Jeremy Pope
Jeremy Pope | |
|---|---|
Pope in 2026 | |
| Born | July 9, 1992 Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2013–present |
Jeremy Pope (born July 9, 1992) is an American actor and singer. Pope is the sixth person in Tony Award history to be nominated in two categories for separate performances during the same year, having received nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for his role as Pharus Jonathan Young in Choir Boy and Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his role as Eddie Kendricks in Ain't Too Proud, the latter of which also earned him a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.[1][2]
In 2020, Pope starred in the Netflix miniseries Hollywood, which earned him a nomination for a 2020 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.[3] In 2023, he received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the film The Inspection.
Life and acting career
[edit]A native of Orlando, Florida,[4] Pope attended Timber Creek High School and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.[5] He made his Broadway debut in 2018 as Pharus Jonathan Young in the play Choir Boy, soon followed by a role as Eddie Kendricks in the jukebox musical Ain't Too Proud.[6] In 2019, he became the sixth actor in Tony Award history to be nominated in two categories during the same year, garnering nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for his role as Pharus Jonathan Young in Choir Boy and for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his role as Eddie Kendricks in Ain't Too Proud.[1] In 2019, he landed a lead role in Ryan Murphy's new Netflix series Hollywood, for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.[3][7] In 2021, he also had a main role as Christopher, Blanca's boyfriend in the third and final season of Murphy's TV series Pose. In 2022, Pope returned to the theater, starring as painter Jean-Michel Basquiat opposite Paul Bettany as pop artist Andy Warhol in The Collaboration.[8]
That same year, Pope starred in Elegance Bratton's semi-autobiographical film The Inspection as Ellis French, a young man who enlists in the United States Marine Corps. His performance earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama.
In 2024, Pope expanded his work as a filmmaker with the short film God Is Good, which he wrote and starred in and was directed by C Prinz. The film incorporates music, monologue, and dance and explores themes of faith, identity, masculinity, and self-acceptance. God Is Good was acquired by The Criterion Collection for streaming on the Criterion Channel.[9]
In 2026, Pope starred as Jeremy in the FX television series The Beauty, created by Ryan Murphy and Matthew Hodgson, and also served as an executive producer on the series.[10] He also made his Broadway producing debut as a co-producer of Cats: The Jellicle Ball. The production received nine Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical, for which Pope was among the nominated producers, and won three awards.[11]
Personal life
[edit]Pope was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, in a close-knit family and religious household. His father, a pastor and professional bodybuilder, was an early influence on Pope's understanding of faith, discipline, and masculinity. Pope grew up singing in church and has described his upbringing and family as formative influences on his development as an artist.[12]
Pope has spoken about navigating the expectations of the church while developing his own understanding of faith, sexuality, masculinity, and self-expression. He has described these experiences, as well as growing up as a Black man in the American South, as influences on his personal and artistic development.[13]
Pope has also spoken about the personal significance of portraying Pharus Jonathan Young in Choir Boy, which he first began performing early in his career, and how his experiences with identity and self-acceptance have informed his work.[14]
Acting credits
[edit]Theatre
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Choir Boy | Pharus Jonathan Young | New York City Center | Off-Broadway |
| 2014 | Alliance Theatre | Regional | ||
| Geffen Playhouse | ||||
| 2015 | Invisible Thread | Griffin | Second Stage Theater | Off-Broadway |
| 2017 | The View UpStairs | Wes | Lynn Redgrave Theater | |
| Ain't Too Proud | Eddie Kendricks | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | Regional | |
| 2017–18 | The Kennedy Center | |||
| Ahmanson Theatre | ||||
| Princess of Wales Theatre | Toronto | |||
| 2018–19 | Choir Boy | Pharus Jonathan Young | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | Broadway |
| 2019 | Ain't Too Proud | Eddie Kendricks | Imperial Theatre | |
| 2022 | The Collaboration | Jean-Michel Basquiat | The Young Vic | London stage debut |
| 2022–23 | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | Broadway | ||
Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Ranger | Jerk | |
| 2020 | One Night in Miami | Jackie Wilson | |
| 2022 | The Inspection | Ellis French | |
| 2024 | God is Good | Himself | Short film Also writer |
| TBA | The Collaboration | Jean-Michel Basquiat | Post-production |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Hollywood | Archie Coleman | Main role |
| 2021 | Pose | Christopher | Main role |
| 2026 | The Beauty | Jeremy[15] | Main role |
Music
[edit]Pope is a singer, songwriter, and multidisciplinary artist whose work spans music, acting, photography, and filmmaking. Raised in Orlando, Florida, he began singing in church and writing and recording music as a teenager.[16]
Pope independently released his debut EP, Last Name: Pope, in 2024.[17] The project incorporates elements of R&B, soul, funk, gospel, and house music and explores themes including identity, faith, sexuality, masculinity, love, and self-discovery.[18][19]
The EP includes the single "Worth a Million", which explores themes of identity, vulnerability, and self-worth.[20] Pope also released "Uptown Apartment", a funk-influenced collaboration featuring Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White.[21]
Pope's music has also intersected with his work as a filmmaker and visual artist. He wrote and starred in the autobiographical short film God Is Good, directed by C Prinz. The film explores themes of Blackness, queerness, Christianity, gender, and self-acceptance. In 2024, the film was acquired by The Criterion Collection for streaming on the Criterion Channel.[22]
Pope is also a principal soloist on the Broadway cast recordings of The View UpStairs and Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations. His work on the latter earned him a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2020.
