Billy Porter
Acting
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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Billy Porter, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
TV Shows(61)
My Happy Place
Self
2025
Live from the Other Side with Tyler Henry
Self
2024
Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?
Self
2022
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
Sherri
Self - Guest
2022
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder
Randall (voice)
2022
RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World
Self - Special Guest
2022
That's My Jam
Self - Guest
2021
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Self - Panellist
2021
The Circuit
Self - Singer/Actor
2021
Middlemost Post
Recycle King (voice)
2021
Gossip Girl
Singer
2021
That Damn Michael Che
2021
Equal
Narrator
2020
The Drew Barrymore Show
Self
2020
Dear...
Self
2020
Stars in the House
Self
2020
Visible: Out on Television
Self
2020
Tamron Hall
Self - Guest
2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self
2019
The Twilight Zone
2019
Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star
Self - Guest Judge
2019
Desus & Mero
Self - Illustrious Guest
2019
POSE
Pray Tell
2018
Big Mouth
Ocean (voice)
2017
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self
2015
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Self
2015
Celebrity Family Feud
Self
2015
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Self - Guest
2015
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self
2014
Trailblazer Honors
Self - Speaker
2014
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Self
2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self
2014
American Horror Story
Behold Chablis
2011
Who Do You Think You Are?
Self
2010
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Self
2007
Indie Sex
Self
2007
The Graham Norton Show
Self
2007
Dancing with the Stars
Self - Guest Judge
2005
Project Runway
Self - Guest Judge
2004
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
2003
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Jackie Walker
1999
The View
Self - Guest
1997
The Daily Show
Self
1996
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Self - Guest
1996
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Self - Presenter
1992
Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
Little Richard
1991
Law & Order
Greg Ellison
1990
The Simpsons
Desmond (voice)
1989
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self - Guest
1988
MTV Video Music Awards
Self
1984
Olivier Awards
Self - Host
1981
Newsnight
Self
1980
Saturday Night Live
Self - Cameo (uncredited)
1975
People's Choice Awards
Self - Presenter
1975
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
Self - Co-Host (New Orleans)
1972
The Grammys
Self
1959
The Oscars
Self
1953
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter
1944
Movies(39)
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Magno Stift
2026
Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It
Self
2026
Christmas Karma
The Ghost of Christmas Present
2025
I Was Born This Way
Self
2025
Disco’s Revenge
2024
Eric André Live Near Broadway
Self
2024
Queen of New York
2023
Our Son
Gabriel
2023
Truth Be Told
2023
Let the Canary Sing
Self
2023
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
Self - Guest
2023
Little Richard - I Am Everything
Self
2023
80 for Brady
Gugu
2023
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!
Self
2022
Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon
Self
2022
PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation
Pray Tell (archive footage)
2022
Cinderella
Fabulous Godmother
2021
Smoke, Lilies and Jade
2021
Where Love Lives: A Story of Dancefloor Culture & Expression
(Himself)
2021
25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love
2021
Pose-a-Thon for Pride
2020
Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone
Self
2020
Like a Boss
Barrett
2020
Every Act of Life
Self
2018
The Humbling
Prince
2014
Heart of Broadway: The Ensemble Behind Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Himself
2011
The Shoe
2011
Indie Sex: Teens
2008
All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise
Himself
2006
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
Self
2006
Noel
Randy
2004
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
Taylor
2000
Intern
Sebastian Niederfarb
2000
Colorz of Rage
Street Performer
1999
Anastasia
Ensemble and Character Vocals (voice)
1997
Twisted
Shiniqua, Angel's friend
1996
Raquel: Total Beauty and Fitness
1984
Camp
Mark
Broadway: The Next Generation
Self