Background
Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. was born in Queens, New York but raised in Philadelphia. Being a performer was always his calling. Odom took to music and dance as naturally as breathing. His exceptional talents landed him a Broadway debut as a replacement on “Rent.” He was just 17 then. To take his passion for musical theater further, Odom studied drama at Carnegie Mellon University in 2003. He relocated to Los Angeles after completing his degree. It wasn’t long before the acting offers began rolling in. His star quality was undeniable.
Odom bagged recurring roles on hit shows like “Gilmore Girls” and “C.S.I.” and numerous other guest spots on shows. In 2012, he was part of the short-lived “Leap Of Faith” musical on Broadway that failed to make a splash. The musical had no takers, but Odom’s career trajectory would only go up from here. Coincidentally, he landed the role of Sam Strickland on “Smash” that year, a show about Broadway performers and the enormity of competing for parts. Odom also began workshopping for “Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, playing the character that would change his life, Aaron Burr. The musical took inspiration from Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton but envisioned a wholly different cast. Part musical, part hip-hop audiobook, the Hamilton cast reflected black and brown beauty unlike previously seen on Broadway. It was a fresh musical perspective of U.S. history. The musical premiered on January 20, 2015, and shifted the landscape of musical theater entirely. Since then, Leslie Odom Jr. remains synonymous with his character, Aaron Burr, the musical’s principal antagonist. He won the 2016 Tony Award for the role, beating out Lin Manuel Marinda as Alexander Hamilton. The album “Hamilton: An American Musical” even topped the Billboard Cast Albums and Rap Albums charts, with Odom’s powerful vocals featuring in over half the tracks.
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Odom has been married to actress, Nicolette Robinson since 2012. The two love their “littlest humans” — their daughter, Lucille Ruby, and son, Able Phineas. The couple has even written a kids’ book and a song for their children. Odom inadvertently made headlines in 2021 when a journalist allegedly mistook Daniel Kaluuya for Odom. He continues to fight for better representation in the film and music industries. At the same time, Odom has recently raked up a controversy by defending fellow artist Sia for her casting choices in their film “Music.” The film follows the life of an autistic teenager. Critics argued that the role should have gone to an actor on the autism spectrum.
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