Leland Gantt is an American actor and writer known for his roles in various television series and films. Gantt is also a theatre actor, and has appeared in a one-man show, Rhapsody in Black.[1][2][3]
Leland Gantt | |
|---|---|
| Born | McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | Point Park College (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, writer |
Early life and education
editGantt was born and raised in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.[4] After graduating from McKeesport Area High School, he attended the Indiana University of Pennsylvania before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Point Park College.[5] After struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, Gantt was inspired to pursue acting by a theatre teacher and moved to New York City in 1983.[6]
Career
editAfter moving to New York, Gantt appeared in Broadway productions of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,[7] Fences, Richard III, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Gem of the Ocean, Judas Iscariot,[8] and The Fall of Heaven.[9][10] In 1991, Gantt was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in Let Me Live, losing to Kevin Spacey.[11][12]
Gantt has also appeared in episodes of Law & Order and JAG. He portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1987 miniseries Hoover vs. The Kennedys.[13] He also starred in The Affair.[14]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Rockin' Road Trip | Curtis Smith | |
| 1990 | Presumed Innocent | Leon Wells | |
| 1991 | The Super | Male Tenant | |
| 1992 | Malcolm X | Wilbur Kinley | |
| 1998 | Pants on Fire | Allen | |
| 1998 | Out of the Past | Bayard Rustin | Documentary; voice |
| 2000 | Requiem for a Dream | Ward Attendant Penn | |
| 2008 | Miracle at St. Anna | Livingston | |
| 2020 | Another Year Together | Keith |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Hoover vs. The Kennedys | Martin Luther King Jr. | 2 episodes |
| 1993, 2001 | Law & Order | FBI Agent Jeff Washington / Jonas 'Skate' Stark | |
| 1995 | New York Undercover | Jerome Willard | Episode: "All in the Family" |
| 1995 | The Affair | Barrett | Television film |
| 1995 | JAG | Briefing Officer | Episode: "Scimitar" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Stew Matos | Episode: "Fallacy" |
| 2018 | Titans | Thurman | Episode: "Atlas Shrugged" |
| 2019 | The Good Fight | Partner Thomas | Episode: "The One with the Celebrity Divorce" |
References
edit- ^ BWW News Desk. "LeLand Gantt Stars in RHAPSODY IN BLACK Presented by The Cincinnati Arts Association". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ Benson, John. "Playhouse Square making it easy to experience LeLand Gantt's one-man show 'Rhapsody in Black'". The News-Herald. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ Star, Lincoln Journal (December 2016). "One-man show tackles racism in America". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ "Rhapsody in Black". Red Shell Management. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ "Theater roundup: PICT's 'Woman in Black'; LeLand Gantt's 'Rhapsody in Black'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ "McKeesport's own LeLand Gantt to perform at August Wilson Center, Nov. 15". New Pittsburgh Courier. 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ "Inside the Playbill: Leland Gantt". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ Collins-Hughes, Laura (2017-03-14). "Review: For 'Judas Iscariot,' a Courtroom Drama of Epic Proportions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ "The Week in Culture Pictures, Jan. 29 - The New York Times > Arts > Slide Show > Slide 10 of 19". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ "Leland Gantt theatre profile". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
- ^ "Leland Gantt". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
- ^ Gussow, Mel (1991-01-17). "REVIEW/THEATER; Black Leftist's Jail Ordeal In the South in the 1930's". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
- ^ Corry, John (1987-11-18). "TV REVIEWS; 'HOOVER VS. THE KENNEDYS,' MINI-SERIES ON CHANNEL 11". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
- ^ New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. 1995-10-16.