Leslie Odom Jr.

Leslie Odom Jr. (/ˈoʊdəm/, born August 6, 1981) is an American actor and singer. He has performed on Broadway and in television and film, and has released three solo jazz albums. He is known for originating the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical Hamilton, a performance for which he won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album as a principal vocalist.[1] His television roles included Sam Strickland in the musical series Smash (2012–2013). He is also the author of the 2018 book Failing Up.[2]

Leslie Odom Jr.
Odom in 2016
Born (1981-08-06) August 6, 1981
Queens, New York City, U.S.
EducationCarnegie Mellon University (BFA)
OccupationActor, singer
Years active1998–present
Spouse(s)
Children1

Early life

Odom was born in Queens, New York City.[3] His family later 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.[4][5] He and his family attended Canaan Baptist Church in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, where he sang solos in the church choir.[4]

He earned a degree with honors at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and then moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2003.

Career

Acting career

Theatre

Odom attended Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he studied theater and performed in musicals. He then went on to study 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 spent much of his time doing theatre in Los Angeles, including in 2010 with Leap of Faith,[6] which moved to Broadway in 2012, with him starring as Isaiah Sturdevant. When the show closed shortly afterward, he relocated to New York City.

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.[7]

Odom in Hamilton in July 2015.

Odom was nominated for a 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical[6] 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. He also won a 2016 Grammy Award for the cast album, and won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Odom's final appearance in the role of Aaron Burr in Hamilton occurred on July 9, 2016.[8]

Television

Odom had a recurring role on CSI: Miami which began in 2003. He appeared as Joseph Kayle in nine episodes before leaving in 2006.

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 TV movie Poe in 2011.

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.

In late 2013, Odom was offered the leading role of Lucas Newsome on State of Affairs. He accepted the role, but ended up backing out to take the part of Aaron Burr in the workshops of the musical Hamilton.

In 2013 and 2014, he had a recurring role on Person of Interest as Peter Collier, appearing in eight episodes. He also played Reverend Curtis Scott in seven episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit between 2013 and 2015.

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. Odom was also set to play Jimmy Jam in a 2017 miniseries about New Edition, but ended up leaving the project.

He has made guest appearances on several shows including Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy, Supernatural, and The Good Wife. In 2016, Odom was also featured in a commercial for Nationwide Insurance.[9][10]

On February 4, 2018, Odom sang "America the Beautiful" during the NBC broadcast of Super Bowl LII.[11]

Film

Odom has appeared in short films, and had a supporting role as Declan Hall in the 2012 war film Red Tails.

He played Dr. Arbuthnot in Kenneth Branagh's 2017 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express.[12] He also starred as abolitionist William Still in the 2019 film Harriet, about abolitionist Harriet Tubman. In 2019, Odom starred in Only, a post-apocalyptic romance.

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.[13]

Odom was signed to a four-album deal with S-Curve Records in 2016.[14] 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.[15] Released in June 2016, the album charted at No. 1 on Billboard Jazz and No. 147 on Billboard 200.

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.[16]

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.[17]

In September 2019, Odom released the song "Under Pressure" from his upcoming album Mr.

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.[18] The book, which was published by an imprint of Macmillan in March 2018, "outlines the setbacks and rejections that preceded his success."[2] 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.[18]

Personal life

Odom has been married to actress Nicolette Kloe Robinson, since December 1, 2012.[19] Their daughter, Lucille Ruby, was born on April 23, 2017.[20]

The couple met in 2008 while Robinson was a student at UCLA and auditioned for Once on This Island in Los Angeles.[19] 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.[19] Robinson has since appeared in the off-Broadway musical Invisible Thread (2015) and the television series The Affair,[19] and played the lead role in the Broadway musical Waitress from September 4 through December 9, 2018.[21]

