Billy Porter

BFA ACTING/MUSIC THEATER, 1991
HONORARY DOCTOR OF FINE ARTS, 2022

Since graduating from Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama in 1991, Billy Porter has had an extensive career as a multi-hyphenate artist. 

Billy made his Broadway debut shortly after graduation in the ensemble of the original production of “Miss Saigon.” Since then, Billy has gone on to star in multiple Broadway productions and has won three Tony Awards, including for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for “Kinky Boots” in 2013 (for which he also received a Grammy Award) and for Best Musical as a producer for “A Strange Loop” in 2022. His most recent Tony was the 2024 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, recognizing his outstanding dedication and contributions as an activist and spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ communities, including his work with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) and the Entertainment Community Fund, among other organizations.

Billy has also made a name for himself in film and television; his most notable role as Pray Tell in “Pose,” for which he became the first openly gay black man to be nominated and win in any lead acting category at the Primetime Emmy Awards, in addition to receiving Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nominations. An accomplished recording artist, Billy’s most recent album, “Black Mona Lisa,” was released in 2023. Billy is a graduate of The Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA and has been an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, where he has directed productions of “Company” and “Letters From ‘Nam.”