Colm Wilkinson

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Colm Wilkinson (born June 5 1944 in Dublin) is an Irish musical theatre actor and singer, probably best known for playing the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. He was among the most frequent players of that role, playing the role when the show opened on both London and Broadway, appearing on several cast albums as well as at the 10th Anniversary concert in 1995. Among the more devoted 'Les Mis' fans, he is generally considered to be the definitive Valjean.

Earlier he had sung the part of Che in the concept album for the musical Evita in 1976. Since his retirement from Les Misérables in the 1990s, he also originated the role of the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera at a Sydmonton workshop, and years later went on to star in the original Canadian Cast in Toronto. Colm relocated to Toronto with his family and has been living there ever since. He is also known for his 1972 portrayal of Judas in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar in Dublin and London. His most recent work is a solo album released in 2002 titled Some of My Best Friends Are Songs.

Besides his work in Musicals, he also performed as part of the 70s Irish band The Action. He also represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1978 with Born to Sing. He is the father of Singer Songwriter Aaron Wilkinson.

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