Michael-Leon Wooley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael-Leon Wooley
Wooley in 2008
Born	(1971-03-29) March 29, 1971 (age 54) Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.
Other names	Michael Leon Wooley
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1992–present

Michael-Leon Wooley (born March 29, 1971) is an American actor known for his amazing voice work. You might recognize him as the voice of Louis the Alligator in Disney's animated movie, The Princess and the Frog. He also played Judge Grady in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.

Michael-Leon Wooley's Early Life

Michael-Leon Wooley was born in Fairfax, Virginia. He has a twin brother, Marcus-Leon, and a younger brother, George Jr. He grew up in Bowie, Maryland.

When he was five years old, Michael-Leon started playing the piano. He first dreamed of becoming a famous classical pianist. But everything changed when he acted in a high school play called Oklahoma!. After that, he became very interested in theatre.

At sixteen, he had a chance to study piano at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. However, he decided to focus on acting and singing instead. When he was eighteen, Michael-Leon won a special scholarship to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City. This was one of only 21 scholarships given out in a big competition across the country. He studied there for a year before starting his acting career.

Before becoming famous, Wooley performed in a national tour of a show called Purlie. He also worked as a singing waiter on a dinner cruise ship in Manhattan called the Spirit of New York.

Michael-Leon Wooley's Acting Career

Theatre Performances

In 1992, Michael-Leon Wooley made his first appearance on Broadway. He was an understudy (meaning he learned the role in case the main actor couldn't perform) for Big Moe in the musical Five Guys Named Moe.

After that, he went on national tours with famous groups like The Pointer Sisters in Ain't Misbehavin' and The Wiz with Stephanie Mills. He returned to Broadway in 2000 in The Music Man.

One of his most famous theatre roles was the voice of Audrey II, the man-eating plant, in the 2003 Broadway show Little Shop of Horrors. Critics loved his performance. The New York Times said he had a "soulful bass voice," and the New York Post called his voice for Audrey II "doom-struck."

In 2004, Michael-Leon Wooley performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops orchestra. This was a big moment for him, as he was featured as one of the "New Faces of 2004" alongside other Broadway stars.

Film Roles

Michael-Leon Wooley is well-known for his voice acting in movies. He was the voice of Louis, the trumpet-playing alligator, in Disney's The Princess and the Frog. He also played Tiny Joe Dixon in the 2006 movie Dreamgirls, where he sang "Takin' The Long Way Home." More recently, he played Cocoa Butter in the Netflix series AJ and the Queen.

Voice Acting for TV and Games

You've probably heard Michael-Leon Wooley's voice in many commercials for brands like Reebok, McDonald's, and Dairy Queen.

He has also voiced characters in many animated TV shows. He was the demon boss, Twayne Boneraper, on Comedy Central's Ugly Americans. He also voiced the DC Comics villains Darkseid and Kalibak in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

From 2013 to 2014, he voiced Tobias Whale in Beware the Batman. He also voiced Chill Bill in Sanjay and Craig, Master Lun in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, and Mr. Pumpers in Breadwinners. He was a guest voice on Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero.

In video games, he voices Judge Grady in Grand Theft Auto IV and Dexter DeShawn in Cyberpunk 2077. He also voiced characters like Acorn and Achaka in the King's Quest video game series.

Michael-Leon Wooley's Personal Life

Michael-Leon Wooley is also known for his activism. In 2008, he performed a song called We Have To Change at a fundraiser for Barack Obama in New York City. The song was written especially for that event.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games