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Leslie Odom Jr.
American actor, singer and songwriter (born 1981) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. (/ˈoʊdəm/; born August 6, 1981)[1] is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical Hamilton, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in the same year.[2] His performance was captured in the Disney+ live stage recording of Hamilton which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Limited Series or Movie nomination.
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Odom is also known for his roles in the television series Smash (2012–2013) and Person of Interest (2013–2014), as well as the films Red Tails (2012), Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Harriet (2019), The Many Saints of Newark (2021), Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), and The Exorcist: Believer (2023).[3] For his portrayal of singer Sam Cooke in the semi-historical drama One Night in Miami... (2020) he earned nominations for the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was also nominated for the Academy Award and Golden Globe for writing the film's original song "Speak Now".[4]
Odom voiced the character of Owen Tillerman in the Apple TV+ animated musical-comedy series Central Park, for which he was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award in 2020. Odom has released five albums: Leslie Odom Jr. (2014), Simply Christmas (2016), Mr. (2019), The Christmas Album (2020), and When a Crooner Dies (2023). He released his autobiography, Failing Up, in 2018.[5] Odom returned to Broadway in 2023, playing the title role in Purlie Victorious for which he earned a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination.[6][7]
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Early life and education
Odom was born in Queens, New York City.[8] His father, Leslie Lloyd Odom, worked in sales.[9] One of his maternal great-grandfathers was from South Africa, and a maternal great-great-grandfather was from Bridgetown, Barbados.[9] Odom's family moved to the East Oak Lane section of Philadelphia, where he grew up. He attended Julia R. Masterman School for middle school and Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts for high school.[10][11] Odom and his family attended Canaan Baptist Church in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, where he sang solos in the church choir.[10]
He earned a degree with honors at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and then moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2003.
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Career
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1998–2013: Broadway debut and early roles
Odom attended the New Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia, where he studied theater and performed in musicals. He then went on to study musical theater in college. At the age of 17, he made his Broadway debut as Paul in the 1998 musical Rent. In 2001, he appeared in the ensemble of the one-night Broadway concert version of Dreamgirls.[12] He has made guest appearances on several shows including Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy, Supernatural, and The Good Wife. Odom had a recurring role on CSI: Miami, appearing as Joseph Kayle in nine episodes between 2003 and 2006.[13] He followed with a recurring role on Vanished, appearing in 10 episodes as Maliko Christo. From 2006 to 2007, he held a recurring role as Freddy on Big Day, appearing on nine episodes prior to its cancellation. He also had a supporting role in the television film Poe in 2011.[14] In the musical television series Smash, Odom had a recurring role as Sam Strickland in 2012, and was promoted to a starring role for the show's final season in 2013.[15]
He spent much of his time doing theater in Los Angeles, including in 2010 with Leap of Faith,[16] which moved to Broadway in 2012, with him starring as Isaiah Sturdevant. When the show closed shortly afterward, he relocated to New York City where he appeared in short films, and had a supporting role as Walter Hall in the 2012 war film Red Tails.[17] After starring Off-Broadway in Venice and in Witness Uganda (later retitled Invisible Thread) at A.R.T. and in workshops, Odom worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda in the Encores! Off-Center production of Tick, Tick... Boom!, playing Michael. Odom also played Nat King Cole in the 2015 one-night Actors Fund of America benefit concert of Bombshell.[18] In late 2013, Odom was offered the leading role of Lucas Newsome on State of Affairs, which he accepted the role, but ended up backing out to take the part of Aaron Burr in the workshops of the musical Hamilton.[19] In 2013 and 2014, he had a recurring role on Person of Interest as Peter Collier, appearing in eight episodes.[20] He also played Reverend Curtis Scott in seven episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit between 2013 and 2015.[21]
2014–2019: Stardom with Hamilton
