Leslie Odom Jr. is a multi-talented American singer, actor, and author known for his performances on stage, film, and television. He gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical ‘Hamilton,’ earning him a Tony Award and a Grammy Award. With a passion for acting and singing from a young age, Leslie made his Broadway debut at just 17 years old. He has since become a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, releasing two jazz albums and starring in the musical series ‘Smash.’ Leslie Odom Jr. is also the author of the book ‘Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning.’ He is happily married to actress Nicolette Robinson and is a proud father to a beautiful daughter.
Quick Facts
- Age: 42 Years
- Family: Spouse/Ex-: Nicolette Robinson (m. 2012)
- Occupation: Actor, Jazz Singer
- Height: 5’7″ (170 cm)
- City: New York City, Queens
- U.S. State: New Yorkers
- Education: High School For Creative & Performing Arts, School of Drama, Carnegie Mellon University, Masterman School
Childhood & Early Life
Leslie Odom Jr. was born on August 6, 1981 in Queens, New York City, the USA. He, along with his family, moved to Philadelphia where he was raised. He studied at Julia R. Masterman School and then went on to attend Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. He developed a passion for singing as a young boy and started to sing in the church choir at the Canaan Baptist Church. He eventually attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and earned a degree with honors from there before moving to Los Angeles in 2003. He began acting while still in college. At the age of 17, Leslie Odom Jr. made his Broadway debut in the play ‘Rent.’ In the year 2000, he appeared in the one-night concert version of ‘Dreamgirls.’
Theater Career
In 2004, Leslie Odom Jr. appeared as part of the ensemble cast in the play ‘Jersey Boys’. In 2007, he performed in the plays ‘Keep Your Pantheon’ and ‘Being Alive’. Three years later, the actor was cast as Isaiah Sturdevant in ‘Leap of Faith’, a play that moved to the Broadway in 2012. After starring in the off-Broadway production ‘Venice’ in 2013, he worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda in the production of ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ the next year. In the year 2015, he had his breakthrough stage role as Aaron Burr in the Broadway production of the musical ‘Hamilton.’ His final appearance in the play occurred on July 9, 2016.
Film Career
Leslie Odom Jr. has appeared in a number of short films till date, including ‘Scarecrow Joe’ and ‘Luna Goes Cruising’. In 2012, he had a supporting role as Declan ‘Winky’ Hall in the war flick ‘Red Tails’. In 2017, the actor played Dr. Arbuthnot in the screen adaption of the Agatha Christie novel ‘Murder on the Orient Express’. Currently, he is busy filming for the upcoming science fiction movie ‘Needle in a Timestack.’
Television Career
Leslie Odom Jr.’s first television role was a recurring one in the series ‘CSI: Miami’ in 2003. He appeared as Joseph Kayle in a few episodes of the series before leaving the show in 2006. He had a recurring role in the drama ‘Vanished’ (2006) in which he played Maliko Christo. From 2006 to 2007, the actor appeared in the recurring role of Freddy in the sitcom ‘Big Day’. After this, he got featured in an episode of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. In the year 2011, Odom had guest roles in a number of TV dramas, such as ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’, ‘Zeke and Luther’, and ‘Supernatural’. He was cast in the lead role of Sam Strickland in the musical drama ‘Smash’ in 2013. That year, he also had a recurring role in ‘Person of Interest’. The American artiste began playing Reverend Curtis Scott in ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ the same year.
Recording Career
In 2014, Leslie Odom Jr. self-released his debut solo album ‘Leslie Odom Jr.’ on SoundCloud and CD. Two years later, he released a version of Selena Gomez’s single “Good for You” featuring Daveed Diggs. He signed to S-Curve Records and recorded a modified and improved version of his album ‘Leslie Odom Jr.’ that went on to be released in June 2016. On November 11, 2016, he released his second album titled ‘Simply Christmas.’ It was a jazz album that featured interpretations of Christmas standards. The album’s deluxe edition, with four additional songs, was released in October 2017. As a singer, Odom often tours to promote his jazz albums, performing with his quintet that includes a percussionist, drummer, guitarist, bassist, and pianist.
Writing Career
In 2018, Odom released a book titled ‘Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning’. Through the book, he aims to inspire youngsters to follow their dreams and motivate them to never give up even when the going gets tough.
Personal Life
Leslie Odom Jr. is currently married to actress Nicolette Kloe Robinson. She is famous for appearing in the Showtime original series ‘The Affair’ as well as in the off-Broadway play, ‘Invisible Thread’. The couple first met in 2008 in Los Angeles when Robinson was auditioning for a role in the musical ‘Once on This Island’. Odom, who was serving as an assistant director to Billy Porter, fell in love with Robinson while training the actress for her role. Odom and Robinson were married in December 2012. As of now, they have a daughter named Lucille Ruby who was born on April 23, 2017.
Trivia
Leslie Odom Jr. considers American actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith to be his major inspiration. His talented freshman class at Carnegie Mellon University included artistes Katy Mixon, Josh Groban, Brennan Hesser, Audra Blaser, Griffin Matthews, Angela Lin, Ben Pelteson and Josh Gad.