Quick Facts
Born:
1969-09-21
Birthplace:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Credits:
104 Total Roles
Billy Porter
Acting
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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.
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
The Simpsons
Desmond (voice)
American Horror Story
Behold Chablis
Anastasia
Ensemble and Character Vocals (voice)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Jackie Walker
Cinderella
Fabulous Godmother
Big Mouth
Ocean (voice)
Big Mouth
Self
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Self
Full Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping MOVIE | Magno Stift |
| 2026 | Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It MOVIE | Self |
| 2025 | Christmas Karma MOVIE | The Ghost of Christmas Present |
| 2025 | I Was Born This Way MOVIE | Self |
| 2025 | My Happy Place TV | Self |
| 2024 | Live from the Other Side with Tyler Henry TV | Self |
| 2024 | Disco’s Revenge MOVIE | Self |
| 2024 | Eric André Live Near Broadway MOVIE | Self |
| 2023 | Queen of New York MOVIE | Self |
| 2023 | Our Son MOVIE | Gabriel |