Leland Gantt
Born
McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationPoint Park College (BA)
Occupation(s)Actor, writer

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]

Early life and education

Gantt 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

After 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

Film

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

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

  1. ^ BWW News Desk. "LeLand Gantt Stars in RHAPSODY IN BLACK Presented by The Cincinnati Arts Association". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Star, Lincoln Journal. "One-man show tackles racism in America". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  4. ^ "Rhapsody in Black". Red Shell Management. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  5. ^ "Theater roundup: PICT's 'Woman in Black'; LeLand Gantt's 'Rhapsody in Black'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  6. ^ "McKeesport's own LeLand Gantt to perform at August Wilson Center, Nov. 15". New Pittsburgh Courier. 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  7. ^ "Inside the Playbill: Leland Gantt". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "Leland Gantt theatre profile". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
  11. ^ "Leland Gantt". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. 1995-10-16.
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