Leslie Odom, Jr.
| Leslie Odom Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Odom, Jr., in costume as Aaron Burr in Hamilton | |
| Born |
August 6, 1981 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Julia R. Masterman High School and Carnegie Mellon School of Drama |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse(s) | Nicolette Robinson Odom |
Leslie Odom, Jr. (born August 6, 1981) is a Tony Award nominated American actor and singer. He has performed on Broadway and in television and film, as well as in other theatrical productions. He is best known for the roles of Aaron Burr in the 2015 musical Hamilton and Sam Strickland in the 2013 musical television series Smash.
Early life
Odom was born in New York. Later, his family moved to West Philadelphia where he grew up. He attended the prestigious Julia R. Masterman High School. After graduating, he attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduating with honors. After he graduated, he moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2003.
Career
Theatre
Odom sang as a teenager, and studied musical theatre in college. At the age of 17 he made his Broadway debut as Paul in Rent. In 2000, he appeared in the ensemble of the one-night Broadway concert version of Dreamgirls.
He returned to theatre in 2010 with Leap of Faith,[1] which moved to Broadway in 2012, with him starring as Isaiah Sturdevant. The show closed shortly afterwards.
After starring in Venice Off-Broadway and Witness Uganda at A.R.T. and in workshops, Odom Jr worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda in the Encores! Off-Center production of Tick, Tick... Boom! playing Michael. Odom also made a guest appearance in Bombshell In Concert,[2] the one night only Bombshell concert to benefit the Actors Fund of America.
Odom was nominated for a 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical[1] for the role of Aaron Burr in the Off-Broadway production of Hamilton at The Public Theater. He continued in the same role at the Richard Rodgers Theatre after the show transferred to Broadway later that year where it continues to run to massive acclaim. He also won a 2016 Grammy Award for the cast album.
Television
In 2003, Odom began a recurring role as Joseph Kayle on CSI: Miami, appearing on nine episodes between then and 2006, when he left to take a recurring role as Maliko Christo on Vanished, appearing in 10 episodes before the shows' cancellation.
From 2006 to 2007, he held a recurring role as Freddy on Big Day, appearing on nine episodes prior to its cancellation. He later had a supporting role as Julian Noble in the TV movie Poe in 2011.
From 2012 to 2013, he starred as Sam Strickland on the TV show Smash, being promoted from a recurring role for season one to a starring role for season two, before the series was cancelled.
From 2013 to 2014 he had a recurring role as Peter Collier on Person of Interest, appearing on a total of eight episodes. He also played Reverend Curtis Scott on 7 episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit between 2013 to 2015.
It was announced in 2016 that Odom Jr will play Jimmy Jam in a 2017 miniseries about New Edition.
He has made guest appearances on several shows including Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy, and The Good Wife.
Film
Odom Jr has appeared in multiple short films, and had a supporting role as Declan Hall in the 2012 war film Red Tails.
Music
He released his debut album Leslie Odom Jr in 2014 on CD and Soundcloud. He promoted the album with several concerts, and in 2016 he released a version of Selena Gomez's Good For You.
Theatre credits
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Rent | Paul, a cop, others | Broadway, Nederlander Theatre |
| 2001 | Dreamgirls | Ensemble | Actors Fund Benefit Concert |
| 2010 | Leap of Faith | Isaiah Sturdevant | Los Angeles Premiere |
| 2012 | Broadway, St. James Theatre April 26, 2012 - May 13, 2012 | ||
| 2013 | Venice | Markos Monroe | off-Broadway |
| 2014 | Witness Uganda | Performer | American Repertory Theatre |
| Tick, Tick... Boom! | Performer | Encores! | |
| 2015 | Hamilton | Aaron Burr | off-Broadway |
| Broadway, Richard Rodgers Theatre August 6, 2015 – present |
Filmography
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
| 2007 | Scarecrow Joe | Joe | Short Film | |
| 2012 | Red Tails | Declan 'Winky' Hall | Feature Film | |
| 2015 | Luna Goes Cruising | Oscar | Short | |
| Television | ||||
| 2003–2006 | CSI: Miami | Joseph Kayle | Recurring Role | |
| 2004 | The Big House | Lamont | Episodes: "A Friend In Need", "Almost Touched By An Angel" | |
| 2006 | Threshold | Sergeant Adams | Episode: "The Crossing" | |
| 2006 | Gilmore Girls | Quentin Walsh | Episode: "Bridesmaids Revisited" | |
| 2006 | Vanished | Agent Malik Christo | Recurring Role | |
| 2006 | Close To Home | Jordan Carter | Episode: "Prodigal Son" | |
| 2006–2007 | Big Day | Freddy | Recurring Role | |
| 2007 | The Bill Engvall Show | Mr. Pratt | Episodes: "Good People", "Feel Free To Say No" | |
| 2007 | Supreme Courtships | Marcus | TV Movie | |
| 2008 | Grey's Anatomy | P.J. Wallings | Episode: "There's No "I" In Team" | |
| 2011 | NCIS: Los Angeles | FBI Agent Duane Lausten | Episode: "Archangel" | |
| 2011 | Zeke and Luther | Mr. Arliss Bunnyson | Episode: "Zeke, Luther, and Kojo Strike Gold" | |
| 2011 | Bandwagon | Urban Glee performer | Episode: "You Can Do Anything" | |
| 2011 | Supernatural | Guy | Episode: "Season Seven, Time For A Wedding" | |
| 2011 | Poe | Julian 'Jupiter' Noble | TV Movie | |
| 2012 | House of Lies | James | Episodes: "Ouroboros", "Veritas" | |
| 2013 | Smash | Sam Strickland | Lead role | |
| 2013 | Person of Interest | Peter Collier[3] | Recurring Role | |
| 2013–2015 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Reverend Curtis Scott | Recurring Role | |
| 2015 | Gotham | Ian Hargrove | Episode: "Harvey Dent" | |
| 2016 | The Good Wife | Barry Pert | Episode: "Unmanned" | |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Hamilton | Nominated |
| Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Tony Award | Best Actor in a Musical | Pending | |
| Grammy Award | Best Musical Theater Album | Won | ||
| Broadway.com Audience Awards | Favorite Leading Actor in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Onstage Pair (w/ Lin-Manuel Miranda) | Won |
Discography
- Leslie Odom Jr (2014)
- Good for You (2016) -single
References
- 1 2 The Broadway League. "Leslie Odom, Jr. - IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information". ibdb.com.
- ↑ "A concert presentation of BOMBSHELL". actorsfund.org.
- ↑ "Peter Collier (Character)". IMDb.
External links
- Leslie Odom, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
- Leslie Odom, Jr. at the Internet Broadway Database
- Leslie Odom, Jr. on Twitter
- Leslie Odom, Jr. on Instagram