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Brandon Victor Dixon (born September 23, 1981) is an American actor, singer and
theatrical producer Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...
. As a
musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...
actor, he is known for
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
-nominated Broadway performances as Harpo in the 2005 musical '' The Color Purple'', Eubie Blake in '' Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed'' (2016), and Davis in '' Hell's Kitchen'' (2023). He originated all three roles, as well as the leading role of Berry Gordy Jr. in '' Motown: The Musical'' (2013) on Broadway, which earned a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. In 2016, Dixon assumed the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway company of '' Hamilton''. Dixon played the role of Hayward Patterson in '' The Scottsboro Boys''
off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
as well as in London's West End and was nominated for a
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. As a producer, Dixon's credits include Broadway revivals of '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' and '' Of Mice and Men'' (2014); the former won the
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
and the
Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...
for best revival of a musical. In 2018, Dixon portrayed Judas Iscariot in NBC's live concert version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', for which he received a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.


Early life and education

Dixon was born in
Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the third-largest incorporated city and the ninth-most populous communit ...
on September 23, 1981, and attended the St. Albans School and
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, where he graduated in 2003. He attended the British American Drama Academy at Balliol College, Oxford, England, in mid-1999. Dixon has noted '' Ragtime'' was the "first ever roadwayshow I saw."


Career


Theater


Early performances

In 2003, Dixon played Royal in the
Encores! Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, E ...
production of '' House of Flowers'' and adult Simba in the national touring company of '' The Lion King'', a role he landed immediately after graduating from Columbia.


''The Color Purple''

In 2005, Dixon created the role of Harpo on Broadway in the musical '' The Color Purple'', for which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. In ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', theater critic Ben Brantley's review compared Dixon to castmates Felicia P. Fields and Elisabeth Withers-Mendes in the way the latter two "exude a sensual energy that you can feel the audience wants to luxuriate in. (The same impression is cut, in a sunnier vein, by Brandon Victor Dixon ..". Dixon subsequently joined the show's touring company. In a 2009 review, ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' noted the men in the cast were given less to work than the show's women, but said Dixon's performance was nevertheless "lithe and amusing," played to "superb comedic effect."


''The Scottsboro Boys''

In 2010, Dixon originated the role of Haywood Patterson in the
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
production of the musical '' The Scottsboro Boys'', for which he was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. In a review for '' Variety'', David Rooney said, "Haywood Patterson sfierce pride and refusal to die for a lie provides an affecting center to the show in Brandon Victor Dixon’s charismatic performance." In the ''Times'', Brantley said, "Brandon Victor Dixon gives the show a shot of soft-pedaled star power. His 11 o’clock number, an angry what-I-stand-for anthem, is especially affecting." In 2014, Dixon returned to the role of Haywood Patterson in London's West End production of ''The Scottsboro Boys''.


''Hamilton''

Dixon assumed the lead role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway company of '' Hamilton'' on August 23, 2016, recruited in part by the role's originator, Leslie Odom, Jr., and selected over the role's three understudies when Dixon became available following the early close of ''Shuffle Along''. Previously Dixon had performed with ''Hamilton'' castmate Renée Elise Goldsberry in ''The Color Purple'', as well as other members of the cast, including Christopher Jackson, Ephraim Sykes, and Sasha Hutchings, in workshops and festivals. Dixon played the role of Burr through August 13, 2017. Reviewing the show in June 2017 for ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...
'', Jeremy Gerard said that Dixon and other replacements merited comparison with the original cast for the former's development of distinct but no less compelling interpretations of their characters: "Hamilton’s nemesis, Aaron Burr, is played by the exceptionally fine Brandon Victor Dixon replacing Leslie Odom Jr. The latter was steel cloaked in suavity, while Dixon is more severe in the opening number, which gives us both Hamilton’s back story and the seeds of a rivalry that will only conclude in a duel on the New Jersey shore many decades later. Delivering what is, to my mind, the show’s most astonishing number, 'The Room Where It Happens,' Dixon’s another knockout." In November 2016, shortly after the U.S. presidential election, Republican Vice President-elect Mike Pence attended ''Hamilton'' and Dixon addressed him from the stage following the performance, thanking him for attending and stating: "We, sir—we—are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us." This statement was jointly written by the cast, show creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, and producer Jeffrey Seller. Pence stated that he was not offended, but President-elect
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
demanded an apology for the "harassment" of Pence.


''Hell's Kitchen''

From October to January, Dixon starred as Davis in the world premiere
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
run of ''Hell's Kitchen'' at The Public Theater. He reprised his role in the Broadway transfer at the Shubert Theatre which began performances in March 2024. His final performance in the show is set to be on March 9, 2025.


Other shows

In 2011, Dixon portrayed Tom Collins in the Off-Broadway revival of '' Rent''. Dixon created the role of Berry Gordy Jr., founder of the
Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
record label, in the original Broadway production of '' Motown: The Musical'', which Gordy wrote himself. The show opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 14, 2013. His first leading role on Broadway, critics described it as a "tough, sketchy assignment" in what they felt was a flawed show, but Dixon nevertheless earned a nomination for a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance. In 2016, Dixon appeared in the role of Eubie Blake in the musical '' Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed'' on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his performance. Also in 2016, he appeared as Coalhouse Walker Jr in ''Ragtime'' at Ellis Island. From September to November 2022, he played Billy Flynn in the Broadway production of ''
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
''.


Producing

In 2013, Dixon and ''Motown the Musical'' choreographer Warren Adams founded WalkRunFly Productions to support productions for young artists. Through WalkRunFly Productions, he co-produced the 2014 Broadway productions of '' Of Mice and Men'', which was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play, and '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical as well as the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical. As of January 2017, WalkRunFly has two more shows in development: a transfer to Broadway of '' Whorl Inside a Loop'', a play by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott set in a prison, and ''Trial of the Century'', a musical about the Lindbergh baby kidnapping.


Television

In addition to his theater work, Dixon began a recurring role on Starz series, '' Power'', in 2017 as attorney Terry Silver. He was promoted to a series regular in the fifth season, aired in 2018. Dixon portrayed Judas Iscariot in the live televised concert production of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'' on April 1, 2018,
Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
Sunday. Reviewing the show for '' New York'' magazine, Matt Zoller Seitz named Dixon as giving one of the “strongest performances” in what Zoller Seitz called "one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in the 20-plus years I’ve been writing about TV." He found Dixon and castmates
John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...
,
Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles ( ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. Bareilles has earned various accolades, including ...
, Norm Lewis and Jin Ha “so superb, in terms of their acting as well as their singing, that they diminished other performers who might have been singled out as scene-stealers in lesser productions, such as Alice Cooper’s King Herod.” In ''The New York Times'', Noel Murray gave a similar rave review, calling the production "a conceptual and artistic triumph" and Dixon its "powerful and charismatic" standout: "Given what 'Jesus Christ Superstar' ultimately says about idols and the people in their shadow, it is appropriate that this production was dominated by Dixon's portrayal of Judas." Dixon has also appeared on television in '' The Good Wife'' and in the 40th Annual Kennedy Center Honors. In 2019, Dixon appeared in another televised concert production, Fox’s '' Rent: Live'' reprising the role of Tom Collins.


Personal life

Dixon lives in New York City. In 2019, he delivered the Columbia College Class Day speech.


Accolades

†: Dixon served as a producer on these productions.


See also

* African-American Tony nominees and winners


References


External links


Official website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Brandon Victor 1981 births American male musical theatre actors American theatre managers and producers Living people St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.) alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford People from Gaithersburg, Maryland Actors from Maryland Broadway theatre producers African-American male actors Grammy Award winners 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American people