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Lancaster native Jonathan Groff, who has earned a Tony Award and a Grammy Award, will be recognized by F&M with an honorary doctorate of fine arts. Since Jonathan is appearing on Broadway May 10 he is unable to receive his award in-person at the College鈥檚 238th Commencement ceremony. He has asked Sue Fisher, his first drama teacher at Conestoga Valley Middle School, only a few miles east of the F&M campus, to accept his degree on his behalf.

Jonathan is a graduate of Conestoga Valley High School and took part in many community productions in Lancaster, including several plays at the Fulton Theater and the Ephrata Performing Arts Center. At 17, he directed and starred in the production of 'You鈥檙e a Good Man, Charlie Brown' that won the highest honor at an annual high school theater festival at the Fulton.

After moving to New York City, Jonathan鈥檚 breakout performance was in 2006, when he starred in the Broadway production of the poignant and complex rock musical, 鈥淪pring Awakening.鈥� That play earned him his first Tony nomination, for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. From 2010 to 2016, he was a frequent guest star in the Fox TV series, 鈥淕lee.鈥� He occasionally appears in TV and streaming productions on platforms including HBO and Netflix, and was a guest star in last year鈥檚 14th season of 鈥淒octor Who.鈥� In 2013, he voiced Kristoff in Disney鈥檚 animated feature, 鈥淔rozen,鈥� which won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award and was the year鈥檚 highest-grossing film. He reprised that role in 2019 for 鈥淔rozen II.鈥�

In 2015, Jonathan joined the cast of the hit musical, 鈥淗amilton,鈥� playing the unforgettable role of King George III. The play earned 11 Tony Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Jonathan was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Jonathan earned the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical last year with his portrayal of Franklin Shepard in the revival of Stephen Sondheim鈥檚 鈥淢errily We Roll Along.鈥� He currently stars in the Broadway production of 鈥淛ust in Time,鈥� a musical about Bobby Darin.

Jonathan has collaborated with F&M students, alumni and faculty, especially those associated with the Philadelphia Alumni Writers House. He has joined them virtually, to answer questions about the theater, and participated in a recent panel discussion organized by the Writers House in New York City. The panel was moderated by James Lapine, a 1971 Franklin & Marshall graduate and a three-time Tony Award winning director, playwright and screenwriter.