culinary-themed comedy “Mix Up in the Mediterranean” and “Holly and Ivy,” a Christmas romance.
18. But, the best one of all is sure to be “Hanukkah on Rye,” which will be released this weekend! Here at Hey Alma, we’ve been sick of waiting around for the Hanukkah movie of our dreams to materialize (we even launched our annual Hanukkah Movie Pitch Challenge in the meantime). So when we learned that Jeremy would be starring alongside French-Israeli actress Yael Grobglas in a rom-com about literal deli owners, we just about lost it.
Grab some popcorn (or latkes) and watch the preview for the film here.
