Charlie Stemp

Charlie Stemp (born 30 November 1993) is an English actor. Stemp came to prominence for his leading role as Arthur Kipps in the West End musical Half a Sixpence, which earned him a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor in a Musical and nomination for a 2017 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.

Early life and education
Stemp was born and raised in Peckham, London. He attended the Belcanto London Academy Theatre School, and trained for three years at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom. He is also a keen football and rugby player.

Acting career
After graduating, Stemp performed in Wicked in London's West End and was cast as Eddie in the international tour of the musical Mamma Mia!. Stemp also appeared in the film Knarcolepsy.

Stemp appeared as the lead actor in Sir Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Half a Sixpence, written by Julian Fellowes. He first performed the role at Chichester Festival Theatre from July to September 2016. In October 2016, the musical transferred to the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End, and extended its booking to 2 September 2017. For this role, Stemp won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and was nominated for the 2017 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. In 2021, Fellowes rewrote the piece under the title Kipps (after the lead character Artie Kipps) and it was filmed for Sky Arts, with Stemp again in the title role.

Stemp appeared on Broadway in the revival of Hello, Dolly!, starting on 20 January 2018, officially on 22 February 2018, as Barnaby Tucker. He took over the role originally played by Taylor Trensch. This marked his Broadway debut. The show closed on 25 August 2018.

Stemp played the role of Bert in a West End revival of Mary Poppins opposite Zizi Strallen in the title role, at the Prince Edward Theatre. As one reviewer remarked, "Bert pulls off the impossible – tap-dancing upside down from one end of the proscenium arch to the other."

In 2022, Stemp was cast as Bobby Child in the Chichester Festival Theatre's production of Crazy for You which transferred to the Gillian Lynne Theatre in 2023.

Stemp is currently starring as Bill Calhoun in the West End revival of Kiss Me, Kate at the Barbican Centre, starring opposite Stephanie J. Block and Adrian Dunbar. The production opened on 4 June, 2024.