Billy Porter

Acting

Billy Porter

Born September 21, 1969 · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (age 56)

William Ellis Porter II (born September 21, 1969) is an American actor and singer. Porter gained notice performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor. For his role as Lola in Kinky Boots, Porter won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Music…

Known For

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Nov 18, 2026
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping · 2026
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
2026
MovieScience FictionAction
Return to the world of Panem 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
CinderellaCinderella · 2021
Cinderella
6.32021
MovieFantasyRomance
Cinderella, an orphaned girl with an evil stepmother, has big dreams and with the help of her Fabulous Godmother, she perseveres to make them come true.
80 for Brady80 for Brady · 2023
80 for Brady
6.22023
MovieComedyDrama
Four lifelong friends set out on an unforgettable journey to see their hero Tom Brady play in Super Bowl LI and witness one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, discovering that it's never too late to live life to the fullest. Inspired by a true story.
Like a BossLike a Boss · 2020
Like a Boss
6.22020
MovieComedy
Two female friends with very different ideals decide to start a beauty company together. One is more practical, while the other wants to earn her fortune and live a lavish lifestyle.
NoelNoel · 2004
Noel
5.82004
MovieDrama
With Christmas Eve just around the corner in bustling New York, five lonely and sad strangers find their lives inadvertently intersected.
The HumblingThe Humbling · 2014
The Humbling
5.12014
MovieDramaComedy
Following a breakdown and suicide attempt, an aging actor becomes involved with a much younger woman but soon finds that it's difficult to keep pace with her.
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic ComedyThe Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy · 2000
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
6.32000
MovieComedyDrama
A close-knit group of gay friends share the emotional roller coster of life, relationships, the death of friends, new beginnings, jealousy, fatherhood and professional success. At various stages of life's disarray, these young men share humorous and tragic relationships and always have each other to rely on.
Anything's PossibleAnything's Possible · 2022
Anything's Possible
5.82022
MovieRomanceComedy
Anything’s Possible is a delightfully modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.

Filmography

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Fabulous! The Story of Queer CinemaFabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema · 2006
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
5.42006
MovieDocumentary
A chronological look at films by, for, or about gays and lesbians in the United States, from 1947 to 2005, Kenneth Anger's "Fireworks" to "Brokeback Mountain". Talking heads, anchored by critic and scholar B. Ruby Rich, are interspersed with an advancing timeline and with clips from two dozen films. The narrative groups the pictures around various firsts, movements, and triumphs: experimental films, indie films, sex on screen, outlaw culture and bad guys, lesbian lovers, films about AIDS and dying, emergence of romantic comedy, transgender films, films about diversity and various cultures, documentaries and then mainstream Hollywood drama. What might come next?

Original Music Composer

I Was Born This WayI Was Born This Way · 2025
I Was Born This Way
1.02025
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Surviving childhood abuse during his upbringing in Baltimore, Archbishop Carl Bean forged a path to New York and Hollywood to do the one thing he knew he was put on earth to do: sing. Making his mark first as a gospel singer, Bean got the break of his life when Motown tapped him in 1977 to record the disco song “I Was Born This Way,” which quickly became the first gay anthem at a time when it was uncommon to be out and proud. When the AIDS crisis hit, however, Bean soon found himself drawn to a different calling: compassionate activism. Instead of pursuing the momentum of his promising music career, he founded the Minority AIDS Project and the Unity Fellowship Church — the first LGBTQ+ church for people of color.

Executive Producer

25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love · 2021
25 Years of Rent: Measured in Love
10.02021
MovieMusicDocumentary
A quarter century ago, Jonathan Larson’s groundbreaking musical, RENT, opened at New York Theatre Workshop. From its humble beginnings at NYTW, this rock musical went on to shape a generation. What began in the East Village traveled to Broadway, across the nation and around the world. On March 2, 2021, NYTW held its biggest fundraising event of the year, 25 YEARS OF RENT: MEASURED IN LOVE. This virtual celebration of RENT and its impact on the collective cultural consciousness featured a selection of iconic songs by some of today’s most beloved recording and theatre artists, exclusive content uncovering how RENT came to life, and reflections on the driving force of Jonathan’s legacy in the American theatre.