
Billy Porter
Biography
William Ellis Porter II (born September 21, 1969) is an American actor and singer. Porter gained notice performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor. For his role as Lola in Kinky Boots, Porter won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He credits the part for "cracking open" his feminine side to confront toxic masculinity. Porter also won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for the musical's accompanying album.
Porter starred in all three seasons of the television series Pose, for which he was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and won the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the first gay black man to be nominated and win in any lead acting category at the Primetime Emmys. In 2020, he was included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2022, he won another Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer for the musical A Strange Loop.
He made his directorial debut in 2022 with the romantic comedy film Anything's Possible. Porter received the Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 77th Tony Awards for his humanitarian work with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Entertainment Community Fund.
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Acting (35 movies)

80 for Brady
2023

The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
2000

Little Richard: I Am Everything
2023

Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
2023

Twisted
1996

Truth Be Told
2023

Queen of New York
2023

Our Son
2023

PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation
2022

Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone
2020

Pose-a-Thon for Pride
2020

Noel
2004

Eric André Live Near Broadway
2024

Raquel: Total beauty and fitness
1984

Broadway: The Next Generation
2017

Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!
2022

Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon
2022

All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise
2006

Christmas Karma
2025

Anastasia
1997

Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
2006

Intern
2000

Every Act of Life
2018

Like a Boss
2020

Cinderella
2021

The Humbling
2014

Smoke, Lilies and Jade
2021

25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love
2021

Heart of Broadway: The Ensemble Behind Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
2011

Where Love Lives: A Story of Dancefloor Culture & Expression
2021

Disco’s Revenge
2024

Let the Canary Sing
2023

I Was Born This Way
2025

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
2026

Colorz of Rage
1999
Directing (1 movie)
| Title | Year | Job | 
|---|---|---|
| Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema | 2006 | Original Music Composer | 
| Sanctuary | 2021 | Writer | 
| A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting | 2022 | Executive Producer | 
| (pride/prom) | 2024 | Executive Producer | 
| I Was Born This Way | 2025 | Executive Producer | 
