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Jesse L. Martin

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For others with a similar name, see Jesse Martin (disambiguation).
Jesse L. Martin
Martin at the PaleyFest Fall TV Previews 2014 for The Flash
Born
Jesse Lamont Watkins

(1969-01-18) January 18, 1969 (age 55)
Rocky Mount, Virginia, U.S.
Alma materNew York University (BA)
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1993–present

Jesse Lamont Martin (né Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical Rent and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on Law & Order, Captain Joe West on The Flash, and professor Alec Mercer on The Irrational.

Early life

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Martin, the third of four sons, was born on January 18, 1969[1] in Rocky Mount, Virginia. His father, Jesse Reed Watkins (1943–2003), was a truck driver, and his mother, Virginia Price, a college counselor. He was born two months premature. His parents divorced when he was a child.[2] His mother eventually remarried and Martin adopted his stepfather's surname.[3]

When Martin was in grade school, the family relocated to Buffalo, New York, but Martin began to dislike speaking because of his Southern accent and was often overcome with shyness. A concerned educator and mentor influenced him to join an after-school drama program and cast him as the pastor in The Golden Goose. Being from Virginia, the young Martin played the character the only way he knew how: as an inspired Southern Baptist preacher. The act was a hit, and Martin emerged from his shell.[3] Martin attended high school at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts. He later enrolled in New York University's Tisch School of the Arts' theatre program.

Career

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After graduation, Martin toured the states with John Houseman's The Acting Company. He appeared in Shakespeare's Rock-in-Roles at the Actors Theatre of Louisville and The Butcher's Daughter at the Cleveland Play House, and returned to Manhattan to perform in local theatre, soap operas, and commercials. Finding that auditions, regional theater, and bit parts were no way to support himself, Martin waited tables at several restaurants around the city. He was serving a pizza when his appearance on CBS's Guiding Light aired in the same eatery. While the show aired, the whole waitstaff gathered around the bar television to cheer his performance.

Martin made his Broadway debut in Timon of Athens, and then performed in The Government Inspector with Lainie Kazan. While employed at the Moondance Diner, he met the playwright Jonathan Larson, who also worked on the restaurant's staff. In 1996, Larson's musical Rent took the theatre world by storm, with Martin in the role of gay computer geek/philosophy professor Tom Collins. The 1990s update of Puccini's La Bohème earned six Drama Desk Awards, five Obie Awards, four Tony Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize. In 1998, the West End production of Rent opened with four of the original cast members, including Martin. He played Tad in the concept album of Bright Lights, Big City.

In 2010, Martin returned to the stage for one of his biggest theater commitments since Law & Order, performing in the productions of The Merchant of Venice and The Winter's Tale as a part of The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. He played the roles of Gratiano and King Polixenes, respectively. The two shows were performed in repertory, beginning with previews on June 9, 2010, through to the final performance on August 1, 2010.

The Merchant of Venice later transferred to Broadway to the Broadhurst Theater for a limited engagement, in which Martin reprised his role as Gratiano. The show began previews on October 19, 2010, and officially opened on November 7. The show began a hiatus on January 9 to accommodate Al Pacino's pre-existing obligations, and resumed from February 1, 2011, to February 20, 2011; Martin did not reprise his role after the hiatus due to other work commitments.[4] He took part in a one-night-only reading benefit of Romeo and Juliet to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, alongside Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Raúl Esparza, and others on June 18, 2012.[5]

Television work

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Martin landed roles on Fox's short-lived 413 Hope St. and Eric Bross's independent film Restaurant (1998). Ally McBeal's creator, David E. Kelley, attended Rent's Broadway premiere and remembered Martin when the show needed a new boyfriend for the title character. His performance as Dr. Greg Butters on Ally McBeal caught the attention of David Duchovny, who cast Martin as a baseball-playing alien in a 1999 episode of The X-Files titled "The Unnatural" that Duchovny wrote and directed.

