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]

Leland Gantt
Born
EducationPoint Park College (BA)
Occupation(s)Actor, writer

Early life and education

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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

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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

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Film

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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

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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

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  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 (December 2016). "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.