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Actor · Acting

Billy Porter

Born 1969-09-21
📍 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

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.

Filmography 103

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
as Magno Stift
2026
Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It
as Self
2026
Christmas Karma
as The Ghost of Christmas Present
2025
I Was Born This Way
as Self
2025
My Happy Place
as Self
2025
Live from the Other Side with Tyler Henry
as Self
2024
Disco’s Revenge
2024
Eric André Live Near Broadway
as Self
2024
Queen of New York
2023
Our Son
as Gabriel
2023
Truth Be Told
2023
Let the Canary Sing
as Self
2023
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
as Self - Guest
2023
Little Richard - I Am Everything
as Self
2023
80 for Brady
as Gugu
2023
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!
as Self
2022
Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?
as Self
2022
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
Sherri
as Self - Guest
2022
Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon
as Self
2022
PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation
as Pray Tell (archive footage)
2022
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder
as Randall (voice)
2022
RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World
as Self - Special Guest
2022
That's My Jam
as Self - Guest
2021
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
as Self - Panellist
2021
Cinderella
as Fabulous Godmother
2021
Smoke, Lilies and Jade
2021
The Circuit
as Self - Singer/Actor
2021
Middlemost Post
as Recycle King (voice)
2021
Gossip Girl
as Singer
2021
That Damn Michael Che
2021
Where Love Lives: A Story of Dancefloor Culture & Expression
as (Himself)
2021
25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love
2021
Equal
as Narrator
2020
The Drew Barrymore Show
as Self
2020
Pose-a-Thon for Pride
2020
Dear...
as Self
2020
Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone
as Self
2020
Stars in the House
as Self
2020
Visible: Out on Television
as Self
2020
Like a Boss
as Barrett
2020
Tamron Hall
as Self - Guest
2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
as Self
2019
The Twilight Zone
2019
Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star
as Self - Guest Judge
2019
Desus & Mero
as Self - Illustrious Guest
2019
POSE
as Pray Tell
2018
Every Act of Life
as Self
2018
Big Mouth
as Ocean (voice)
2017
Big Mouth
2017
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self - Guest
2015
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
as Self
2015
Celebrity Family Feud
as Self
2015
The Late Late Show with James Corden
as Self - Guest
2015
The Humbling
as Prince
2014
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
as Self
2014
Trailblazer Honors
as Self - Speaker
2014
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
as Self
2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self
2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self - Guest
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self - Guest
2014
American Horror Story
as Behold Chablis
2011
Heart of Broadway: The Ensemble Behind Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
as Himself
2011
Who Do You Think You Are?
as Self
2010
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
as Self - Guest
2009
Indie Sex: Teens
2008
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
as Self
2007
Indie Sex
as Self
2007
The Graham Norton Show
as Self
2007
All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise
as Himself
2006
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
as Self
2006
Dancing with the Stars
as Self - Guest Judge
2005
Project Runway
as Self - Guest Judge
2004
Noel
as Randy
2004
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self - Guest
2003
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
as Taylor
2000
Intern
as Sebastian Niederfarb
2000
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Jackie Walker
1999
Colorz of Rage
as Street Performer
1999
Anastasia
as Ensemble and Character Vocals (voice)
1997
The View
as Self - Guest
1997
The View
as Self
1997
Twisted
as Shiniqua, Angel's friend
1996
The Daily Show
as Self
1996
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
as Self - Guest
1996
MTV Movie & TV Awards
as Self - Presenter
1992
Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
as Little Richard
1991
Law & Order
as Greg Ellison
1990
The Simpsons
as Desmond (voice)
1989
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
as Self - Guest
1988
Raquel: Total Beauty and Fitness
1984
MTV Video Music Awards
as Self
1984
Olivier Awards
as Self - Host
1981
Newsnight
as Self
1980
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
1975
People's Choice Awards
as Self - Presenter
1975
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
as Self - Co-Host (New Orleans)
1972
The Grammys
as Self
1959
The Oscars
as Self
1953
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Presenter
1944
Broadway: The Next Generation
as Self