While still shooting Ally McBeal, Martin heard rumors that actor Benjamin Bratt planned to leave the cast of Law & Order. Martin had tried out for the show years before and won the minor role of a car-radio thief named Earl the Hamster, but decided to wait for a bigger part. With the opportunity presenting itself, Martin approached Law & Order producer Dick Wolf regarding the opening. Wolf hoped to cast him, and upon hearing that CBS and Fox both offered Martin development deals, he gave the actor the part without an audition.[6][7]

Martin at the 2006 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Annual Grand Auction and Flea Market

From 1999 to 2008, he starred as Detective Edward "Ed" Green on Law & Order. Altogether, he was the fifth-longest serving cast member behind S. Epatha Merkerson, Sam Waterston, Jerry Orbach, and Steven Hill. He had a brief hiatus at the end of the 2004–2005 season while he was filming the movie adaptation of Rent in which he reprised the role of Tom Collins. Martin's final episode of Law & Order aired April 23, 2008, as he was replaced by Anthony Anderson. Martin returned to NBC a year later as the co-star of The Philanthropist.

On September 14, 2012, NBC announced that Martin would be joining the cast of Smash during season two for a nine-episode arc as Scott Nichols, the artistic director of the Manhattan Theatre Workshop.[8] Martin also starred in an NBC pilot called The Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives as Greg Cooke,[9] however it was not picked up to series.[10]

Martin played Joe West in the superhero series The Flash, a spin-off from Arrow which premiered in October 2014.[11] In the third season episode "Duet", Martin played gangster Digsy Foss in Barry and Kara's dreamworld. In its fifth season in 2018, a back injury forced Martin to take medical leave following the season's fourth episode. From the start of the season until then he was almost always leaning against a wall or sitting down. Martin returned from medical leave in January 2019 with the season's fifteenth episode.[12] He departed as a series regular after the eighth season, having been cast in the NBC pilot The Irrational,[13] in which he currently stars.

Film work

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On March 4, 2013, it was announced that Martin would replace Lenny Kravitz as Marvin Gaye in Sexual Healing, an upcoming biopic directed by Julien Temple, and produced by Vassal Benton and Fred Bestall.[14][15] Martin had been attached to the Marvin Gaye biopic for years and had stated that it was his dream role to portray the legendary Motown singer.[14][15] With only three weeks to go on a planned nine-and-a-half week shoot, it was reported that production had stopped on the biopic, primarily due to financial problems [16] (crew members were said to have not been paid fully for their work on the film[17]). Approximately 70% of the film had been shot.[17]

Other work

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Martin narrated the audio book The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin and On the Shoulder of Giants, Volume 2: Master Intellects and Creative Giants by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.[18][19] He co-produced the off-Broadway production of Fully Committed with Rent co-star Adam Pascal (and two other producers).[3][20]

Martin sits on the board of trustees for the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation along with Rent co-producer Kevin McCollum.[21][22]

Personal life

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In October 2006, Martin returned to Buffalo, New York to work on an independent film (Buffalo Bushido), and was robbed two days after his arrival there.[23]

In 2018, Martin suffered a back injury during the summer. He took a medical leave of absence from The Flash after recording scenes for a few episodes.[24]

After residing in New York City for most his career, he now lives in Vancouver, BC.[25]

Stage work

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Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1998 Restaurant Quincy
2003 Season of Youth Roc Williams
2005 Rent Tom Collins [Note 1]
2007 The Cake Eaters Judd
2009 Peter and Vandy Paul
2009 Buffalo Bushido Shawn
2011 Puncture Daryl King
2012 Joyful Noise Marcus Hill
2013 Long Live TOY Himself Documentary
TBA Sexual Healing Marvin Gaye Post-production

