Billy Porter
Known for Acting · 100 credits
- Born
- 1969-09-21 (age 56)
- Place of birth
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Biography
William Ellis Porter II (born September 21, 1969) is an American actor and singer. Porter gained notice performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor. For his role as Lola in Kinky Boots, Porter won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He credits the part for "cracking open" his feminine side to confront toxic masculinity. Porter also won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for the musical's accompanying album.
Porter starred in all three seasons of the television series Pose, for which he was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and won the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the first gay black man to be nominated and win in any lead acting category at the Primetime Emmys. In 2020, he was included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2022, he won another Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer for the musical A Strange Loop.
He made his directorial debut in 2022 with the romantic comedy film Anything's Possible. Porter received the Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 77th Tony Awards for his humanitarian work with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Entertainment Community Fund.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Billy Porter, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Jackie Walker
Law & Order
1990
as Greg Ellison
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
as Self / Self - Guest
The Simpsons
1989
as Desmond (voice)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self / Self - Guest
TV Shows (61)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Jackie Walker
Law & Order
1990
as Greg Ellison
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
as Self / Self - Guest
The Simpsons
1989
as Desmond (voice)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self / Self - Guest
The Daily Show
1996
as Self
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self / Self - Guest
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self
The Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
American Horror Story
2011
as Behold Chablis
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
The Late Late Show with James Corden
2015
as Self - Guest
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
Dancing with the Stars
2005
as Self - Guest Judge
The View
1997
as Self - Guest
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
as Self - Guest
Sherri
2022
as Self - Guest
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self - Guest
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Presenter
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
2014
as Self
Project Runway
2004
as Self - Guest Judge
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
2007
as Self
Big Mouth
2017
as Ocean (voice)
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
2014
as Self
Newsnight
1980
as Self
Tamron Hall
2019
as Self - Guest
MTV Video Music Awards
1984
as Self
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015
as Self
The Drew Barrymore Show
2020
as Self
MTV Movie & TV Awards
1992
as Self - Presenter
Stars in the House
2020
as Self
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Celebrity Family Feud
2015
as Self
People's Choice Awards
1975
as Self - Presenter
The Twilight Zone
2019
POSE
2018
as Pray Tell
Gossip Girl
2021
as Singer
Desus & Mero
2019
as Self - Illustrious Guest
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
1972
as Self - Co-Host (New Orleans)
Who Do You Think You Are?
2010
as Self
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder
2022
as Randall (voice)
Dear...
2020
as Self
That's My Jam
2021
as Self - Guest
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996
as Self - Guest
Indie Sex
2007
as Self
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
2021
as Self - Panellist
Trailblazer Honors
2014
as Self - Speaker
Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star
2019
as Self - Guest Judge
Middlemost Post
2021
as Recycle King (voice)
RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World
2022
as Self - Special Guest
Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?
2022
as Self
Visible: Out on Television
2020
as Self
Live from the Other Side with Tyler Henry
2024
as Self
That Damn Michael Che
2021
Equal
2020
as Narrator
My Happy Place
2025
as Self
Olivier Awards
1981
as Self - Host
Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
1991
as Little Richard
The Grammys
1959
as Self
Movies (39)
Anastasia
1997
as Ensemble and Character Vocals (voice)
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
2026
as Magno Stift
Cinderella
2021
as Fabulous Godmother
Noel
2004
as Randy
80 for Brady
2023
as Gugu
Like a Boss
2020
as Barrett
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
2023
as Self - Guest
The Humbling
2014
as Prince
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
2006
as Self
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
2000
as Taylor
Christmas Karma
2025
as The Ghost of Christmas Present
Our Son
2023
as Gabriel
Every Act of Life
2018
as Self
Intern
2000
as Sebastian Niederfarb
Broadway: The Next Generation
as Self
Where Love Lives: A Story of Dancefloor Culture & Expression
2021
as (Himself)
Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone
2020
as Self
PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation
2022
as Pray Tell (archive footage)
I Was Born This Way
2025
as Self
Twisted
1996
as Shiniqua, Angel's friend
Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon
2022
as Self
Pose-a-Thon for Pride
2020
as Self
Disco's Revenge
2024
25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love
2021
Little Richard: I Am Everything
2023
as Self
Eric André Live Near Broadway
2024
as Self
Let the Canary Sing
2023
as Self
Queen of New York
2023
Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It
2026
as Self
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!
2022
as Self
Indie Sex: Teens
2008
Heart of Broadway: The Ensemble Behind Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
2011
as Himself
All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise
2006
as Himself
The Shoe
2011
Camp
as Mark
Truth Be Told
2023
Colorz of Rage
1999
as Street Performer
Smoke, Lilies and Jade
2021
Raquel: Total Beauty and Fitness
1984
About Billy Porter
William Ellis Porter II (born September 21, 1969) is an American actor and singer. Porter gained notice performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor. For his role as Lola in Kinky Boots, Porter won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He credits the part for "cracking open" his feminine side to confront toxic masculinity. Porter also won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Musical T… With 100 credits spanning from 1944 to 2026, Billy Porter has appeared in 39 films and 61 TV shows.
Fans searching for Billy Porter movies, Billy Porter filmography, or the latest projects starring Billy Porter can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Billy Porter Movies
- Anastasia (1997) — as Ensemble and Character Vocals (voice)
- The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (2026) — as Magno Stift
- Cinderella (2021) — as Fabulous Godmother
- Noel (2004) — as Randy
- 80 for Brady (2023) — as Gugu
Where to Watch Billy Porter Films
Most Billy Porter movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Billy Porter, check our movies catalogue and browse page.