Yahoo News Jonathan Groff breaks down in tears as he wins first Tony Award
Jonathan Groff has given a heartfelt speech, breaking down in tears after winning his first Tony Award in the Best Leading Actor in a Musical category.
Groff won the coveted prize for his portrayal of Franklin Shepard in a Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, in which he stars opposite Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez.
Taking to the stage after hugging Radcliffe, the Doctor Who star read from a piece of paper as he got visibly emotional.
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"I grew up in a house surrounded by cornfields in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I was raised by my parents, Jim and Julie Groff, and my brother David, and the three of them are sitting right there," Groff said in his speech.
"Thank you for letting me dress up like Mary Poppins when I was three. Thank you for letting me act out scenes from I Love Lucy on my 10th birthday. Thank you for always allowing my freak flag to fly without ever making me feel weird about it," he continued.
"Even if they didn't always understand me, my family knew the life-saving power of fanning the flame of a young person's passions without judgment."
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He continued by adding: "I walk through life with an open heart because you let me know that I could. Thank you, I love you."
Groff's speech also included thanks to his teachers, plus "everyone involved in Spring Awakening", where he got his Broadway breakthrough in 2006. He credited them with "not only making my dream come true, but also inspiring me to come out of the closet when I was 23.
"I'm now 39, and musical theatre is still saving my soul."
His speech also included a shoutout for his co-stars Radcliffe, who had won the Tony for Featured Actor in a Musical earlier in the night, and Mendez.
"You are more than old friends," he told his castmates as he fought back tears. "You are soulmates, and I'm looking forward to watching each other change for the rest of our lives."
Groff also credited the entire "extraordinary" cast of the show "for lifting this Merrily into the spiritual stratosphere".
He closed his speech with a tribute to theatre, saying: "To be able to watch the work of this incredible, incredible community has been the greatest gift and pleasure of my life, and I thank you – and thank you so much for this honour."
Groff, known for his musical theatre performances as well as his roles in Glee, the Frozen movies and Netflix's Mindhunter, has recently appeared on the latest season of Doctor Who in the Regency-inspired episode 'Rogue'.
Doctor Who debuts new episodes at midnight on Saturday, airing on BBC One in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere. Classic episodes of Doctor Who are available on BBC iPlayer in the UK.
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