All Credits LeeMead.co.uk
BIOGRAPHY
How to begin the biography of Lee Mead . . . Well, it really began for us back in 2007 when Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to televise a casting competition for the lead in a West End Revival of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.’ This was not the first of these competitions devised by Lloyd Webber, and it would not be the last, but it is the one that launched the career of a genuine West End star, Lee Mead. From the first auditions, through Joseph School, and certainly with the first live performance of ‘Mack the Knife’, Lee proved himself the man to beat. And no one did!
For that entire story including clips of all Lee’s performances, see the ADWD section
Of course, there's more to it. Lee had trained at a local performing arts college in Essex and then began working his way up the showbiz ladder. From cruise ferry cabarets and holiday camps, to understudy and ensemble roles in various touring musicals, by March of 2007 he was in the West End cast of Phantom of the Opera, in the ensemble and understudying Raoul. However, he heard about the search for Joseph, a part he always wanted to play, and so he joined the queue of 10,000 wannabe Josephs to audition for a place as a finalist in ‘Any Dream Will Do’ and three months later, he won.
Advance ticket sales for Joseph were so strong that the first extension to his run was announced before the show had even opened, and several more extensions were to follow until he finally decided to bow out on 10 January, 2009, after more than 600 performances.
credit Lee Mead.co.uk
Wistful, shy, and mysterious,
Cancer is ruled by the Moon.
A Cancer man is reserved when
he first meets someone new...
In between those 600 performances, he managed to squeeze in a documentary (The Winner's Story), a charity
single for Children in Need that went to #2 on the UK singles chart, an eponymous CD that went double
gold and an appearance at Wembley Stadium at the Concert for Diana where he performed the song 'Any
Dream Will Do' with previous Josephs, Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond.
Guest concert performances and appearances followed one after the other and many offers of similar musical
theatre roles came in after Joseph. However, Lee had always wanted to be a straight actor and so decided to
go to New York City where he attended the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute to hone his
craft. Upon his return to the UK, he embarked on a national tour as the lead in "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime", a
play in the Victorian melodramatic style adapted by Trevor Baxter from an Oscar Wilde short story.
Shortly after the completion of that tour, Lee returned to his musical theater roots, first in the highly coveted
role of Fiyero in "Wicked!", then as Emmett in "Legally Blonde: The Musical", and finally in the concert-style
musical, "West End Men". And still he found time to release two more albums and do concert tours in support
of each one.
Again, though, he wanted to push himself and his career into straight acting. He gave a strong debut on an
episode of the supernatural television series, ‘Bedlam’. Then, after a guest appearance on the series 'Casualty',
the producers decided they wanted Lee back and so wrote a part especially for him to debut during the 28th
season. The new nurse, Ben “Lofty” Chiltern, was described as "a slightly less posh Hugh Grant". We might
describe him more as an intuitive, somewhat mystical, even mysterious character with a heart of gold and eyes
that melt your heart. How amazing it was to have him visit us in our homes nearly every Saturday night!
However, after two years, Lofty rode off into the sunset . . . perhaps to return . . . perhaps not.
But definitely not to be forgotten as we have all of Lofty’s “bits” preserved on this website’s Casualty page
But for Lee Mead, leaving 'Casualty' meant time to release his fourth album, ‘Some Enchanted Evening’, to go
on a concert tour to support it, and in the midst of it all, to star as Caractacus Potts in the UK tour of "Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang". At last Lee will be back in musical theatre!
For further information about Lee’s career, see the Chronology below. And for even more detail on everything,
- literally everything! - Lee has done since 2007, and most likely earlier, please head over to
Vital Statistics
Name
Date of Birth
Origin
Star Sign
Eyes
Hair
Height
Favourite Colour
Favourite Football team
Favourite Food
Favourite Girl in the World
Lee Stephen Mead
14 July 1981
Rayleigh, Essex,UK
Cancer
Blue/Grey
Dark brown curls!
5ft 11
Blue
Chelsea
Steak!
Betsy
photo credit: @leemeadofficial
photo credit: @leemeadofficial
... polite and a little worldly, this sign is the epitome of old school gentlemanly manners.
Chivalry comes as second nature...