Odom reunited with Lin-Manuel Miranda portraying Aaron Burr in the workshop production of Hamilton at the 52nd Street Project in 2014. Odom returned to the role in the off-Broadway production at The Public Theater in 2015 and the Broadway production at the Richard Rodgers Theatre from 2015 to 2016.[22] [23] Odom Jr. acted alongside Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Anthony Ramos, Ariana DeBose and Jonathan Groff.[24] Ben Brantley of The New York Times labeled the play a "Critic's Pick", describing Odom Jr. as "suavely brooding" citing his performance of “The Room Where It Happens” as being a "full-fledged showstopper".[25] Marilyn Stasio of Variety wrote that he is an "irresistibly charming villain" citing Odom as being "charismatic perfection".[26] For his performance he was nominated for a 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical[16] and won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.[27][28] Odom's final appearance in the role of Aaron Burr in Hamilton occurred on July 9, 2016, being replaced by Brandon Victor Dixon.[29]
Beginning on May 19, 2016, Odom hosted the Broadway.com web series Aaron Burr, Sir: Backstage at Hamilton with Leslie Odom Jr., with a new episode being uploaded every Thursday for eight weeks. He played Dr. Arbuthnot in Kenneth Branagh's 2017 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express (2017).[30] He also starred as abolitionist William Still in the historical drama film Harriet (2019), about abolitionist Harriet Tubman portrayed by Cynthia Erivo.[31] The film received respectable reviews with critics praising Erivo's lead performance.[32][33] Odom Jr. was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture at the 51st NAACP Image Awards.[34] In 2019, Odom starred Only, a post-apocalyptic romance alongside Freida Pinto.[35] The film received negative reviews with critics citing its poor direction and writing while also praising the chemistry between the two leads.[36] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "It’s not the fault of Odom and Pinto, who essentially carry the film with their intense performances".[37]
2020–present: Career expansion
In 2020, Odom starred and executive produced the four-part, television miniseries Love in the Time of Corona opposite his wife Nicolette Robinson.[38] Love in the Time of Corona follows four interwoven stories about the hopeful search for love and connection during the quarantine as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Production began virtually on June 29, 2020, in Los Angeles using remote technologies.[39] The limited series premiered on Freeform on August 22, 2020.[40] Odom voiced the character of Owen Tillerman in the Apple TV+ animated musical-comedy series Central Park, for which he was nominated for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance at the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards.[41] He also guest starred on the Disney+ The Proud Family continuation The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder in its second season as Kwame.[42]
In 2020, Odom was cast as soul singer Sam Cooke in the Regina King–directed film adaptation of One Night in Miami, which was released in theaters and Amazon Prime on January 15, 2021. Odom received rave reviews from critics for his portrayal of Cooke and has since earned Academy Award, Golden Globe, and SAG Award nominations including for the Best Supporting Actor and an additional nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.[43] With Sam Ashworth as co-writer, Odom co-wrote and performed "Speak Now", which also received a nominations the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Song.[44][45] "Speak Now" is played during the end credits of One Night in Miami.[46] In May 2021, Odom was cast in the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the sequel to Rian Johnson's Knives Out starring Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc.[47] In July 2021, Odom was cast in the supernatural horror film The Exorcist: Believer, a sequel to William Friedkin's The Exorcist, with Ellen Burstyn reprising her role as Chris MacNeil.[48] In 2021, Odom starred as Ebo in the musical film Music, which was co-written and directed by Australian singer-songwriter Sia.[49][50] It was released in February 2021.[51] That same year he acted in the crime drama The Many Saints of Newark (2021), a prequel to the HBO drama series The Sopranos created by David Chase.[52] He also reunited with his former co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Freida Pinto in the sci-fi romance Needle in a Timestack (2021).[53]
From 2022 to 2023, he took a recurring guest spot as Draemond Winding, a chief executive of a Charter School in the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary.[54] In September 2023, Odom returned to Broadway starring in a revival of the Ossie Davis satirical farce Purlie Victorious opposite Kara Young and Jay O. Sanders.[55] Jesse Green of The New York Times praised the production and Odom Jr.'s lead performance writing, "It’s Odom who carries the play’s weight as it shifts from genre to genre and reveals further layers of character...Odom, with the angry intensity of his Burr from “Hamilton,” does not shy from Purlie’s scoundrelly side, his willingness to lie, even to loved ones, as a means of putting down a marker on eventual truth. And yet when it comes time to preach, watch out. The way he winds speeches into sermons and sermons nearly into songs makes it seem natural."[56] It closed in February 2024 with Odom earning Tony Award nominations for his performance for Best Actor in a Play and as a producer for Best Revival of a Play.[57] In May 2024, a recording of the show was broadcast on PBS.[58]
