Billy Porter
Acting
- Born:
- 1969-09-21
- Place of birth:
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Biography
William Ellis Porter II (born September 21, 1969) is an American actor and singer. Porter gained notice performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor. For his role as Lola in Kinky Boots, Porter won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He credits the part for "cracking open" his feminine side to confront toxic masculinity. Porter also won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for the musical's accompanying album. Porter starred in all three seasons of the television series Pose, for which he was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and won the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the first gay black man to be nominated and win in any lead acting category at the Primetime Emmys. In 2020, he was included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2022, he won another Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer for the musical A Strange Loop. He made his directorial debut in 2022 with the romantic comedy film Anything's Possible. Porter received the Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 77th Tony Awards for his humanitarian work with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Entertainment Community Fund. Description above from the Wikipedia article Billy Porter, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Filmography
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It
Christmas Karma
I Was Born This Way
My Happy Place
Live from the Other Side with Tyler Henry
Disco's Revenge
Eric André Live Near Broadway
Queen of New York
Our Son
Truth Be Told
Let the Canary Sing
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
Little Richard: I Am Everything
80 for Brady
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!
Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Sherri
Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon
PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder
RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World
That's My Jam
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Cinderella
Smoke, Lilies and Jade
The Circuit
Middlemost Post
Gossip Girl
That Damn Michael Che
Where Love Lives: A Story of Dancefloor Culture & Expression
25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love
Equal
The Drew Barrymore Show
Pose-a-Thon for Pride
Dear...
Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Stars in the House
Visible: Out on Television
Like a Boss
The Tamron Hall Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
The Twilight Zone
Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star
Desus & Mero
POSE
Every Act of Life
Big Mouth
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Celebrity Family Feud
The Late Late Show with James Corden
The Humbling
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Trailblazer Honors
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Late Night with Seth Meyers
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
The Savoy King: Chick Webb & the Music That Changed America
American Horror Story
Heart of Broadway: The Ensemble Behind Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
The Shoe
Who Do You Think You Are?
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Indie Sex: Teens
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Indie Sex
The Graham Norton Show
All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
Germany's Next Topmodel
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
Noel
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
Intern
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Colorz of Rage
The View
Twisted
The Daily Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
Law & Order
The Simpsons
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Raquel: Total Beauty and Fitness
MTV Video Music Awards
Olivier Awards
Newsnight
Saturday Night Live
People's Choice Awards
The Grammys
The Oscars
Golden Globe Awards
Camp
Broadway: The Next Generation