Discography
[edit]Extended plays
[edit]| Title | EP details | Track listing |
|---|---|---|
| Last Name: Pope |
|
|
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "Wait For You" | 2015 |
| "New Love" | 2018 |
| "Feel So Good" | 2018 |
| "Be Great" – Loladre (Laura Dreyfuss) (featuring Jeremy Pope) | 2019 |
| "Time After Time" (Cyndi Lauper cover) | 2020 |
| "September" (Earth, Wind & Fire cover) | 2020 |
| "Ain't Nobody" | 2021 |
| "Worth a Million" | 2021 |
| "Uptown Apartment" (featuring Verdine White) | 2022 |
| "U, Lost / What I Gotta Do" | 2024 |
| "Fine" | 2024 |
Accolades
[edit]In June 2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, Queerty named him among the fifty heroes "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people".[38][39]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Facts & Trivia". tonyawards.com. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. November 23, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- 1 2 "72nd Emmy Awards Complete Nomination List" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ↑ Palm, Matthew J. (January 8, 2019). "Central Florida actor makes Broadway debut... times two". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope Is the Breakout Star of the Broadway Season". The Hollywood Reporter. April 9, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope is Broadway's MVP this season, and that's an amazing thing". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
the play asked a lot of the then-teenage-aged Pope, he tells EW, as he himself was growing up black and gay.
- ↑ Sneider, Jeff (September 4, 2019). "Exclusive: Ryan Murphy's 'Hollywood' to Star Broadway Sensation Jeremy Pope". Collider. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
- ↑ Maitland, Hayley (February 2, 2022). "Jeremy Pope On Bringing Jean-Michel Basquiat Back To Life At The Young Vic". British Vogue. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope Short Film 'God Is Good' Acquired by Criterion Channel". Variety. May 22, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Meet the Cast of The Beauty". FX. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Cats: The Jellicle Ball". The Tony Awards. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope Is Ready to Break Free and Claim What's His". Out. May 19, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope examines masculinity in 'The Inspection'". Los Angeles Times. November 22, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope crosses over to TV with Ryan Murphy, 'Hollywood'". Los Angeles Times. August 26, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Campione, Katie (December 3, 2025). "'The Beauty' Guest Cast Revealed Including Bella Hadid, Vincent D'Onofrio, More; FX Shares First Look & Premiere Date For Ryan Murphy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope is taking back control". Dazed. June 21, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope Releases Debut EP 'LAST NAME: POPE'". BroadwayWorld. June 21, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope Is Ready to Introduce Himself". W. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope is taking back control". Dazed. June 21, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope on His New Single "Worth a Million"". Vogue. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope Gets Funky With Earth, Wind & Fire's Verdine White". Interview. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope Short Film 'God Is Good' Acquired by Criterion Channel". Variety. May 22, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Jeremy Pope Biography". Broadway World.
- ↑ Skethway, Nathan (May 24, 2019). "Inside the 2019 Outer Critics Circle Awards". Playbill.
- ↑ McPhee, Ryan (May 2, 2019). "Jeremy Pope, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Bonnie Milligan, More Earn 2019 Theatre World Awards". Playbill.
- 1 2 McPhee, Ryan. "2019 Tony Award Nominations: Hadestown and Ain't Too Proud Lead the Pack" Playbill, April 30, 2019
- ↑ "Network's Bryan Cranston, Hadestown Among 2019 Drama League Award Winners". Playbill. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
- ↑ Meyer, Dan (January 26, 2020). "Hadestown Cast Recording Wins 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album". Playbill. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
- ↑ Hipes, Patrick (July 28, 2020). "Emmy Awards Nominations: The Complete List". Deadline. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ↑ Licuria, Rob (August 23, 2020). "2nd Annual AAFCA TV Honors: Winners are Sterling K. Brown, Viola Davis, 'Insecure,' 'For Life'". GoldDerby. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ↑ Complex, Valerie (December 8, 2022). "The Woman King Tops The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) List of the Ten Best Films of the Year". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (January 5, 2023). "'Banshees of Inisherin,' 'Everything Everywhere,' 'Women Talking' Tie for Most Wins at Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards". Variety. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ↑ Complex, Valerie (December 15, 2022). "Black Reel Awards Nominations Announced For 23rd Annual Ceremony; 'The Woman King' And 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Lead With 14 Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ↑ "Golden Globes Reactions: The Silence Is Deafening". Deadline. December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ↑ Fang Tham, Su (November 22, 2022). "They're Finally Here! The 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards Film Nominations Announced!". FilmIndependent. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ "Austin Butler, Ke Huy Quan and More Among Santa Barbara International Film Festival Virtuosos Award Honorees". Variety. November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ↑ "'The Lost Boys' & 'Schmigadoon!' Lead Tony Awards Nominations: Complete List". Deadline. May 5, 2026. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Queerty Pride50 2020 Honorees". Queerty. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- ↑ Reddish, David (June 1, 2020). "Meet the world-class performers who are diversifying LGBTQ representation". Queerty. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
External links
[edit]- Jeremy Pope at IMDb
- Jeremy Pope at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jeremy Pope at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)