Chronology of Shows
Aladdin Aladdin (Principle Boy) Dec 2019 - Jan 2020
Milton keynes
LEE MEAD - My story TOUR Solo Concert Tour Feb - Nov 2019
LEE MEAD - 10 YEARS - THE ANNIVERSARY TOUR Solo Concert Tour Feb - Nov 2018
Jack & The Beanstalk (Panto) Jack Dec 2017 - Jan 2018
Cliffs Theatre, Southend On Sea (Principle Boy)
Christmas with Lee Mead Christmas Concert 7th Dec, 2017
Harold Pinter Theatre, London
Up Front and Centre Residency Last Sunday in the month 2017
The Pheasantry, London at the Pheasantry March - Nov 2017
Holby City (TV) Nurse 'Lofty' - Ben Chiltern 7th Mar 2017 on going
BBC (regular character) - First "Lofty "episode aired
Snow White (Panto) Prince Harry Of Holby Dec 2018 - Jan 2019
His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen (Principle Boy)
Cinderella (Panto) Prince Charming Dec 2016 - Jan 2017
The Palladium, London (Principle boy)
Chitty chitty Bang Bang Caractacut Potts May 2016 - Sept 2016
UK Tour (male lead)
Released 'Some Enchanted EVening' (album) Promotional Tour March 2016, Oct 2016
Fourth studio album (self-produced)
Aladdin Aladdin (Principle Boy) Dec 2015 - Jan 2016
Birmingham Hippodrome
Some Enchanted Christmas Evening Christmas Concert 6th Dec, 2015
Garrick Theatre, London
Some Enchanted Evening Solo Concert Tour July - Nov 2015
Saga Cruises Solo Concert July 2015
Gulf of Bothnia
Some Enchanted Evening Previewing new 26, 27, 28 June 2015
The Pheasantry, London Concert Tour
Warner Leisure Hotels Solo Concert 15th May 2015
Holme Lacy House, Herefordshire
Saga Pearl II Cruise Solo Concert Feb 2015
Treasures of the Caribbean
Casualty (TV) Nurse 'Lofty' - Ben Chiltern 2015
BBC (regular character) - Continuing Role
Cinderella (Panto) Prince Charming Dec 2014 - Jan 2015
New Theatre, Cardiff (Principle boy)
Christmas with Lee Mead Christmas Concert 7th Dec, 2014
Garrick Theatre, London
Lee Mead in Concert Solo Concert Tour May - Nov 2014
Warner Leisure Hotels Solo Concert 5th April, 2014
Littlecote House, Berkshire
Casualty (TV) Nurse 'Lofty' - Ben Chiltern 1st Mar 2014 -12 March 2016
BBC (regular character) - First "Lofty "episode aired Mar 2014
Robin Hood (Panto) Robin Hood Dec 2013 - Jan 2014
Theatre Royal Plymouth (Principle Boy)
An Evening with Lee Mead Solo Concert Tour Sep- 2013
An Evening with Lee Mead Solo Concert Tour Sep- 2013
The West End Men (Theatre) Musical Theatre May/Jun 2013
Vaudeville Theatre London content show
Jack & The Beanstalk (Panto) Jack Dec 2012 - Jan 2013
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (Principle Boy)
Bedlam (TV) Scott Jun- 2012
SkyLiving (one episode lead guest appearance)
Released 'Love Songs' (album) Promotional Tour: Feb- 2012
Third studio album (self-produced) The Love Tour
Tomomi Nishimoto Japan Concert tour Dec- 2011 Christmas Adagio
Casualty (TV) Harry Timms Aug- 2011
BBC (one episode lead guest appearance)
Legally Blonde (Theatre) Emmett Jun - Oct 2011
Savoy Theatre London (male lead)
Wicked (Theatre) Fiyero May 2010 - Feb 2011
Victoria Apollo Theatre London (male lead)
An Evening with Lee Mead Solo Concert Tour May 2010 - Dec 2010
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime (Theatre) Lord Arthur Jan - Apr 2010
Tour (male lead)
Lee Strasberg Theatre Summer Intensive Program May- June 2009
and Film Institute, NYC
Released 'Lee Mead' Nov- 2007
First studio album (Polydor)
Released 'Lee Mead' Nov- 2007
First studio album (Polydor)
Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Joseph Jul 2007- Jan 2009
(Theatre) Adelphi Theatre London (male lead)
Any dream will do (TV) Contestant Mar- Jun 2009
BBC and Winner
Phantom of the Opera (Theatre) Raoul 2006/ early 2007
understudy/ensemble