Tony Award Winner and Webster University alumnus Norbert Leo Butz delivered the commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at Webster University's 2013 commencement ceremony this morning, May 11 at The Muny in Forest Park. Scroll down for a photo of the new "Dr." Butz giving his speech!
Butz was born and raised in St. Louis and received a bachelor's of fine arts from Webster's Conservatory of Theatre Arts program in the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts in 1990. He received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts in 2000.
Butz made his Broadway debut as Roger Davis in the musical "Rent" in 1996. Since then he has gone on to star in numerous Broadway shows including "Dead Accounts," "Enron," "Speed the Plow," "Wicked" and "Thou Shalt Not." He won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his work in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" in 2005 and for "Catch Me If You Can" in 2011. He is currently starring in the new musical "Big Fish," which began a pre-Broadway engagement in Chicago in early April and will head to Broadway in October 2013.
In addition to his work on the stage, his film credits include "Greetings from Tim Buckley," "The English Teacher," "Higher Ground" and "Dan In Real Life." His television work includes "The Deep End," "Comanche Moon," "The Good Wife," "CSI" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
Butz also helped produce, write and record an album for The Angel Band Project, a non-profit organization created after the tragic murder of his sister, Teresa Butz. The Angel Band Project uses music to promote healing, raise awareness and create positive change for survivors of sexual violence. Money raised by The Angel Band Project goes to the Voices and Faces Project and also helps fund The Angel Band Project's pilot music therapy program for sexual violence survivors.
With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is the only Tier 1, private, non-profit U.S.-based university providing a network of international residential campuses. Founded in 1915, Webster University's campus network today includes metropolitan, military and corporate locations around the world, as well as traditional residential campuses in Asia, Europe and North America. The university is committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence.
The new "Dr." Norbert Leo Butz giving the commencement speech on the Muny stage for Webster University's 2013 graduation ceremony.
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