Tituss Burgess
Tituss Burgess (born February 21, 1979)[1] is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in numerous Broadway musicals and is known for his high tenor voice. He is best known for starring as Titus Andromedon on the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2020), for which he has received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Tituss Burgess | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 21, 1979 Athens, Georgia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Personal life
Born and raised in Athens, Georgia, he attended Cedar Shoals High School where he was active in the theatre program. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in music.[2][3]
Career
Burgess made his great Broadway debut in the musical Good Vibrations as Eddie in 2005, and then appeared in Jersey Boys in 2005 as Hal Miller. He originated the role of "Sebastian the Crab" in the musical The Little Mermaid in 2007 and went on to the role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson, traditionally played by a white actor, in the revival of Guys and Dolls in 2009. He has also performed in several regional theater productions, including The Wiz and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Burgess performed at the "Broadway for Obama" benefit concert held at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Easton, Pennsylvania, on October 20, 2008.[4] He performed at the "Broadway After Dark" benefit concert on October 26, 2008, in New York City.[5] He performed in a solo concert at Birdland in New York City on July 27, 2009.[6]
In July 2009, he was a performer on the R Family Vacations Summer Cruise.[7] Three months later, he was featured on an episode of the popular web show The Battery's Down. He appeared in Season 5 of 30 Rock as D'Fwan, a member of Tracy Jordan's wife's entourage. He reprised the role in Season 6.
Tituss was cast as The Caterpillar in the 2011 Broadway musical Wonderland in October 2010. A month later, he dropped out of the project.[8]
In March 2013, Burgess performed "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from the Broadway musical Dreamgirls at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising concert Broadway Backwards.[9]
Burgess was cast in the role of The Witch, a role traditionally played by a female, in Into the Woods in a 2015 production by DreamCatcher Theatre which performed in Miami's Carnival Studio Theater at the Adrienne Arsht Center.[10]
On March 6, 2015, Netflix released the first season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt which stars Burgess in a main role as Titus Andromedon, Kimmy's roommate. Burgess received universal acclaim for his performance, with The New York Times stating that the role was tailor-made for him.[11][12] For his performance in the first season, he received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2015 Critics' Choice Television Awards and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2015 ceremony.
In June 2016, Burgess reprised his role of "Sebastian the Crab" during the Hollywood Bowl concert event of The Little Mermaid.[13]
Since May 2020, he stars in the musical cartoon series Central Park as Cole Tillerman, alongside Leslie Odom Jr., Kristen Bell, Daveed Diggs, Josh Gad, Kathryn Hahn and Stanley Tucci.[14]
On December 28, 2020, it was announced that Burgess will star as Remy in a benefit concert presentation of Ratatouille the Musical, an internet meme that originated on TikTok, inspired by the 2007 Disney/Pixar film. The concert streamed exclusively on TodayTix on January 1, 2021.[15]
Theatre credits
| Date | Title | Role | Venue/Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2 – April 24, 2005 | Good Vibrations | Eddie | Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway |
| November 6, 2005 – July 31, 2006 | Jersey Boys | Barry Belson/Hal Miller | August Wilson Theatre, Broadway |
| October 2006 | The Wiz | The Lion | La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego, CA |
| November 3, 2007 – December 7, 2008 | The Little Mermaid | Sebastian | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway |
| March 1 – June 14, 2009 | Guys and Dolls | Nicely-Nicely Johnson | Nederlander Theatre, Broadway |
| December 8 – 30, 2012 | A Wind in the Willows Christmas | Mr. Toad | Two River Theater, Red Bank, NJ |
| January 22, 2015 – February 15, 2015 | Into the Woods | The Witch | Arsht Center, Miami, FL |
| January 1, 2021 | Ratatouille the Musical | Remy | Benefit concert |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Are You Joking? | Hank Trenton | |
| 2016 | The Angry Birds Movie | Photog (voice) | |
| 2016 | Catfight | John | |
| 2017 | Smurfs: The Lost Village | Vanity Smurf (voice) | |
| 2018 | Set It Up | Creepy Tim | |
| 2018 | Then Came You | Julian | |
| 2019 | I Hate Kids | The Amazing Fabular | |
| 2019 | Dolemite Is My Name | Theodore Toney | |
| 2019 | The Addams Family | Glenn (voice) | |
| 2021 | Respect | James Cleveland | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Schoolhouse Rock | Narrator | Episode: "The Rainforest" (Earth Rock series) |
| 2009 | The Battery's Down | Mr. Z | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | A Gifted Man | Larry the Guard | Episode: "In Case of Discomfort" |
