Kenny Leon is an American director and actor. He is notable for his extensive work on Broadway and television as well as in regional theater. He has received a

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 a Drama League Award as well as nominations for three

Primetime Emmy Awards 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 ...

and a

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 ...

. Leon won the

for Best Direction of a Play for '' A Raisin in the Sun'' (2014). He was Tony-nominated for '' Fences'' (2010) and '' A Soldier's Play'' (2019). He has also directed notable productions of '' Radio Golf'' (2007), '' Topdog/Underdog'' (2022) and '' Purlie Victorious'' (2023). He received

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 ...

nominations for '' Hairspray Live!'' (2017), '' American Son'' (2019), and '' Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia'' (2021).

Early life and education

Kenny Leon was born on February 10, 1956, in Tallahassee, Florida. Kenny Leon.
The History Makers: The Digital Repository for the Black Experience. His father is Leroy Leon, and his mother is Annie Ruth, who was 15 when she gave birth to Kenny.O'Neill, Gail (April 10, 2017)
Legacy Series: Kenny Leon inspires Atlanta audiences to imagine new possibilities.
Arts ATL. He has five siblings. In Tallahassee, he lived with his grandmother, Maime Wilson Roberts Harris, and attended a one-room school house. When he was nine years, he moved from Tallahassee to St. Petersburg, Florida. He attended 16th Street Junior High and Northeast High School.Shonel, Raven Joy (February 22, 2018)
Honoring the legacy of Kenny Leon.
''The Weekly Challenger''. In high school, he participated in a federally funded

Upward Bound Upward Bound is a federally funded educational program within the United States. The program is one of a cluster of programs now referred to as Federal TRIO Programs, TRiO, all of which owe their existence to the federal Economic Opportunity Act ...

academic and cultural enrichment program at Florida Presbyterian College. He made his stage debut in a Upward Bound theater production. Angela Bassett was also a theater student in the program. He graduated from Northeast High School in 1974.Persall, Steve (December 1, 2015)
For 'The Wiz Live!' director Kenny Leon, there's no place like home in St. Petersburg.
''Tampa Bay Times''. For college, Leon attended Clark Atlanta University, where he received his B.A. degree in political science in 1978. After college graduation, he enrolled in Southwestern University School of Law. In 1979, he dropped out of law school and returned to Atlanta to pursue a theatrical career.

Career

Leon got his first break working at the Academy Theatre in Hapeville, Georgia. The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Kenny Leon, September 9, 2007. The HistoryMakers® African American Video Oral History Collection, 1900 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
/ref> In 1988, he was selected as associate artistic director of the Alliance Theatre Company, the largest theater company in Atlanta. In 1990, he was named the Alliance's artistic director and became one of the few

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

to lead a large nonprofit theater company in the United States. During Leon's tenure, the company staged premieres of Pearl Cleage's ''Blues for an Alabama Sky'', Alfred Uhry's '' The Last Night of Ballyhoo'', and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

and Tim Rice's

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

'' Aida'', which went on to Broadway. The Alliance's endowment also rose from $1 to $5 million during his time there. Leon resigned from the Alliance in 2000 to take on other projects. These included being the co-founder and artistic director of True Colors Theatre Company, a group based in both Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He also took his talents to Broadway. In the spring of 2004, he directed a revival of Lorraine Hansberry's '' A Raisin in the Sun'', starring

Sean Combs Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Mount Ve ...

, Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald, in his Broadway debut. At the end of that year, he directed the Broadway premiere of August Wilson's '' Gem of the Ocean''. In 2005, he directed '' Margaret Garner'', an opera by Richard Danielpour with a libretto by

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically accl ...

. In spring 2007, he directed August Wilson's '' Radio Golf''. All three plays were nominated for

s, and Leon was a

nominee for ''A Raisin in the Sun''. He also directed the television version of '' A Raisin in the Sun'', which aired on ABC in February 2008. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 2010 for Best Director for his work on August Wilson's '' Fences'', starring

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...

and

Viola Davis Viola Davis ( ; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. List of awards and nominations received by Viola Davis, Her accolades include both the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. ''Time (magazine), Time'' named her one of ...

