Leslie Odom Jr. is an American actor and singer. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical "Hamilton", which earned him a 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in the same year.

Odom is also known for his roles in the television series "Smash" (2012–2013) and "Person of Interest" (2013–2014), as well as the films Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Harriet (2019), and Hamilton (2020). Odom currently voices the character of 'Owen Tillerman' in the Apple TV+ animated musical-comedy series "Central Park", for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2020.

For his performance as singer Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami... (2020), Odom earned Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice Movie Award, and Golden Globe Awards nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He was also nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for writing the film’s original song "Speak Now," for which he won Best Song at the 2021 Critics' Choice Awards.

Later that year, he received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in the Disney+ live stage recording of "Hamilton" which was released in 2020.

Actors, Theatre, Musicals, Broadway, Diversity, Diversity Topics, Black Heritage, BLM Celebrity, Entertainment Industry, Movie Actor, Acting, Black History Month, Commencement,