Tituss Burgess
| Tituss Burgess | |
|---|---|
 Burgess at the 2008 NYS ARTS Fall Gala | |
| Born |
February 21, 1979 Athens, Georgia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia (B.A.) |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Tituss Burgess (born February 21, 1979)[1] is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in numerous Broadway musicals and is known for his high tenor voice. He is best known for starring as Titus Andromedon on the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–present), for which he has received four consecutive Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nominations.
Personal life
Born and raised in Athens, Georgia, he attended Cedar Shoals High School where he was active in the theatre program. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in music.[2]
Career
Burgess made his Broadway debut in the musical Good Vibrations as Eddie in 2005, and then appeared in Jersey Boys in 2005 as Hal Miller. He originated the role of "Sebastian the Crab" in the musical The Little Mermaid in 2007 and went on to the role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson, traditionally played by a white actor, in the revival of Guys and Dolls in 2009. He has also performed in several regional theater productions, including The Wiz and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Burgess performed at the "Broadway for Obama" benefit concert held at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Easton, Pennsylvania on October 20, 2008.[3] He performed at the "Broadway After Dark" benefit concert on October 26, 2008 in New York City.[4] He performed in a solo concert at Birdland in New York City on July 27, 2009.[5]
In July 2009, he was a performer on the R Family Vacations Summer Cruise.[6] Three months later, he was featured on an episode of the popular web show The Battery's Down. He appeared in Season 5 of 30 Rock as D'Fwan, a member of Tracy Jordan's wife's entourage. He reprised the role in Season 6.
In March 2013, Burgess performed "And I Am Telling You..." from the Broadway musical Dreamgirls at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising concert Broadway Backwards.[7]
Burgess was cast in the role of The Witch, a role traditionally played by a female, in Into the Woods in a 2015 production by DreamCatcher Theatre which performed in Miami's Carnival Studio Theater at the Adrienne Arsht Center.[8]
On March 6, 2015, Netflix released the first season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt which stars Burgess in a main role as Titus Andromedon, Kimmy's roommate. Burgess received universal acclaim for his performance, with The New York Times stating that the role was tailor made for him.[9][10] For his performance in the first season, he received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2015 Critics' Choice Television Awards and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2015 ceremony.
In June 2016, Burgess reprised his role of "Sebastian the Crab" during the Hollywood Bowl concert event of The Little Mermaid.[11]
Theatre credits
| Date | Title | Role | Venue/Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wiz | Regional | ||
| Jesus Christ Superstar | Judas | Regional | |
| February 2 – April 24, 2005 | Good Vibrations | Eddie | Broadway |
| November 6, 2005 – July 31, 2006 | Jersey Boys | Barry Belson/Hal Miller | Broadway |
| November 3, 2007 – December 7, 2008 | The Little Mermaid | Sebastian | Broadway |
| March 1 – June 14, 2009 | Guys and Dolls | Nicely-Nicely Johnson | Broadway |
| 2015 | Into the Woods | The Witch | Arsht Center, Miami, Florida |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Are You Joking? | Hank Trenton | |
| 2016 | The Angry Birds Movie | Photog (voice) | |
| 2016 | Catfight | John | |
| 2017 | Smurfs: The Lost Village | Vanity Smurf (voice) | |
| 2018 | Set It Up | Creepy Tim | |
| 2019 | Dolemite Is My Name |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Schoolhouse Rock | Narrator | Episode: "The Rainforest" (Earth Rock series) |
| 2009 | The Battery's Down | Mr. Z | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | A Gifted Man | Larry the Guard | Episode: "In Case of Discomfort" |
| 2011–2012 | 30 Rock | D'Fwan | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | Blue Bloods | Priest | Episode: "The Life We Chose" |
| 2013 | Royal Pains | Kristoff | Episode: "Bones to Pick" |
| 2015–present | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Titus Andromedon | Series Regular, 39 episodes Webby Award for Best Actor Gold Derby TV Award for Best Comedy Supporting Actor (2015–2017) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2015–2018) Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2015, 2016) Nominated—Online Film and Television Association Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated—Gold Derby TV Award for Breakthrough Performer of the Year Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series |
| 2016 | Match Game | Himself | Regular panelist |
| 2016–2018 | Elena of Avalor | Charoca (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Julie's Greenroom | Himself | Episode: "Costumer Service" |
| 2017 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Himself (Guest Judge) | Episode: "Pop Art Ball" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Grand Theft Auto V | Bob Mulét | Credited under "The Local Population" |
Discography
- Jersey Boys (2005) Original Cast Recording
- Here's To You (2006) Studio Album
- Here's To You (2006) debut solo album, available on iTunes
- Disney's The Little Mermaid (2008) Original Cast Recording
- Keys (2008) Scott Alan
- Thirteen Stories Down (2010) Jonathan Reid Gealt
- Comfortable (2012) Studio Album
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Broadway.com Audience Award | Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical | The Little Mermaid | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Webby Award | Best Actor | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Won | |
| 2015 | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Gold Derby TV Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Won | |
| 2015 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Dorian Award | TV Performance of the Year, Actor | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Nominated | [12] |
| 2017 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Nominated | |
References
- ↑ "Tituss Burgess". Playbill Vault. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ↑ "Alumni Spotlight: Tituss Burgess (AB '01)". UGA Alumni Association. February 13, 2015.
- ↑ Gans, Andrew (October 8, 2008). "Broadway for Obama Concert to Feature Lopez, Burgess, Hicks, Dixon and More". playbill.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015.
- ↑ Gans, Andrew (October 26, 2008). "Broadway After Dark Features Braxton, Burgess, Dandridge, Sengbloh and More Oct. 26". playbill.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012.
- ↑ Gans, Andrew (June 19, 2009). "Guys and Dolls' Burgess to Play Birdland in July". playbill.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012.
- ↑ Gans, Andrew (July 11, 2009). "All Aboard!: R Family Vacations Summer Cruise, with McArdle, Burgess, Jackson, Departs July 11". playbill.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012.
- ↑ "And I Am Telling You..." Tituss Burgess – 2013 Broadway Backwards. YouTube. March 26, 2013.
- ↑ "Tituss Burgess Will Be The Witch in Miami Into the Woods; Sondheim Gives Blessing". Playbill. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ↑ Drumming, Neil (March 20, 2015). "Tituss Burgess on a Role Tailor-Made for Him on 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'". The New York Times.
- ↑ Martin, Michael (March 4, 2015). "Why Tituss Burgess Makes Tina Fey Laugh". Out. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ↑ LEASE EVENT: Disney's The Little Mermaid in Concert, hollywoodbowl.com; accessed December 1, 2016.
- ↑ Kilday, Gregg (January 12, 2016). "'Carol' Earns Multiple Mentions as Dorian Award Nominees Are Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
External links
Authority control  |
|---|