Tituss Burgess
| Tituss Burgess | |
|---|---|
 Burgess (left) with Barbara Cook in 2008 | |
| Born |
February 21, 1979 Athens, Georgia, US |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2005 – present |
Tituss Burgess (born February 21, 1979)[1] is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in four Broadway musicals and is known for his high tenor voice. He is a main cast member on the Netflix original series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2015 and 2016.
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] Burgess is openly gay.[3]
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 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.[4] He performed at the "Broadway After Dark" benefit concert on October 26, 2008 in New York City.[5] He performed in a solo concert at Birdland in New York City on July 27, 2009.[6]
From July 11-18, he was a performer on the R Family Vacations Summer Cruise.[7] 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.[8]
Burgess was the first male actor ever to be cast in the role of The Witch in Into the Woods in a 2015 production by DreamCatcher Theatre which performed in Miami's Carnival Studio Theater at the Adrienne Arsht Center.[9]
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.[10][11] 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 for his performance 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.[12]
Theatre credits
| Date | Title | Role | Venue/Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wiz | Regional | ||
| Jesus Christ Superstar | Judas | Regional | |
| Feb. 2 – Apr. 24, 2005 | Good Vibrations | Eddie | Broadway |
| Nov. 6, 2005 – Jul. 31, 2006 | Jersey Boys | Hal Miller | Broadway |
| Nov. 3, 2007 – Dec. 7, 2008 | The Little Mermaid | Sebastian | Broadway |
| Mar. 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 |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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, 26 episodes Webby Award for Best Actor Gold Derby TV Award for Best Comedy Supporting Actor Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated—Gold Derby TV Award for Breakthrough Performer of the Year Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series |
| 2016 | Match Game | Himself | Regular panellist |
| 2016 | Elena of Avalor | Charoca (voice) | Episode: All Heated Up |
| 2017 | Julie's Greenroom |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Grand Theft Auto V | Barber | 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 | Nominated work | Association | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Little Mermaid | Broadway.com Audience Award | Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Webby Award | Best Actor | Won | |
| 2015 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Gold Derby TV Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy | Won | |
| 2015 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Emmy Award | Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Dorian Award | TV Performance of the Year, Actor | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" | Emmy Award | Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | [13] |
References
- ↑ "Tituss Burgess". Playbill Vault. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ↑ "Alumni Spotlight: Tituss Burgess (AB '01)". UGA Alumni Association. February 13, 2015.
- ↑ "Tituss Burgess, '30 Rock' Actor, Talks Being 'Comfortable' As A Gay Man On New Album". The Huffington Post. November 13, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ↑ Gans, Andrew (October 8, 2008). "Broadway for Obama Concert to Feature Lopez, Burgess, Hicks, Dixon and More". playbill.com.
- ↑ Gans, Andrew (October 26, 2008). "Broadway After Dark Features Braxton, Burgess, Dandridge, Sengbloh and More Oct. 26". playbill.com.
- ↑ Gans, Andrew (June 19, 2009). "Guys and Dolls' Burgess to Play Birdland in July". playbill.com.
- ↑ Gans, Andrew (July 11, 2009). "All Aboard!: R Family Vacations Summer Cruise, with McArdle, Burgess, Jackson, Departs July 11". playbill.com.
- ↑ "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.
