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Recognizing Leslie Odom, Jr. for his Extraordinary Accomplishments on the Occasion of the Launch of the Philadanco 50th Anniversary Celebration.
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WHEREAS, Leslie Odom, Jr. was born in Queens, New York on August 6, 1989. His family soon moved to the Philadelphia neighborhood of East Oak Lane where he was raised. Growing up, he attended Julia R. Masterman School and the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts while taking classes at Philadanco for additional training in dance. Leslie went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with honors at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, In 1998, Leslie made his Broadway debut at the age of seventeen playing Paul in a production of Rent-a musical to which he attributes the inspiration to pursue a career as a Broadway actor. In 2010, he performed as Isaiah Sturdevant in the musical Leap of Faith at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. He reprised the role in 2012 when the production moved to New York and Broadway, for which he won the 2012 Astaire Award for Outstanding Male Dancer on Broadway. He was also nominated for a Drama League Award. Additional theater credits include a one-night Broadway concert version of Dreamgirls, Being Alive, Once on this Island, and the Encores! Off- Center production of Tick, Tick... Boom! Leslie first performed at The Public Theater in New York City during his role in the off-Broadway production of the musical Venice in 2014; and
WHEREAS, Leslie returned to The Public for the off-Broadway release of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. He starred opposite Miranda originating the role of Aaron Burr, President Hamilton’s Vice President and killer. He earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for the role. He continued in the same role as the musical transferred to Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway. Leslie’s final appearance in Hamilton occurred on July 9, 2016; and
WHERAS, In 2016, Leslie won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, and he along with the rest of the cast won a Grammy for Hamilton’s original Broadway cast recording. As a whole, Hamilton went on to win eleven Tony Awards; and
WHEREAS, Leslie is an accomplished recording artist specializing in jazz singing. He released his first jazz album, Leslie Odom, Jr., with S-Curve Records in 2016; and
WHEREAS, Leslie’s acting credits include roles beyond the stage. On television, Leslie played ‘Sam Strickland’ in the NBC musical series, Smash, as well as the reoccurring character of ‘Reverend Curtis Scott’ on Law & Order: SVU. He has also appeared in episodes of Gotham, Person of Interest, Grey’s Anatomy, House of Lies, Vanished and CSI: Miami. He debuted on the big screen for the 2012 film Red Tails and starred in Kenneth Branagh’s 2017 adaption of Murder on the Orient Express; and
WHEREAS, In March 2018, Leslie published Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning, a collection of stories and lessons learned from his own life he uses to motivate, inspire, and empower readers to continue the pursuit of their passions; and
WHEREAS, Leslie will join acclaimed Philadelphia dance company Philadanco as it kicks off its 50th season with GENESIS, a composition of some of the most requested and exciting ballets from the company’s early years. Leslie will perform in the October 5th show and benefit following the performance; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby recognize Leslie Odom, Jr. for his extraordinary accomplishments on the occasion of the launch of the Philadanco’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.
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