Kiril Kulish
Kiril Jacob Kulish (born February 16, 1994) is an American actor, singer and dancer who is best known for portraying the title role in the original American production of Billy Elliot the Musical, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, making him one of the youngest winners of the award.
Kiril Kulish

Gary Vorwald · Flickr: Kiril Kulish · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Birth Name
- Kiril Jacob Kulish
- Born
- 16 February 1994
- Birthplace
- San Diego, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- * Actor
- Nationality
- United States.
- Honours
- Theatre World Award and Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary summary
Kiril Jacob Kulish (born February 16, 1994) is an American actor, singer and dancer who is best known for portraying the title role in the original American production of Billy Elliot the Musical, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, making him one of the youngest winners of the award.
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wikidata · Q4246356 · wikipedia · Kiril Kulish
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Birth Name — Kiril Jacob Kulish • Born — 16 February 1994 • Birthplace — San Diego, California, U.S. • Years Active — 2008–present • Occupation — * Actor • dancer • singer • Website — KirilKulish.com
Early and personal life
Early and personal life
Kulish was born in San Diego, California, on February 16, 1994. His parents, Raisa Kulish and Phil Axelrod, are Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. His older brother, Victor, is a singer/songwriter and recording engineer, and his older sister Beata is a TV/film producer. He grew up speaking Russian, Ukrainian, and English. He started studying ballet at age five and ballroom dancing at age 8. He studied at the San Diego Academy of Ballet, and was the youngest male to be admitted to their junior company. Kiril was the winner of the Junior division Grand Prix at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2006, 2007, and 2008 and won the Hope Award in the Pre-Competitive division in 2006. Kiril Kulish won first place in Latin Ballroom at the USA National Dance Championships in 2006 and 2007. In 2012 and 2013 Kiril Kulish became the Youth USA Champion in Latin Dance Sport and will represent USA in Beijing and Paris.
Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot the Musical
At a press launch in New York on April 22, 2008, it was announced that Kulish would be one of three boys to play the title role in the original Broadway production of Billy Elliot the Musical, along with David Álvarez and Trent Kowalik. Kulish performed in the musical's first preview performance on October 1, 2008. On June 7, 2009, Kulish, along with Trent Kowalik and David Álvarez, won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, becoming one of the youngest winners of the award. In all, Billy Elliot was nominated for 15 Tony Awards, and won 10, including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical. Kulish's last performance in Billy Elliot was on Saturday October 3, 2009.
Later Work
Later Work
Film: Sonata (Pre-Production) Landon Goldberg Crossing Young Andrei Damaged Brad Choreographer Chasing Mem’ries Musical at the Geffen Playhouse starring Tyne Daly and Robert Forster Television: Dancing with the Stars Pro HBO Anthology Series Secret Service Style Agent-Co Star The 63rd Annual Tony Awards Himself Good Morning America Himself NBC Sports Special Himself ABC The View Billy Elliot ABC Live with Regis and Kelly Himself ABC Live with Regis and Michael Himself CBS Morning Show Himself ABC Daytime Salutes BC/EFA Himself (Full List Available upon request) Theater/Performance: “Baz — A Musical Tour de Force” Las Vegas (Baz Lehrman show) In late 2009, Kulish performed the lead role in the ballet The Nutcracker. In 2010, he attended the ballroom championship at USA Dance Southwest Regional Championship in Long Beach, CA. On October 27, 2012, Kiril performed alongside Jon Secada, Debbie Gravitte, Liz Callaway, and a host of award-winning singers from around the world in Loving the Silent Tears: A New Musical at the Shrine Theater in Los Angeles. In 2016, Kulish joined season 22 of Dancing with the Stars as a professional dancer in their troupe. Kulish currently resides in San Diego, Los Angeles, and New York.
Theatre credits
Theatre credits
• Year — Title — Role — Theatre — Note • 1 October 2008- 3 October 2009 — Billy Elliot: The Musical — Billy — Imperial Theatre — Broadway debut • 2009 holiday season — The Nutcracker — Occidental Grand Aruba — Palm Beach • 27 October 2012 — Loving the Silent Tears — Shrine Auditorium — Los Angeles, California
Accolades
Accolades
• Awards • Year — Award — Category — Role — Show — Result — Ref. • 2009 — Tony Award — Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical — Billy Elliot — Billy Elliot the Musical
Works and production
Works and production
Kiril Kulish is recorded with the occupation actor. Institutional cataloguing adds that kiril Kulish is recorded with the occupation stage actor. Institutional cataloguing adds that kiril Kulish is recorded with the gender male. Recorded with the occupation musician. The register further records that kiril Kulish is recorded as a citizen of United States. It is also recorded that kiril Kulish was born on 16 February 1994.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Kiril Kulish”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q4246356: Kiril Kulish
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.'I have the urge to dance wherever I am'. 15 May 2008.
- 2.The San Diego Union-Tribune - San Diego, California & National News.
- 3.Jewish performances capture multiple Tonys | www.thejewishadvocate.com | The Jewish Advocate.
- 4.Welcome to Kiril Kulish's website.
- 5.Kulish Official site kirilkulish.com, accessed March 11, 2009
- 6.Youth America Grand Prix listing, 2007 yagp.org
- 7.Youth America Grand Prix listing, 2006 yagp.org
- 8.Kulish Official site kirilkulish.com, accessed December 25, 2012
- 9.Homepage.
- 10.2009 Tony Award Winners: David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish For 'Best Leading Actor in a Musical'.
- 11.Healy, Patrick. 'Billy Elliot' Leads Tony Nominations. The New York Times. 5 May 2009.
- 12.Playbill News: Ko and Hennig Will Join Cast of Broadway's Billy Elliot; Kulish, Gwynne, Bologna Depart. www.playbill.com.
- 13.Tony Award-Winning Billy Elliot Alum Kiril Kulish Flies into Florida Nutcracker.
- 14.The Musical - Loving the Silent Tears. 15 September 2012.
- 15.Tony Awards Official Website - Past Winners 2009. TonyAwards.com Dead link. May 2023.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
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