Theatre credits
Year Title Role Dates Venue Notes
1998 Rent Paul / Cop / others Nederlander Theatre Broadway
2001 Dreamgirls Performer September 24, 2001 Ford Center for the Performing Arts Actors Fund Benefit Concert
2004 Jersey Boys Ensemble October 5, 2004 – January 16, 2005 La Jolla Playhouse Tryout
2007 Keep Your Pantheon Geffen Playhouse Regional
Being Alive Performer August 25 – September 9, 2007 Westport Country Playhouse Regional
October 25 – December 2, 2007 Philadelphia Theatre Company
2008 Once on This Island Agwe, God of Water September 12–14, 2008 Freud Playhouse Regional; also assistant director
2009 Soul of Rodgers Performer October 2–3, 2009 Reprise Theatre Company Revue
2010 Leap of Faith Isaiah Sturdevant October 3–24, 2010 Ahmanson Theatre Tryout
2012 April 26 – May 13, 2012 St. James Theatre Broadway
2013 Venice Markos Monroe May 28 – June 30, 2013 The Public Theater Off-Broadway
2014 Tick, Tick... Boom! Michael June 24–28, 2014 New York City Center Encores!
2015 Hamilton Aaron Burr January 20 – May 3, 2015 The Public Theater Off-Broadway
August 6, 2015 – July 9, 2016 Richard Rodgers Theatre Broadway
Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
Workshops

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Scarecrow Joe Joe Short
2012 Red Tails[22] Declan 'Winky' Hall
2015 Luna Goes Cruising Oscar Short
2017 Murder on the Orient Express Dr. Arbuthnot
2019 Only Will
Harriet William Still
2020 Hamilton Aaron Burr
One Night in Miami Sam Cooke Post-production
Music Completed
2021 The Many Saints of Newark Post-production
TBA Needle in a Timestack Post-production

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2003–2006 CSI: Miami Joseph Kayle Recurring role; 9 episodes
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; 10 episodes
2006 Close To Home Jordan Carter Episode: "Prodigal Son"
2006–2007 Big Day Freddy Recurring role; 9 episodes
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. Walling 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; 23 episodes
2013 Person of Interest Peter Collier Recurring role; 8 episodes
2013–2015 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Reverend Curtis Scott Recurring role; 7 episodes
2014 Gotham Ian Hargrove Episode: "Harvey Dent"
2016 The Good Wife Barry Pert Episode: "Unmanned"
2016 Aaron Burr, Sir: Backstage at Hamilton with Leslie Odom Jr. Host Web series; 8 episodes
2018 We Bare Bears Dr. Leslie (voice) Episode: "More Everyone's Tube"[23][24]
2018 One Dollar Randall Abatsy 4 episodes
2020 Central Park Owen Tillerman (voice)
2020 Love in the Time of Corona James[25] Upcoming limited series, main role

Discography

Studio albums
List of albums, with selected chart positions, sales, and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US[26] US Sales[27] US Jazz[28] US Holiday[27]
Leslie Odom Jr. 147591—
Simply Christmas 311214
Mr -54--

Soundtrack albums

Singles
Title Year Album
"Good For You" 2016 Non-album single
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Simply Christmas
"America the Beautiful 2018 Non-album single
"Without You" TBA
"What Are We Waiting For"

(featuring Nicolette Robinson)

 TBA
"Bear Facts"

(with the cast of We Bare Bears)

 Non-album single
"All I Want For Christmas Is You"

(with Ingrid Michaelson)

 Ingrid Michaelson's Songs for the Season
"Under Pressure" 2019 Mr
"Go Crazy"[29] 2020

Other appearances
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Hallelujah, I Believe" 2015 Jim Brickman Comfort & Joy: The Sweet Sounds of Christmas and A Joyful Christmas
"Joy to the World" The Broadway Cast of Hamilton Broadway's Carols for a Cure, Vol. 17, 2015
"Autumn Leaves" 2016 N/A Tony Bennett Celebrates 90
"My Romance" 2017 Billy Porter Billy Porter Presents: The Soul of Richard Rodgers
"Sondheim: Medley: Children will Listen / You've Got to Be Carefully Taught (From "Into the Woods" & "South Pacific")" 2018 Renée Fleming, BBC Concert Orchestra, & Rob Fisher Broadway

Awards and nominations
YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
2002 Princess Grace Award Acting Won
2012 Fred and Adele Astaire Award Best Dancer on Broadway Leap of Faith Won
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
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 Won
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
2018 Teen Choice Awards Choice Drama Movie Actor Murder on the Orient Express Nominated
2020 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance Central Park Pending

In 2019, Odom was conferred an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts by his alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University, at its 122nd Commencement where Odom was also the keynote speaker.[30]

gollark: It doesn't. It obeys the same rules as humans.
gollark: Humans are better at this, with a little practice.
gollark: v1 literally had to have a hardcoded patch to stop it not noticing instant loss/win situations.
gollark: ?????
gollark: AI v2 is very depth constrained minimax with a simple heuristic I wrote.

