Michael David "Mike" Faist is an American actor, singer, and dancer, who played the supporting role of Riff in the 2021 live-action film West Side Story. Best known for originally playing the role of Connor Murphy in the Broadway musical, Dear Evan Hansen, he also originated the role of Morris Delancey in Disney's Newsies. He also played Danny Lyon in the 20th Century Studios film The Bikeriders.
Early life and education[]
Born and raised in Gahanna, Ohio, Faist's adoptive parents were Julia and Kurt Faist. They owned a real estate business which he grew up helping with during the summers by doing construction work. As a kid, Faist was enticed by dancing after seeing Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire in old MGM films. He then pressured his parents to enroll him in dance classes and began auditioning for community theater at the age of 5. In a Columbus Children's Theatre production of The Wizard of Oz, Faist played one of the Lollipop Kids, later joining the cast of Oliver! and Alice in Wonderland. He fell in love with acting through mentorship from Don Roberts, a leader at the local TAPA company in Columbus.
Also assisting him in his development was Cynthia Macioce, a teacher at Gahanna Lincoln High School where Faist played Danny Zuko in Grease and Simon in Jesus Christ Superstar. He moved to New York at the age of 17 to pursue a stage career after graduating from high school a year early in 2009. Faist then went to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy but dropped out after two semesters. While auditioning for off-Broadway plays, he began selling tickets in Times Square. On his first job as a professional actor in the play White Christmas, Faist was collecting food stamps, earning $150 per week, and living in the back of a McDonald's parking lot, but the experience gave him enough confidence to pursue his dream.
Roles[]
(Newsies)
.png "Riff (West Side Story).png (355 KB)")
External links[]
Mike Faist on Wikipedia- Mike Faist on IMDb
