Leslie Odom Jr.

3.1.1. Theater

Odom Jr. made his Broadway debut at the age of 17, playing the role of Paul in the musical Rent in 1998. In 2001, he was part of the ensemble for a one-night Broadway concert version of Dreamgirls. He spent a considerable portion of his early career performing in theater productions in Los Angeles. In 2010, he appeared in Leap of Faith, a production that later transferred to Broadway in 2012, where he starred as Isaiah Sturdevant. Following the show's brief run, he relocated to New York City.

He continued his stage work Off-Broadway, appearing in Venice and Witness Uganda (later retitled Invisible Thread) at A.R.T. He also participated in workshops and collaborated with Lin-Manuel Miranda in the Encores! Off-Center production of Tick, Tick... Boom!, where he played Michael. In 2015, Odom Jr. portrayed Nat King Cole in the one-night Actors Fund of America benefit concert of Bombshell.

His most acclaimed theater role came in 2015 when he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the Off-Broadway production of Hamilton at The Public Theater. He reprised this role when the show moved to Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre later that year. His performance as Aaron Burr earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and contributed to the cast's Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album win in 2016. Odom Jr.'s final performance as Aaron Burr in Hamilton was on July 9, 2016, after which he was succeeded by Brandon Victor Dixon.

In September 2023, Odom Jr. returned to Broadway, starring as the title character in Purlie Victorious. This role earned him another Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. The production concluded its run in February 2024, and a recording of the show was broadcast on PBS in May 2024. He also made a guest appearance as The Producer in Gutenberg! The Musical! on October 10, 2023, at the James Earl Jones Theatre.

3.1.2. Film

Odom Jr. has built a diverse filmography, appearing in both independent and major studio productions. He had a supporting role as Walter 'Winky' Hall in the 2012 war film Red Tails. In 2017, he played Dr. Arbuthnot in Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. He also starred as the abolitionist William Still in the 2019 film Harriet, which tells the story of Harriet Tubman. In 2019, he appeared in the post-apocalyptic romance Only, alongside Freida Pinto.

In 2020, Odom Jr. was cast as soul singer Sam Cooke in Regina King's directorial debut, the film adaptation of One Night in Miami. The film was released in theaters and on Amazon Prime on January 15, 2021. His portrayal of Cooke received widespread critical acclaim, earning him nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Additionally, he co-wrote and performed the film's original song, "Speak Now", with Sam Ashworth, which was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. The song is featured during the end credits of One Night in Miami....

In 2021, Odom Jr. starred as Ebo in the musical film Music, co-written and directed by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, which was released in February of that year. He also appeared as Harold McBrayer in The Many Saints of Newark and Nick Mikkelsen in Needle in a Timestack in 2021. In 2022, he joined the cast of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the sequel to Rian Johnson's Knives Out, playing Lionel Toussaint. His most recent film role is Victor Fielding in The Exorcist: Believer, released in 2023.

3.1.3. Television

Odom Jr. has made numerous appearances in television series and films. Early in his career, he made guest appearances on shows such as Gilmore Girls (2006), Grey's Anatomy (2008), Supernatural (2011), and The Good Wife (2016). He held recurring roles as Joseph Kayle in nine episodes of CSI: Miami between 2003 and 2006, and as Agent Malik Christo in 10 episodes of Vanished in 2006. From 2006 to 2007, he played Freddy in nine episodes of Big Day. He also appeared in the television film Poe in 2011.

In the musical television series Smash, Odom Jr. had a recurring role as Sam Strickland in 2012, and was promoted to a starring role for the show's final season in 2013. From 2013 to 2014, he had a recurring role as Peter Collier in eight episodes of Person of Interest. He also played Reverend Curtis Scott in seven episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit between 2013 and 2015. In 2014, he appeared as Ian Hargrove in an episode of Gotham.

Starting in May 2016, Odom Jr. hosted the Broadway.com web series Aaron Burr, Sir: Backstage at Hamilton with Leslie Odom Jr., which featured new episodes weekly for eight weeks. In 2020, he starred in and executive produced the four-part television miniseries Love in the Time of Corona opposite his wife, Nicolette Robinson. The series explored interwoven stories of love and connection during the COVID-19 pandemic and premiered on Freeform on August 22, 2020. Production for the series began virtually in June 2020 in Los Angeles, utilizing remote technologies.

Odom Jr. has also lent his voice to animated productions. He voiced the character of Owen Tillerman in the Apple TV+ animated musical-comedy series Central Park from 2020 to 2022, for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance in 2020. He voiced Dr. Leslie in an episode of We Bare Bears in 2018 and Mo Snow in Blue's Clues & You! in 2021. In 2023, he guest-starred as Kwame in three episodes of the Disney+ continuation The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Other television appearances include The Big House (2004), Threshold (2005), Close to Home (2006), The Bill Engvall Show (2007), Supreme Courtship (2007), NCIS: Los Angeles (2011), Zeke and Luther (2011), Bandwagon (2011), House of Lies (2012), One Dollar (2018), Martha Knows Best (2020), The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back! (host 2021), and Abbott Elementary (2022-2023). In 2024, he appeared in an episode of Great Performances titled "Purlie Victorious".