References
  1. "Leslie Odom Jr". IMDb. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  2. "Former Hamilton Star Leslie Odom Jr. Has a Book Deal". U.S. News & World Report. June 9, 2017. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018 – via Associated Press.
  3. "Vault: Leslie Odom, Jr". Playbill. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017.
  4. Whelan, Aubrey (December 28, 2015). "Leslie Odom Jr.: Being Burr in Hamilton like falling in love". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016.
  5. Gray, Ellen (March 19, 2013). "Local actor gets his Smash close-up". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017.
  6. Leslie Odom Jr. at the Internet Broadway Database.
  7. "Bombshell Benefit Concert Raises More Than $800,000 for The Actors Fund". Actors Fund. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  8. Paulson, Michael (June 19, 2016). "Leslie Odom Jr. to Leave Hamilton on July 9". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 26, 2017.
  9. iSpot.tv (2016). "About Nationwide Insurance TV Commercial, 'Songs for All Your Sides' ft. Leslie Odom Jr". iSpot.tv Real-time TV Ad Analytics. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017.
  10. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (2016). "Leslie Odom Jr., Song For All Your Sides". Nationwide | Newsroom | Ads. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  11. Gans, Andrew (January 13, 2018). "Hamilton Tony Winner Leslie Odom Jr. Will Sing at the Super Bowl". Playbill. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018.
  12. Fleming, Jr., Mike (September 29, 2016). "Johnny Depp To Star in Murder on the Orient Express At Fox". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017.
  13. Bailey, Alyssa (February 12, 2016). "Listen to the Stars of Hamilton Cover Selena Gomez's 'Good for You'". Elle. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018.
  14. "Leslie Odom Jr. to leave Hamilton in July". Associated Press. June 20, 2016. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  15. Lee, Ashley (June 30, 2016). "Hamilton's Leslie Odom Jr. Talks Jazz Album, Residency Dreams and Potentially Playing Aaron Burr Again (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  16. Snyder, Diane (October 27, 2017). "Leslie Odom Jr. Talks His New Christmas Album, Life After Hamilton & More". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017.
  17. Roa, Ray (June 20, 2017). "Interview: Song and dance man — Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. breaks out with an album and tour". Creative Loafing. Tampa Bay, Florida. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017.
  18. Gans, Andrew (June 9, 2017). "Hamilton Tony Winner Leslie Odom Jr. Penning Inspirational Book". Playbill. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017.
  19. Spaner, Whitney (December 15, 2015). "How Hamilton's Leslie Odom, Jr. Took His Shot With Nicolette Robinson". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  20. Fierberg, Ruthie (April 25, 2017). "Hamilton's Leslie Odom Jr. and Wife Nicolette Robinson Welcome a Baby Girl". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017.
  21. Hart, Sarah Grace (July 26, 2018). "Broadway's Waitress Casts Nicolette Robinson in the Lead Role of Jenna". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020.
  22. "Leslie Odom Jr. | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  23. "Listings – WE BARE BEARS on Cartoon Network". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  24. "Clip: Leslie Odom, Jr. Raps Bear Facts in We Bare Bears". Animation Magazine. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  25. Ramos, Dino-Ray (June 29, 2020). "'Love In The Time Of Corona': Freeform Sets Leslie Odom Jr., Nicolette Robinson, Tommy Dorfman, Rainey Qualley And 4 More For Limited Series Event". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  26. https://www.billboard.com/music/leslie-odom-jr
  27. https://www.billboard.com/music/leslie-odom-jr/chart-history/top-album-sales
  28. https://www.billboard.com/music/leslie-odom-jr/chart-history/jazz-albums
  29. "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  30. Carnegie Mellon University (April 2, 2019). "Tony & Grammy Winner Leslie Odom, Jr. To Deliver Commencement Address - News - Carnegie Mellon University". www.cmu.edu. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
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