George Ernest Salazar (born March 7, 1986) is an American actor and singer. He is known for his work on and off-Broadway. He made his Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of Stephen Schwartz's Godspell. Salazar originated the role of Michael Mell in Be More Chill (2015) and performed the role Off-Broadway (2018) and Broadway (2019) at the Lyceum Theater in New York City. He originated the role of Grover in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical and starred in Pasadena Playhouse's production of Little Shop of Horrors as Seymour Krelborn. On screen, he had a recurring role as George Conway in the FX limited anthology series Impeachment: American Crime Story (2016), and in 2025 made his feature film acting debut as the voice and facial motion capture for Happy, one of the Seven Dwarfs in Disney's live-action remake of Snow White.
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Early life and education
Salazar was born on March 7, 1986, in Kissimmee, Florida, of Filipino and Ecuadorian heritage. Growing up, he wanted to be a surgeon, but switched his focus to the theater in his last two years of high school.
After graduating high school, he attended the University of Florida. In 2008, he graduated with a BFA degree in musical theatre. He moved to New York City shortly afterwards to pursue his acting career, as he felt that his career was limited in his home state owing to his ethnicity: "As an ethnic performer, I didn't fit in".
Career
Salazar's first break came in 2010 when he was cast as "Otto" in the second national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening. The production toured the United States as well as Canada and closed in May 2011. Upon returning to New York City from touring, Salazar earned his Actors' Equity Association membership.
In September 2011, Salazar was cast in the 40th Anniversary Broadway revival of Stephen Schwartz's Godspell. In the revival, he was the "Light of the World" soloist, marking his Broadway debut. The show opened at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre on November 7, 2011, and closed on June 24, 2012, after 30 previews and 264 performances. A cast album was recorded and released on Sh-K-Boom Records in 2012. During Godspell's run, he and the rest of the cast made television appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman, The View, The Rosie Show, and the Tony Awards telecast.
In the Spring of 2013, he further combined his passions for theatre and music as a cast member and musician in the Off-Broadway production of F#%king Up Everything. In addition to playing the stoner drummer of a rock band, he served as the musical's on-stage drummer. This role was later reprised in 2016 when the musical changed its name to Brooklyn Crush.
In the summer of 2013, Salazar became an understudy in The Public Theater's Off-Broadway production of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's Here Lies Love, directed by Alex Timbers. In April 2014, Salazar rejoined the cast of Here Lies Love in an open-ended commercial run at the musical's original home, The Public Theater, as an onstage member of the ensemble. The production closed on January 4, 2015.
In 2015, he joined the cast of the musical adaptation of Ned Vizzini's Be More Chill as Michael Mell at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey. The production closed on June 28, 2015.
In 2016, he played Michael in the Off-Broadway revival of Tick, Tick... Boom!, which opened on October 20, 2016, at the Acorn Theatre at Theater Row. The production ran from October 20 to December 18.
In 2017, Salazar played the characters of Grover and Mr. D in the Off-Broadway premiere of The Lightning Thief. The limited production ran from March 23 to May 6.
Personal life
Salazar is an experienced percussionist on drumkit and cajón.
