Robert Westenberg


Robert Westenberg is an American musical theatre actor, acting teacher and professor. He appeared on Broadway in Sunday in the Park with George, The Secret Garden and Into the Woods, as well as several other musicals. He is the musical theatre coordinator and associate professor in the theatre and dance department at Missouri State University.

Early life and education

Born in Miami Beach, Florida, but raised in Fresno, California with his six siblings. Westenberg graduated Bullard High School in 1971, where he was active in sports, specifically football. He then attended California State University, Fresno.
Westenberg received a master's degree from Denver’s National Theatre Conservatory.

Career

Broadway

He made his Broadway debut in the 1983 revival of Zorba as Nikos, for which he won the Theatre World Award. He took over the role of George in Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George in September 1984, and played opposite Bernadette Peters. He received a Tony Award nomination and won a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf in Sondheim's Into the Woods. It was during this show where he met his wife, Kim Crosby, who played Cinderella. He starred with Mandy Patinkin, Daisy Eagan, Alison Fraser and Rebecca Luker in the original Broadway production of The Secret Garden in 1991.

Other

In 2002, Westenberg was in the US and Japan tour of The Full Monty. Westenberg has been in several MUNY productions. He played Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady in 2001 opposite his wife, Kim Crosby, as Eliza Doolittle.
He played the roles of both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook in the July 2007 St. Louis MUNY production of Peter Pan. He reprised these roles in a 2009 production in Branson, Missouri, with Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan. In 2012, he directed a production of Les Misérables at Springfield Little Theatre.

Television and film credits

Westenberg's film credits include Mr. and Mrs. Bridge and The Ice Storm. He has made guest appearances on Third Watch, , and the short-lived series Aliens in the Family. He played Prince Raymond on the soap opera, One Life to Live from 1989-90.

Stage credits (select)

Additional Broadway credits

He married actress and singer Kim Crosby on June 19, 1991, and the couple now have three children.
Westenberg lives with his wife, daughters Emily and Katherine, and son Joe in Springfield, Missouri, where he is musical theatre coordinator and associate professor in the theatre and dance department at Missouri State University. He was previously
chair of the theatre program at Drury University.