Leslie Odom Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leslie Odom Jr.
Odom in 2024
Born	Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. (1981-08-06) August 6, 1981 (age 44) New York City, U.S.
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Occupation	Actor singer songwriter
Years active	1998–present
Spouse(s)	Nicolette Robinson ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2

Leslie Odom Jr. is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He was born on August 6, 1981. He first started acting on Broadway in 1998.

Leslie Odom Jr. became very famous for playing Aaron Burr in the musical Hamilton. For this role, he won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in the same year. His performance in Hamilton was filmed for Disney+. This film earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.

He has also been in many TV shows and movies. Some of his well-known roles include the TV series Smash and Person of Interest. He also appeared in films like Murder on the Orient Express and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

In the movie One Night in Miami... (2020), he played the singer Sam Cooke. This role earned him nominations for major awards like the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award. He was also nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for writing the song "Speak Now" for the film.

Leslie Odom Jr. has also lent his voice to characters in animated shows. He voiced Owen Tillerman in the Apple TV+ series Central Park. He has released five music albums. His autobiography, Failing Up, came out in 2018. In 2023, he returned to Broadway in Purlie Victorious.

Early Life and School

Leslie Odom Jr. was born in Queens, New York City. His family later moved to Philadelphia, where he grew up. He went to Julia R. Masterman School for middle school. For high school, he attended the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts.

He sang solos in his church choir at Canaan Baptist Church. After high school, he went to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned a degree with honors there. In 2003, he moved to Los Angeles.

Career Highlights

Early Acting Roles

Leslie Odom Jr. studied theater at the New Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia. He also studied musical theater in college. At 17, he made his first appearance on Broadway. This was in the 1998 musical Rent.

He also had guest roles on popular TV shows. These include Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy, and Supernatural. From 2012 to 2013, he had a big role as Sam Strickland in the musical TV series Smash.

Becoming a Star with Hamilton

Leslie Odom Jr. in Hamilton in 2015

In 2014, Leslie Odom Jr. joined the workshop production of Hamilton. He played the role of Aaron Burr. He continued this role in the off-Broadway production in 2015. Then, he moved with the show to Broadway from 2015 to 2016.

In Hamilton, he acted alongside other talented stars. These included Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo. Critics praised his performance. One critic called his song “The Room Where It Happens” a "showstopper".

For his amazing work, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2016. He also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. His last show as Aaron Burr in Hamilton was on July 9, 2016.

Expanding His Career

After Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. continued to take on new projects. In 2017, he played Dr. Arbuthnot in the movie Murder on the Orient Express. He also played William Still in the 2019 film Harriet. This movie was about the abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

In 2020, he starred in and helped produce the TV series Love in the Time of Corona. He acted alongside his wife, Nicolette Robinson. The show was about finding love during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also voiced Owen Tillerman in the animated series Central Park. In 2020, he played soul singer Sam Cooke in the movie One Night in Miami.... His performance earned him many award nominations. He also co-wrote the song "Speak Now" for the film. This song was also nominated for an Academy Award.

In 2022, he appeared in the mystery film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. In 2023, he was in the horror film The Exorcist: Believer. From 2022 to 2023, he had a guest role in the TV show Abbott Elementary.

In September 2023, Leslie Odom Jr. returned to Broadway. He starred in a new production of Purlie Victorious. He earned a Tony Award nomination for his role. In April 2025, it was announced he would return to Hamilton as Aaron Burr from September to November 2025.

Other Projects

Music Career

In 2014, Leslie Odom Jr. released his first album, Leslie Odom Jr.. It was a jazz album. In 2016, he signed a deal with S-Curve Records. He then re-recorded and released an updated version of his first album. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Jazz charts.

On November 11, 2016, he released his second album, Simply Christmas. This album featured jazz versions of Christmas songs. It also reached number 1 on the Billboard Jazz charts. He released his third album, Mr, in 2019. His second holiday album, The Christmas Album, came out in 2020.

Leslie Odom Jr. often tours to perform his music. He sings with a jazz band. In November 2023, he released his fifth album, When a Crooner Dies.

Writing a Book

In 2017, Leslie Odom Jr. announced he was writing a book. The book is called Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning. It was published in March 2018. He wrote the book to inspire young readers. It talks about how setbacks can lead to success. He shares what he has learned in his life. He also writes about how important it is to follow your dreams.

Personal Life

Leslie Odom Jr. is married to actress Nicolette Robinson. They got married on December 1, 2012. They have two children. Their daughter was born in April 2017. Their son was born in March 2021. They met in 2008 while working on a play together.

Acting Roles

Films

Television Shows

Theatre Performances

Music Albums

Studio Albums

Soundtrack Albums

• Leap of Faith: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2012)
• Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2015)
• One Night in Miami... (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2021)

Singles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Leslie Odom Jr. para niños

• African-American Tony nominees and winners
• List of black Academy Award winners and nominees