In April 2025, it was announced that Odom would be reprising the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway production of Hamilton from September 9, 2025 until November 23, 2025.[59] He reunited with the original Broadway cast of Hamilton at the 78th Tony Awards where they performed for their 10 year anniversary.[60]
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Other ventures
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Recording career
In 2014, Odom self-released his debut album as a jazz singer, Leslie Odom Jr. on CD and SoundCloud, and promoted the album with several concerts at The Public Theater. In February 2016, he released a version of Selena Gomez's "Good For You" featuring his Hamilton castmate Daveed Diggs.[61] Odom was signed to a four-album deal with S-Curve Records in 2016.[62] He and producer Steve Greenberg narrowed down 200 potential tunes to ten tracks, and Odom recorded an updated and improved version of Leslie Odom Jr. during days off and afternoons before Broadway performances, in order to release the album before Odom left Hamilton.[63] Released in June 2016, the album charted at No. 1 on Billboard Jazz and No. 147 on Billboard 200.[citation needed]
On November 11, 2016, Odom released his second album, Simply Christmas, which featured jazz interpretations of Christmas standards. A deluxe edition of the album was released in October 2017, with four additional songs.[64] Simply Christmas hit #1 on iTunes and the Billboard Jazz charts, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Holiday chart and No. 31 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.[citation needed] Odom released his third album and first of original material, Mr, in November 2019, and in October 2020, he debuted a new version of the album's standout song "Cold", featuring Sia.[65][66] His critically acclaimed second holiday album, The Christmas Album, was released in November 2020. The Christmas Album is Odom's fourth studio album.[67] Odom tours to promote his albums, performing concerts backed by a jazz quintet that includes a drummer, percussionist, bassist, guitarist and a pianist who is also Odom's musical director.[68]
In December 2017, Odom returned to the New York City stage in a solo concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The cabaret-style performance was crafted around signature songs and music that shaped this artist's journey, all performed with a world-class band in front of a live audience. The show was filmed for broadcast as an hour-long PBS special as part of the 17-time Emmy Award-winning series, Live from Lincoln Center, and premiered in April 2018.[citation needed] In November 2023, Odom released his fifth studio album, When a Crooner Dies, featuring original music, published under BMG Rights Management.[citation needed]
Writing
In June 2017, it was announced that Odom had a book deal for Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning, which he was writing with the intention to inspire younger readers.[69] The book, which was published by an imprint of Macmillan in March 2018, "outlines the setbacks and rejections that preceded his success."[5] Odom modeled his writing on the style of a commencement speech, exploring what he had learned throughout his life and the importance of pursuing passions.[69]
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Personal life
Odom has been married to actress Nicolette Kloe Robinson since December 1, 2012.[70] They have a daughter, born in April 2017,[71] and a son, born in March 2021. The couple met in 2008 while Robinson was a student at UCLA and auditioned for Once on This Island in Los Angeles.[70] When she replaced a cast member who left unexpectedly, assistant director Odom became responsible for bringing her quickly up to speed, and a romantic relationship ensued.[70]
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Acting credits
Film
Television
Theatre
- Workshops
- Witness Uganda (later retitled Invisible Thread), 2010
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Discography
Studio albums
Soundtrack albums
- Leap of Faith: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (December 4, 2012)
- Venice (Original Cast Recording) (September 23, 2014)
- Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (September 25, 2015)
- One Night in Miami... (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (January 15, 2021) The soundtrack features Odom's Original Song from the film, "Speak Now."
Singles
Other appearances
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Awards and nominations
See also
References
External links
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