Billy Porter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Billy Porter
Porter in 2024
Born	William Ellis Porter II (1969-09-21) September 21, 1969 (age 55) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (BFA) University of California, Los Angeles (GrDip)
Occupation	Actor singer writer
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Adam Smith ​ ​ (m. 2017; separated 2023)​

Billy Porter, whose full name is William Ellis Porter II, is a super talented American actor and singer. He was born on September 21, 1969. He first became famous on Broadway, where he performed in many shows. Then, he started his own career as a singer and actor.

He won a big award, the Tony Award, in 2013 for his amazing role as Lola in the musical Kinky Boots. This role also helped him win the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award. He says this part helped him show his more gentle side and challenge old ideas about what it means to be a man. He also won a Grammy Award in 2014 for the Kinky Boots musical album.

Later, he became super popular for his role as Pray Tell in the TV show Pose. For this role, he won an Emmy Award in 2019. He was the first openly gay Black man to win a main acting Emmy, which was a huge step forward! In 2020, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2022, he won another Tony Award as a producer for the musical A Strange Loop.

Billy Porter also directed his first movie in 2022. It was a romantic comedy called Anything's Possible. In 2024, he received the Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 77th Tony Awards for his important work helping others. He supports groups like the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and the Entertainment Community Fund.

Early Life and Learning

Billy Porter was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents are William Ellis Porter and Cloerinda Jean Johnson Porter Ford. He has a sister named Mary Martha E. Ford.

He went to Reizenstein Middle School. He then graduated from Allderdice High School and Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School in 1987. In the summers of 1985 to 1987, Billy was part of fun groups called "Spirit" and "Flash." They performed every day at Kennywood, a big amusement park near Pittsburgh.

Even though he wanted to move to New York City right away, his high school teachers told him to apply to Carnegie Mellon University. He says his teachers were like "angels" who helped him find great learning chances. These opportunities prepared him for his amazing career. He earned a degree in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University in 1991. Later, he also got a special certificate from UCLA for screenwriting.

Billy Porter's Career Journey

Billy Porter first appeared on the TV talent show Star Search in 1992. He won $100,000 on the show. Other famous people like a young Britney Spears were also on the same show.

He performed on Broadway in 1994 as Teen Angel in Grease. He also acted in other plays like Topdog/Underdog in 2004. He was in Jesus Christ Superstar and Dreamgirls in Pittsburgh in 2004. He also performed in musical shows called Myths and Hymns and Songs for a New World in 1995.

In 2005, Billy wrote and performed his own show called Ghetto Superstar (The Man That I Am). It was about his own life and played at Joe's Pub in New York City. He was nominated for an award for this show.

In 2010, Billy played the role of Belize in a special 20th-anniversary show of Angels in America.

Billy Porter created the role of "Lola" in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots in 2013. Cyndi Lauper wrote the songs for this musical. Billy won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical and the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role as Lola.

He has also been in many movies. He played a big role as Shiniqua in the movie Twisted in 1997. He also appeared on The RuPaul Show.

Billy has released several music albums. These include Billy Porter in 1997, At the Corner of Broadway + Soul in 2005, and Billy's Back on Broadway in 2014. He also sang on a tribute album called It's Only Life: The Songs of John Bucchino in 2006.

In 2014, Billy wrote a play called While I Yet Live. It started showing in New York City in September 2014. Famous actors like Lillias White and S. Epatha Merkerson were in the play.

In 2017, Billy released an album called Billy Porter Presents the Soul of Richard Rodgers. This album featured new, soulful versions of classic songs by Richard Rodgers. Many other talented singers joined him on this album. These included Tony and Grammy Award winners like Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odom Jr..

Billy returned to play Lola in Kinky Boots on Broadway for 15 weeks in 2017.

Porter performs during the National Christmas Tree Lighting on December 2, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

In 2018, Billy starred as Pray Tell in the TV show Pose. The show was so popular that it was renewed for a third season. In 2018, Billy also announced he was joining the cast of American Horror Story. He performed with his Pose co-star Dyllón Burnside in a concert in 2018. This concert raised money for GLSEN, an organization that supports LGBTQ+ students.

In June 2019, to celebrate 50 years since the Stonewall riots, Billy was named one of the "Pride50" by Queerty. This award honors people who work for equality and acceptance for all queer people. Also in June 2019, he presented an award at the Tony Awards. He got a lot of attention for his amazing red and pink gown, which was made from the stage curtains of Kinky Boots. He also sang a song during the show. In September 2019, Billy won an Emmy Award for Pose. He was the first openly gay Black man to win a lead acting Emmy.

In 2019, Billy Porter also made a quick appearance in Taylor Swift's music video for "You Need to Calm Down." This video featured many famous LGBTQ+ people.

He sang "For What It's Worth" with Stephen Stills at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

His book about his life, called Unprotected, came out in 2021. In 2022, he was included in a book called 50 Key Figures in Queer US Theatre. In April 2023, it was announced that he would play James Baldwin in a movie about his life.

Billy Porter's Fashion Style

Billy Porter loves fashion, and he says it started when he was young. He grew up in the Black church, which he describes as a "fashion show." His style has changed a lot over the years. He has worn vintage clothes, popular brands, and even a "geek chic" look.

He has said that he uses fashion to make a statement. He wants to be like a "walking piece of political art." His stylist, Sam Ratelle, said they had created about 150 red carpet looks together by 2020. Many of these were designed by Billy himself. As of 2021, his stylist is Ty Hunter, who has also worked with Beyoncé.