| 2011–2012 | 30 Rock | D'Fwan | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | Blue Bloods | Priest | Episode: "The Life We Chose" |
| 2013 | Royal Pains | Kristoff | Episode: "Bones to Pick" |
| 2015–2020 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Titus Andromedon | Series regular, 52 episodes (seasons 1-4 and Kimmy vs the Reverend) Webby Award for Best Actor Gold Derby TV Award for Best Comedy Supporting Actor (2015–2017) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2015–2018) Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2015, 2016) Nominated—Online Film and Television Association Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated—Gold Derby TV Award for Breakthrough Performer of the Year Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (2020) Nominated—Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series (2020) Nominated—Gold Derby Award for Supporting Actor in a Movie/Limited Series (2020) |
| 2016 | Match Game | Himself | Regular panelist |
| 2016–2018 | Elena of Avalor | Charoca (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Julie's Greenroom | Himself | Episode: "Costumer Service" |
| 2017 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Himself (Guest Judge) | Episode: "Pop Art Ball" |
| 2019 | Miracle Workers | God's brother | Episode: "1 Day" |
| 2019 | The Good Fight | Wade V. | Episode: "The One with the Celebrity Divorce" |
| 2020 | Dishmantled | Himself (host) | 10 episodes |
| 2020 | Central Park | Cole Tillerman (voice) | Series regular |
| 2020 | Sing On! | Himself (host) | Series regular |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Grand Theft Auto V | Bob Mulét | Credited under "The Local Population." Notable voice appearance in WCTR program, "Chakra Attack," as the "Potato Water Guy" in the coconut water discussion. |
Discography
- Jersey Boys (2005) Original Cast Recording
- Here's To You (2006) Studio Album
- Here's To You (2006) debut solo album, available on iTunes
- Disney's The Little Mermaid (2008) Original Cast Recording
- Keys (2008) Scott Alan
- Thirteen Stories Down (2010) Jonathan Reid Gealt
- Comfortable (2012) Studio Album
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (2018) Audiobook, Narrator
- Saint Tituss (2019)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Broadway.com Audience Award | Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical | The Little Mermaid | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Webby Award | Best Actor | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| Gold Derby TV Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy | Won | |||
| Dorian Award | TV Performance of the Year, Actor | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | Nominated | [16] | |||
| 2017 | Nominated | ||||
| 2018 | Nominated | ||||
| 2018 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend | Nominated | |
References
- "Tituss Burgess". Playbill Vault. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- "Alumni Spotlight: Tituss Burgess (AB '01)". UGA Alumni Association. February 13, 2015.
- "Bullseye With Jesse Thorn: Titus Burgess". Bullseye With Jesse Thorn: Titus Burgess. February 1, 2019.
- Gans, Andrew (October 8, 2008). "Broadway for Obama Concert to Feature Lopez, Burgess, Hicks, Dixon and More". playbill.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015.
- Gans, Andrew (October 26, 2008). "Broadway After Dark Features Braxton, Burgess, Dandridge, Sengbloh and More Oct. 26". playbill.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012.
- Gans, Andrew (June 19, 2009). "Guys and Dolls' Burgess to Play Birdland in July". playbill.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012.
- Gans, Andrew (July 11, 2009). "All Aboard!: R Family Vacations Summer Cruise, with McArdle, Burgess, Jackson, Departs July 11". playbill.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012.
- "Caterpillar Change-Up in Wonderland: E. Clayton Cornelious Replaces Tituss Burgess in New Musical". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
- "And I Am Telling You..." Tituss Burgess – 2013 Broadway Backwards. YouTube. March 26, 2013.
- "Tituss Burgess Will Be The Witch in Miami Into the Woods; Sondheim Gives Blessing". Playbill. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- Drumming, Neil (March 20, 2015). "Tituss Burgess on a Role Tailor-Made for Him on 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'". The New York Times.
- Martin, Michael (March 4, 2015). "Why Tituss Burgess Makes Tina Fey Laugh". Out. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- LEASE EVENT: Disney's The Little Mermaid in Concert, hollywoodbowl.com; accessed December 1, 2016.
- Central Park (Animation, Comedy, Musical), Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, Josh Gad, Kathryn Hahn, 20th Century Fox Television, Angry Child Productions, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, 2020-05-29, retrieved 2020-10-28CS1 maint: others (link)
- https://deadline.com/2020/12/ratatouille-the-tiktok-musical-cast-wayne-brady-tituss-burgess-adam-lambert-1234661967/
- Kilday, Gregg (January 12, 2016). "'Carol' Earns Multiple Mentions as Dorian Award Nominees Are Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
External links
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