Billy Porter

William Ellis Porter II, known as Billy Porter, was born September 21, 1969, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and holds a BFA in drama from Carnegie Mellon University. He is an American actor, singer, writer, and director active since 1992 who rose to prominence through Broadway before establishing himself in television and music. He originated the role of Lola in the 2013 Broadway musical Kinky Boots, winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical along with Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards, and a 2014 Grammy for the musical's cast album. He starred in all three seasons of FX's Pose from 2018 to 2021, winning the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the first openly gay Black man to be nominated and win in a lead acting category at the Primetime Emmys. He received a 2022 Tony Award as a producer of A Strange Loop, made his directorial debut with the 2022 film Anything's Possible, and was named to Time magazine's 2020 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.