From Hollywood to Broadway, Leslie Odom Jr. has all the right moves

Entertainment triple threat Leslie Odom Jr. just came one step closer to achieving EGOT status. 

Already a Tony and Grammy Award-winning vocalist, songwriter and actor, Odom has received an Emmy nomination for the special “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!,” in the category of outstanding live variety special. The program, which he hosted and was streamed on Paramount+ ahead of last year’s Tony Awards ceremony, also is nominated for outstanding lighting design/lighting direction for a variety special.

Odom will make his debut July 24 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival’s annual gala concert, conducted by Marin Alsop. Best known for his breakout role as Aaron Burr, the third U.S. vice president (1801-05), in the Broadway hit “Hamilton,” he won the Tony Award for best actor in a musical in 2016. In addition, received a Grammy as a principal soloist on the original cast recording. He picked up a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his role as soul-music pioneer Sam Cooke in the film “One Night in Miami” (2020) — and another Oscar nod for co-writing the movie’s original song “Speak Now.” If he scores an Emmy for “Broadway’s Back!,” when the winners are announced Sept. 12, he will need only one more prize to become an EGOT — a recipient of all four of the major American entertainment awards, the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. 

At 17, Odom made his Broadway debut in Jonathan Larson’s “Rent.” “That was the bat signal for me — ‘Rent’ changed my life,” he said in an interview with the New York Times. “It took me years before I got beyond that show.” He also starred opposite “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo in a 2014 City Center Encores! revival of Larson’s “Tick, Tick … Boom!”

At Ravinia, expect to hear Odom revisit his Broadway roles, including of course Burr in “Hamilton.” Early on he realized that “this is the greatest role I might ever have in my life,” he said. “And that’s OK. If this is the greatest role I ever have in my life, thank God I got to do it.”