Brandon Victor Dixon

Brandon Victor Dixon
Born (1981-09-23) September 23, 1981
Gaithersburg, Maryland, US
Residence New York City, New York, US
Occupation Actor, singer, theatrical, producer
Years active 2003–present
Website BrandonVictorDixon.com

Brandon Victor Dixon (born 1981) is an American actor, singer and theatrical producer. As an actor, he is known for playing the Broadway roles of Harpo in The Color Purple (2005), for which he was nominated for a Tony Award, and Berry Gordy Jr. in Motown: The Musical (2013). In London's West End, in 2014–2015, he played the role of Hayward Patterson in The Scottsboro Boys. In 2016, he played the role of Eubie Blake on Broadway in Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, for which he was nominated for another Tony.

His producing credits include Of Mice and Men (2014) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

Dixon is currently performing the lead role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway company of Hamilton.[1]

Early life

Dixon was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland and is a graduate of St. Albans School and Columbia University.[2] He attended the British American Drama Academy at Balliol College, Oxford, England, in mid-1999.[3]

Career

In 2003, Dixon played Royal in the Encores! production of House of Flowers and Simba in the Chicago production of The Lion King. In 2005, he created the role of Harpo on Broadway in the musical The Color Purple, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.[4] In 2010, Dixon originated the role of Haywood Patterson, in the Off-Broadway production of The Scottsboro Boys, for which he was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.[5] In 2011, he portrayed Tom Collins in the Off-Broadway revival of Rent.[4]

Dixon created the role of Berry Gordy Jr. in the original Broadway production of Motown: The Musical, which opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 14, 2013. For this role, Dixon was nominated for a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.[6] In 2014, he returned to the role of Haywood Patterson in the London West End production of The Scottsboro Boys.[7]

Also in 2013, Dixon and Motown the Musical choreographer Warren Adams founded WalkRunFly Productions to support productions for young artists.[8] Through WalkRunFly Productions, he co-produced the 2014 Broadway productions of Of Mice and Men, which was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical and also garnered the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical.[9]

In 2016, Dixon appeared in the role of Eubie Blake in the musical Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre.[10] He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his performance.[11]

Dixon assumed the lead role of Aaron Burr from Leslie Odom Jr. in the Broadway company of Hamilton on August 23, 2016.[1] In November, 2016, Vice President-elect Mike Pence attended Hamilton and Dixon addressed him from the stage following the performance, thanking him for attending and stating: "We, sir—we—are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us."[12] This statement was jointly written by the cast, show creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, and producer Jeffrey Seller and Pence stated that he was not offended[12] but President-elect Donald Trump demanded an apology for the "harassment" of Pence.[13]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2006 Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Musical The Color Purple Nominated
2010 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical The Scottsboro Boys Nominated
2014 Tony Award Best Revival of a Musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch † Won
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Musical Won
Outstanding Revival of a Play Of Mice and Men † Nominated
2016 Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Musical Shuffle Along Nominated

†: Dixon served as a producer on these productions.

References

  1. 1 2 "New Burr, Sir: Brandon Victor Dixon Joins Hamilton Tonight | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  2. ↑ "Motown's Brandon Victor Dixon Remembers Break-Ups and Boyz II Men in High School", Broadway.com, September 9, 2013, accessed December 25, 2014
  3. ↑ Wolf, Matt. "Brandon Victor Dixon on Coming Home to The Scottsboro Boys in London & His Side Gig as a B’way Producer", Broadway.com, October 8, 2014
  4. 1 2 "Brandon Victor Dixon Theatre Credits". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
  5. ↑ Healy, Patrick (2010-04-29). "Brandon Victor Dixon to Play Ray Charles on Broadway - NYTimes.com". Artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
  6. ↑ Evans, Suzy (23 April 2013). "2013 Drama League Awards Nominees Announced". Backstage.com. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Gardner, Lyn. "The Scottsboro Boys review – a dazzling civil rights musical", The Guardian, October 20, 2014
  8. ↑ Rapp, Ilana (24 April 2014). "Grammy and Tony Award Nominated Brandon Victor Dixon is on Broadway in MOTOWN: The Musical". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "WalkRunFly Productions". IBDB: the Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ Purcell, Carey. "Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald Will Reunite on Broadway in Shuffle Along, Billy Porter Joins Them", Playbill.com, August 9, 2015
  11. ↑ "See Full List of 2016 Tony Award Nominations", Playbill, May 3, 2016
  12. 1 2 Nelson, Eliot (21 November 2016). "Mike Pence's 'Hamilton' Recollection Conflicts With Donald Trump's Take". Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  13. ↑ Levine, Sam (20 November 2016). "Donald Trump Is Really Upset Mike Pence Got Booed At 'Hamilton'". Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
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