Telly Leung

BFA ACTING/MUSIC THEATER, 2002

Before graduating from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in 2002, Telly grew up in a traditional Chinese home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where he was a student of New York’s prestigious math & science specialized high school, Stuyvesant High School.  

During his time as a student at CMU, Telly met fellow CMU-alum and Tony-Award winner, Billy Porter, who returned to his alma mater to direct the main stage production of Sondheim’s “Company.” After casting Telly as Bobby in “Company,” Billy made a phone call to his colleagues who were involved in the upcoming Broadway revival of “Flower Drum Song” and landed Telly an audition. In the fall of 2002, Telly made his Broadway debut in the revival of “Flower Drum Song”, starring Lea Salonga, as a member of the ensemble and an understudy for Wang Ta. 

Since then, Telly has gone on to star in Broadway productions including “Pacific Overtures,” “Rent,” “Godspell,” “Allegiance,” “In Transit,” and as the title character in Disney’s “Aladdin.” Telly has performed live all over the world in venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, Tokyo’s Theatre Orb, The Baltimore Symphony, the St. Louis MUNY, Shakespeare Theater Company (DC), Pittsburgh CLO, Paper Mill Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, Philadelphia Theater Company, Sacramento Music Circus, the Old Globe, Ford’s Theater, North Carolina Theater, Four Seasons Theater, North Shore Music Theater, The Coterie in Los Angeles, The Magic Castle, NYC’s Feinstein’s / 54 Below, Birdland Jazz Club, and London’s Hippodrome. 

Telly has appeared on television as Marcel, the nomadic Chinese singer, in “Warrior” on HBO Max, “Glee” (as Wes of the Dalton Academy Warblers) on Fox, “Instinct” (CBS), “Odd Mom Out” (Bravo), “Deadbeat” (Hulu), “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (USA) and played Kevin in the pilot of ABC’s performing arts drama, “Limelight.” He was also heavily featured in the PBS documentary “Broadway or Bust” as a teacher and performance coach for the Jimmy Awards, and he was a presenter on the 2022 telecast of the 75th Annual Tony Awards on CBS.