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Wilmington actor Paul Teal of film, TV and stage dies at 35

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Wilmington actor Paul Teal of film, TV and stage dies at 35

Paul Teal, a prolific and talented Wilmington actor who was not only a triple threat in musical theater but also scored many roles in film and television productions, died on November 15 after a battle with cancer. He was only 35.

This past weekend, stunned and heartbroken members of Wilmington’s theatrical community, many of whom had done multiple shows with Teal over the years, posted dozens of photos on social media and wrote emotional tributes about knowing and working with the actor.

“I can remember being called back as a teenager and being so excited to sing or read for a role,” Wilmington actor Mathis Turner wrote in a Facebook post. “And then Paul walked in.”

Turner said he and other hopefuls would then “share a look that meant, ‘Well here goes.’ But that just made us want to get better, because Paul was a hero to me. A person who had all the talents in the world, but never sacrificed his character or sense of compassion.”

Teal has performed in dozens of shows over the years for multiple companies in Wilmington, including Opera House Theater Co., Thalian Association Community Theater and Techmoja Dance and Theater Co., among others.

With boyish looks, a golden voice and graceful dance moves, Teal also had a compelling stage presence and great range as an actor.

He could play boyish characters, like Huck in “Big River” or Jack in “Into the Woods.” He could be a cartoon villain like Riff Raff “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” or smart, sensitive and self-involved, as he was in the two-person musical “The Last Five Years.”

Equally adept at humor, both silly (“The Producers,” “Box and Cox”) and dark (“Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson”), Teal brought depth and an easy likeability to complex roles on shows like “Memphis” . ,” “Grey Gardens,” and “Shakespeare in Love.”

Teal was nominated for six Wilmington theater awards and won best supporting actor in a musical for his role in “Sister Act” in 2018.

His last appearance in Wilmington was in the lead role of Jack Kelly for Opera House Theater Co.’s “Newsies,” for which he was nominated as Best Actor in a Musical.

Thalian Hall CEO Shane Fernando directed Teal in “Newsies” and other shows.

“He was such a perfectionist, but a perfectionist in a very healthy way,” Fernando said. “He was always so supportive. Talent is one thing, but he was just a joy to work with and direct because of his support.”

While Teal was undergoing treatment for cancer, Fernando said, Teal came to him looking for work he could do. “So I asked him, ‘What have you always wanted to do?'”

Fernando said Teal told him he always wanted to work with young people. At the time of his passing, Teal was set to work with local youth through Thalian Hall’s Pied Piper Theater program.

“He didn’t want to disconnect. He wanted to keep working, even in the middle of this battle,” Fernando said. “Here he is going through all of this, and making plans to support emerging young actors and artists. That was so powerful for me.”

Teal began appearing on stage at the age of 12 when he went by the nickname “JoJo”. As a teenager, he performed in the chorus of musicals for Opera House Theater Co., later graduating to playing “characters with names,” he joked during a 2011 interview with StarNews.

“Everything I know I learned in Wilmington,” Teal said at the time, and he used that knowledge to perform in regional theater productions and tour nationally with the USO.

He also had an active career as a film and TV actor, appearing in Max’s “The Staircase,” AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and Netflix’s “Outer Banks,” as well as multiple high-profile Wilmington-shot productions, including Showtime. series “George and Tammy,” Hallmark Channel’s “USS Christmas” and the long-running drama “One Tree Hill.”

Teal also stars in the film “Lilly,” starring Patricia Clarkson, which opens Saturday, Nov. 23, at Thalian Hall in downtown Wilmington.

His final film credit will be in the Starz series “The Hunting Wives,” in which he has a recurring role. The show is expected to air in 2025.

No funeral arrangements have been announced yet, but Fernando said a public memorial for Teal is planned at Thalian Hall.

Vaseline3 weeks ago

0 3 minutes read

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