, earning them both nominations and wins for Best Actor and Actress in a Play. In November 2010, Leon directed Phylicia Rashad in the world premiere stage play ''Every Tongue Confess'' written by Marcus Gardley, which ran at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Leon has also directed plays at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Huntington Theatre Company in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, the New York Shakespeare Festival, the

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the ...

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 ...

, and other venues. In January 2012, he completed a Lifetime Original Television remake of '' Steel Magnolias''. Other projects at that time included the world premiere of a staged adaptation of the 1967 film '' Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'' at the Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company; and a musical inspired by the work of

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

. In 2014, he directed the Broadway revival of ''A Raisin in the Sun'' starring Denzel Washington and LaTanya Richardson Jackson and the Broadway premiere of the musical ''Holler If Ya Hear Me'', featuring the discography of Tupac Shakur. ''A Raisin in the Sun'' earned Leon a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play. That same year Leon directed ''NPR Presents Water±'', written by award-winning NPR Science Correspondent Christopher Joyce, and award-winning theater writers Arthur Yorinks and Carl Hancock Rux, with an original sound score by violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR). The show toured nationally, co-hosted by NPR's Michele Norris and

WWNO WWNO (89.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a public radio, public, non-commercial radio, commercial radio station in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. It is owned by the University of New Orleans, offering a news and information radio format with so ...

's Eve Troeh and featuring Tony Award-winner Anika Noni Rose (''Caroline, or Change''); Tony Award-nominee Michele Shay (August Wilson's ''Seven Guitars''); Jason Dirden (Tony Award-winning production ''A Raisin in the Sun''); and Lucas Caleb Rooney (''Boardwalk Empire''). In 2015, Leon directed the live musical '' The Wiz'' for NBC.

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

partnered on the production with plans to bring the show to Broadway. He was slated to direct both the television production and the planned Broadway revival. In 2016, Leon once again partnered with NBC for '' Hairspray Live!'', starring Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Kristin Chenoweth, and Harvey Fierstein. In addition to his directing experience, he has extensive acting experience on stage and in television and film. He made an appearance in the Hollywood Black Film Festival winner '' Big Ain't Bad'', playing the role of Thomas Jordan, the mayor of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. His memoir, ''Take You Wherever You Go'', was released in June, 2018, by Grand Central Publishing. The title derives advice he received from his grandmother, Mamie Wilson. Leon directed the 2019

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

film '' American Son'', based on the play of the same name which he had directed on stage. In 2019, he directed the Broadway premiere of Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize winning play, '' A Soldier's Play'', starring Blair Underwood and David Alan Grier at

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a nonprofit organization, non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fr ...

. He also directed ''The Underlying Chris'' at Second Stage Theatre Company and summer 2019's acclaimed production of ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

'' at the Delacorte/Shakespeare in the Park. In May 2022, the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta debuted ''Trading Places: The Musical!'' directed by Leon.

Works

Television

As a director As an actor

Stage

As a director

Reception and honors

In 2004, ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' named him one of the " 50 Most Beautiful People" of the year. In 2007, he was a recipient of the 2007 Georgia Arts and Entertainment Legacy Award for his contributions to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

's cultural legacy. In 2010, Leon won the Drama League Award for Excellence in Directing for the play ''Fences''. In 2014 he won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for ''A Raisin in the Sun''. Leon was awarded the 2016-2017 "Mr. Abbott" Award for outstanding artistry and creativity, which is presented by the Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC) Foundation, in recognition for his over 40-year career. In October 2017, Leon was the recipient the Governor's Award for the Arts and Humanities for the State of Georgia. He held the Denzel Washington Endowed Chair in Theatre at

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

, previously held by Joe Morton and Phylicia Rashad.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Kenny Leon Productions
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Kenny African-American film directors African-American television directors American television directors American theatre directors Broadway theatre directors Clark Atlanta University alumni Living people 1956 births People from Tallahassee, Florida Film directors from Florida Tony Award winners 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people