Joel Perez
Joel Japheth Perez is an American actor known for his work in several theatrical performances and television appearances.
Early life
Perez was born in Boston, and grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He is of Puerto Rican descent. His father is a Pentecostal minister, and he was first introduced to singing at a young age in church. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in Lawrence in 2004. In eighth grade, Perez starred in the Fellowship Christian Academy's production of Cinderella as The Herald. He later starred in his high school's production of Bye Bye Birdie as Conrad Birdie.Perez attended Tufts University, graduating in 2008. There, he performed in productions of Children of Eden and Hair. He studied for a semester at the British American Drama Academy in London. He also studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre his junior year of college.
Career
After graduating from college in 2008, Perez was accepted into the American Theater Wing Program Springboard NYC. During this time, Perez was involved with Stage Source and auditioned for In the Heights and the Williamstown Theater Festival. He also received a call-back audition a year and a half later for In the Heights. After six auditions, Perez joined the play on its national tour. When he returned to NYC, he acquired his real estate license and began working as an agent, before working a number of other jobs including as a PA for the PBS show History Detectives.Perez began his career in 2010 with a role in the national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights. While touring for In the Heights he appeared in the film BoyBand.
In 2013, Perez played Mark, Pete, Roy, and Bobby Jeremy, one out of only two parts for men, in the world premiere Public Theater off-Broadway production of Fun Home. Perez became involved with the work in its earliest stages. While at the Sundance Theater Lab in Jacksonville, Florida, Perez met with Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori, creators of the adaption of Alison Bechdel's work. At the time, Perez was working on Stuck Elevator. He quickly befriended the two, and they asked him to be in the play. In April 2015, Perez travelled with the show to Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it won five Tony Awards.
Most recently, Perez played the roles of Vittorio Vidal, Daddy Brubeck, and Herman in The New Group's off-Broadway revival of Sweet Charity. Perez also starred in Broadway Sings, an annual concert started in 2011 by Corey Mach that celebrates and reinvents pop icons' music.
Perez also co-wrote the short film Beautiful, FL with his husband, Adrian Ferbeyre, for Disney's Launchpad series. In addition to co-writing the short, he starred as Copernicus Cruz, the judge in the main protagonist's ice cream competition. The film was directed by Gabriel Ortega and was released on Disney+ on September 29, 2023.