Timothy "Tim" Howar born in Canada, is a Canadian born English actor and singer who is currently with the pop-rock band Mike + The Mechanics.
Career
Howar was born in Spirit River, Alberta, Canada. He has spent his career on both sides of the Atlantic, starring in both West End and Broadway productions. In his theatre career he has played an extensive variety of roles, ranging from rock musicals such as Rent and Rock of Ages, to classical musicals such as Les Misérables and On the Town. He is currently co-lead-singer of the band Mike + The Mechanics. His career in music started young, singing in the Alberta Youth Choir, the Centennial Singers, and Pro Coro Canada, before joining Edmonton Musical Theatre. His dance career began at 16, which led to him becoming an apprentice with Ballet North. He had been offered a full scholarship to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, which he declined after deciding to pursue his love of theatre / musical theatre. He began his career on stage at age 18 playing the Artful Dodger in Oliver! just after winning the Grand Prize in the Youth Talent International Competition in Memphis, Tennessee - he is still the only Canadian to hold this award - and then went on to appear in the Canadian productions of Broadway shows Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Miss Saigon in Toronto. He played the title role in The Who’s Tommy in 1996. Other Canadian productions include Anne of Green Gables, Guilliame /cover Arnaud in The House of Martin Guerre, Screamin’ John McGee in Rock and Roll, Barnaby in Hello, Dolly!, Martin in Outrageous, and Joel in Anything That Moves. He then went on to play Marius in Les Misérables with Colm Wilkinson for over 2 years, playing most every state in America. He moved to the UK to play Michael in the new musical Peggy Sue Got Married at the Olivier Theatre in 2001, and decided to stay in the UK after being asked to originate the role of Stuart Clutterbuck in the Rod Stewart musical Tonight's the Night. In between, he also did Ragtime at the Cardiff International Festival. Following this, he played the role of Ozzie in On the Town at the ENO. He returned to New York to play Roger in the Broadway production of Rent for the 10th Anniversary production, from January 30, 2006 through July 29. He stayed in New York for 3 more years, before returning to London after landing a record deal with his rock-band Van Tramp. UK credits include Latin Fever, Shoes, and Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages. In 2018 he recreated the role of Freddie Trumper in the London revival of Chess for the English National Opera at the London Coliseum.. From 3 September - 8 December, 2018, he will play the role of the Phantom in the Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. He is also a regular guest soloist for concerts around the world, including Raymond Gubbay concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, Friday Night is Music Night for BBC Radio, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Abbey Road 80th Concert, the Halle Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Belgium and France, the London Philharmonic, London Concert Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, and BBC Concert Orchestra. In 2009, he was asked to join legendary rock-band Mike + The Mechanics as co-frontman with Andrew Roachford, and has spent the past few years recording and touring around the world singing hits such as “All I Need is a Miracle” and “I Can’t Dance" to sell-out audiences and arenas. Their latest album of new material Let Me Fly was released in 2017 and stayed in the top 10 for over 8 weeks on BBC Radio 2. They continue to tour and play at festivals and gigs around the world. He is currently working on another MATM album set for release in 2019 on BMG, as well as a solo album. He is also in demand as a voiceover artist, having lent his voice to many varied projects, in particular gaming and corporate work. Original Cast Recordings / rock recordings include:
Howar was married to Ruthie Henshall from 2004 and divorced in 2009. They have two daughters, Lily and Dolly. In September 2016 he married Musical Director Jodie Oliver at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh. They have one son, Hamish, born in April 2018. Howar left midway through the opening performance of the musical Chess when his wife gave birth.