He became well-known for wearing a Gucci outfit to the Met Gala, a very famous fashion event.

At the 2019 Golden Globes, Billy got a lot of attention for wearing a fancy suit with a pink cape. He said that people's surprise at his cape made him want to wear a ball gown. He had always wanted to wear one, and he felt it was a way to challenge ideas about what men should wear. He continued to make fashion news that year. He wore a fitted tuxedo jacket with a long velvet gown by Christian Siriano to the 91st Academy Awards. He paired it with tall Rick Owens boots.

In February 2019, Billy Porter was an official ambassador for New York Fashion Week: Mens. This means he helped represent men's fashion. For the 2019 Met Gala, his outfit was designed by The Blonds. It was a sparkling catsuit with 10-foot wings! He also wore a 24-karat gold headpiece and special gold shoes.

In 2020, Billy wore a long pink poncho-style gown with a wide-brimmed black hat to the AFI Awards. He called this look "Handmaid's Tale realness." At the Golden Globes, he wore an all-white outfit with a tuxedo jacket and a feathered train. He wore a sparkling turquoise bodysuit with a matching jacket and a motorized hat to the Grammy Awards.

Concert Performances

Billy Porter has performed at many places in New York City. This includes Lincoln Center, where his concert was shown on PBS in 2015. He also performed at Joe's Pub in New York City. In 2019, Billy was the main performer at London Pride.

He sang "For What It's Worth" with Stephen Stills at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Personal Life

Billy Porter is openly gay. He shared this when he was 16 years old. He married Adam Smith on January 14, 2017. They had met in 2009. He wanted to get married before a certain date, so they got engaged quickly and married two weeks later. In July 2023, it was announced that Billy and Adam had separated.

In a 2020 interview, Billy Porter shared his thoughts on race in the US. He said that problems in the country are because of "whiteness" and "White supremacy."

Billy Porter has spoken out against the cultural boycott of Israel. In October 2023, he signed a public letter supporting Israel during the Israel–Hamas war.

In May 2021, Billy Porter shared that he was diagnosed with a health condition in 2007. He also had type-2 diabetes and faced financial difficulties that year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he rented a house on Long Island because of his health. He has also gone to psychotherapy since he was 25 years old.

Music Albums

Albums

• 1997: Billy Porter (DV8/A&M Records)
• 2005: At the Corner of Broadway + Soul (Sh-K-Boom Records)
• 2014: Billy's Back on Broadway (Concord Music Group)
• 2017: Billy Porter Presents the Soul of Richard Rodgers (Masterworks Broadway)
• 2023: Black Mona Lisa

Singles

• 1997: "Show Me"/"What Iz Time"
• 2005: "Awaiting You"/"Time" (Live) (Sh-K-Boom Records)
• 2007: Billy Porter – Somewhere
• 2009: Degrees Of Motion Featuring Billy Porter – Show Me
• 2017: "Edelweiss"
• 2019: "Love Yourself"
• 2020: "For What It's Worth"
• 2020: The Shapeshifters feat. Billy Porter "Finally Ready"
• 2021: "Children"

Other Songs

• "Only One Road" on Love Rocks compilation album
• "Love Is on the Way" on The First Wives Club album
• "Destiny" with Jordan Hill on Jim Brickman's Greatest Hits album
• "Where Is Love?" with Liz Callaway

Appears In

• Featured on a number of songs on tribute album It's Only Life: The Songs of John Bucchino
• Sings "O Holy Night" on Rosie O'Donnell's Christmas album, A Rosie Christmas (1999)
• Adam Guettel's album Myths and Hymns in 1999
• He is featured with Alan Cumming, David Raleigh and Ari Gold in a cover of "That's What Friends Are For". This song was for "The Friends Project" to help the Ali Forney Center. This center is a shelter in NYC for young homeless LGBTQ+ people.

Movies and TV Shows

Film

Television

Theater

• Miss Saigon, Ensemble/John (u/s), Broadway (1991)
• Grease, Teen Angel, Broadway (1994)
• The Merchant of Venice, Solanio, Off-Broadway (1995)
• Songs for a New World, performer, Off-Broadway (1995)
• Smokey Joe's Cafe, performer, Broadway (1995–97)
• Miss Saigon, John (replacement), Broadway (1998–99)
• Jesus Christ Superstar, Jesus of Nazareth, Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center, Nyack, NY (1998)
• Dreamgirls, James Thunder Early, New York Actors Fund concert (September 2001)
• Radiant Baby, Various, Off-Broadway (2003)
• Topdog/Underdog, City Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA (2004)
• Little Shop of Horrors, Audrey ll (replacement), Broadway (2004)
• Chef's Theater: A Musical Feast, Performer, Off-Broadway (2004)
• Ghetto Superstar, Performer, Off-Broadway (2005) – also playwright
• Putting It Together, performer, New York (2009)
• Angels in America, Belize, Off-Broadway (2010)
• Kinky Boots, Lola, Broadway (2013–2015)
• Kinky Boots, Lola (replacement), Tour (2014)
• HAM: A Musical Memoir, Off-Broadway (2015) – director
• Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, Aubrey Lyles, Broadway (2016)
• White Rabbit Red Rabbit, Off-Broadway (2016)
• Kinky Boots, Lola (replacement), Broadway (2017-2018)
• Jelly's Last Jam, Chimney Man, Encores! (2024)
• Cabaret, Emcee (replacement), West End (2025)

Awards and Nominations

See Also

• LGBT culture in New York City
• List of LGBT people from New York City
• NYC Pride March