Billy Porter

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

96

Gender

Male

Birthday

1969-09-21 (56 years old)

Place of Birth

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Billy Porter

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

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

  • The Simpsons

    The Simpsons

  • Law & Order

    Law & Order

  • The Daily Show

    The Daily Show

  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  • Late Night with Seth Meyers

    Late Night with Seth Meyers

  • The Graham Norton Show

    The Graham Norton Show

  • The Kelly Clarkson Show

    The Kelly Clarkson Show

  • American Horror Story

    American Horror Story

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

    Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

  • Dancing with the Stars

    Dancing with the Stars

  • The Late Late Show with James Corden

    The Late Late Show with James Corden

  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

  • The Jennifer Hudson Show

    The Jennifer Hudson Show

  • Sherri

    Sherri

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • LIVE with Kelly and Mark

    LIVE with Kelly and Mark

  • Project Runway

    Project Runway

  • The Drew Barrymore Show

    The Drew Barrymore Show

  • Newsnight

    Newsnight

  • The View

    The View

  • The View

    The View

  • Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

    Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

  • Tamron Hall

    Tamron Hall

  • Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

    Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

  • MTV Video Music Awards

    MTV Video Music Awards

  • Big Mouth

    Big Mouth

  • Big Mouth

    Big Mouth

  • Keeping Up with the Kardashians

    Keeping Up with the Kardashians

  • Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

    Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

  • Stars in the House

    Stars in the House

  • Celebrity Family Feud

    Celebrity Family Feud

  • Desus & Mero

    Desus & Mero

  • The Oscars

    The Oscars

  • POSE

    POSE

  • The Twilight Zone

    The Twilight Zone

  • Gossip Girl

    Gossip Girl

  • Anastasia

    Anastasia

  • The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder

    The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder

  • Who Do You Think You Are?

    Who Do You Think You Are?

  • Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest

    Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest

  • Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?

    Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?

  • 80 for Brady

    80 for Brady

  • The Rosie O'Donnell Show

    The Rosie O'Donnell Show

  • Intern

    Intern

  • The Humbling

    The Humbling

  • Cinderella

    Cinderella

  • Heart of Broadway: The Ensemble Behind Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

    Heart of Broadway: The Ensemble Behind Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

  • That's My Jam

    That's My Jam

  • Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon

    Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon

  • The Shoe

    The Shoe

  • Never Mind the Buzzcocks

    Never Mind the Buzzcocks

  • Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!

    Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!

  • The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

    The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

  • Dear...

    Dear...

  • Live from the Other Side with Tyler Henry

    Live from the Other Side with Tyler Henry

  • Middlemost Post

    Middlemost Post

  • Trailblazer Honors

    Trailblazer Honors

  • Indie Sex

    Indie Sex

  • Noel

    Noel

  • Twisted

    Twisted

  • Like a Boss

    Like a Boss

  • All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise

    All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise

  • Christmas Karma

    Christmas Karma

  • Little Richard: I Am Everything

    Little Richard: I Am Everything

  • Visible: Out on Television

    Visible: Out on Television

  • Broadway: The Next Generation

    Broadway: The Next Generation

  • Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star

    Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star

  • Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema

    Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema

  • Let the Canary Sing

    Let the Canary Sing

  • RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World

    RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World

  • Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love

    Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love

  • Truth Be Told

    Truth Be Told

  • That Damn Michael Che

    That Damn Michael Che

  • Our Son

    Our Son

  • PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation

    PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation

  • Equal

    Equal

  • Disco’s Revenge

    Disco’s Revenge

  • My Happy Place

    My Happy Place

  • Eric André Live Near Broadway

    Eric André Live Near Broadway

  • Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story

    Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story

  • The Circuit

    The Circuit

  • The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy

    The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy

  • The Grammys

    The Grammys

  • Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone

    Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone

  • 25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love

    25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love

  • Camp

    Camp

  • Where Love Lives: A Story of Dancefloor Culture & Expression

    Where Love Lives: A Story of Dancefloor Culture & Expression

  • Every Act of Life

    Every Act of Life

  • I Was Born This Way

    I Was Born This Way

  • Queen of New York

    Queen of New York

  • Pose-a-Thon for Pride

    Pose-a-Thon for Pride

  • Colorz of Rage

    Colorz of Rage

  • Raquel: Total beauty and fitness

    Raquel: Total beauty and fitness

  • Smoke, Lilies and Jade

    Smoke, Lilies and Jade