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1995 One Life to Live Quincy Unknown episodes
1995, 1998 New York Undercover Mustafa, Kaylen Episodes: "All in the Family", "Going Native"
1997–1998 413 Hope St. Antonio Collins Main role
10 episodes
1998–1999 Ally McBeal Dr. Greg Butters Recurring role (seasons 1–2)
12 episodes
1999 The X-Files Josh Exley Episode: "The Unnatural"
1999 Deep in My Heart Don Williams TV movie
1999–2008 Law & Order Detective Edward "Ed" Green Main role (seasons 10–18)
198 episodes
1999–2000 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Episodes: "...Or Just Look Like One", "Entitled"
2001 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Episode: "Poison"
2004 A Christmas Carol Ghost of Christmas Present / Ticket Seller TV movie
2004 Law & Order: Justice Is Served Junior Homicide Detective Ed Green (voice) Video game
2007 Andy Barker, P.I. Detective Edward "Ed" Green Episode: "The Big No Sleep"
2008 A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa A Postal Worker TV movie; cameo[32]
2009 The Philanthropist Philip Maidstone Main role
8 episodes
2013 Smash Scott Nichols Recurring role (season 2), 9 episodes
2014–2023 The Flash Joe West
Digsy Foss 		Main role (season 1–8); Recurring role (season 9)
Episode: "Duet"
2016–2017 Sofia the First Kai Voice role, 2 episodes
2017 Supergirl Joe West Episode: "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 1"
2019 Rent: Live Himself Television special[33]
2022–present How It Really Happened Himself Host (season 7–present); Anthology series
2023 The Irrational Alec Mercer Lead role (season 1-)

Explanatory notes

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  1. ^ Repeated his Off-Broadway and Broadway role, along with five other original main cast members.

References

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  1. ^ Rose, Mike (January 18, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 18, 2023 includes celebrities Kevin Costner, Dave Bautista". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Aubry Anne D'Arminio (2012). "Movies: Biography for Jesse L. Martin". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Buckley, Michael. "STAGE TO SCREENS: A Chat with Jesse L. Martin". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  4. ^ "Al Pacino-Led The Merchant of Venice Re-Opens on Broadway with New Cast Members". Broadway.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  5. ^ "Raul Esparza, Jesse L. Martin and More Join Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in The Public's ROMEO AND JULIET Reading, on June 18". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  6. ^ "Jesse L. Martin: The young gun behind Law & Order's loose cannon". Entertainment Weekly. November 12, 1999. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  7. ^ Williams, Stephanie (October 30, 1999) "Jesse Lays Down the Law". TV Guide. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  8. ^ "'Smash' Books 'Rent' Alum Jesse L. Martin as Recurring Player". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 10, 2013). "Pilot Scoop: Jesse L. Martin Joins NBC's The Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives". TV Line. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  10. ^ "NBC Pilot Update: Projects That Are Not Going Forward Get Notified". Deadline. Retrieved May 14, 2013
  11. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (January 21, 2014). "CW's 'Flash' Adds Jesse L. Martin". Hollywood Reporter.
  12. ^ MacDonald, Lindsay (January 11, 2019). "Exclusive: Jesse L. Martin Returns to Filming The Flash After Medical Leave". TV Guide. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 13, 2022). "Jesse L. Martin Departs 'The Flash' As Series Regular After 8 Seasons, Will Headline NBC Pilot 'The Irrational'". Deadline. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (March 4, 2013) "Jesse L. Martin to play Marvin Gaye in 'Sexual Healing', Replaces Lenny Kravitz". Deadline. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  15. ^ a b Nordyke, Kimberly (March 4, 2013) "Jesse L. Martin to Star in Marvin Gaye Biopic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  16. ^ "Marvin Gaye Biopic Sexual Healing Shuts Down Production". 14 June 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Film". 3 November 2023.
  18. ^ The Fire Next Time. ASIN 1602833648.
  19. ^ "On the Shoulders of Giants". Amazon. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Jesse L. Martin Theatre Credits". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  21. ^ Jacobs, Leonard (February 13, 2004) "Larson Foundation Names Grantees". Backstage. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  22. ^ Jacobs, Leonard (February 26, 2002) "Larson Foundation Names Grantees". Backstage. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  23. ^ (October 26, 2006) "'Law & Order' cop gets robbed". Today. Archived from the original on October 9, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  24. ^ Agard, Chancellor. "Jesse L. Martin is taking a medical leave of absence from The Flash". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  25. ^ Soloski, Alexis (4 February 2024). "Jesse L. Martin is Watching You". New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  26. ^ a b c d "Jesse L. Martin". Playbillvault.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  27. ^ Huschak, Thomas S. (2011). "Off-Broadway Musicals Since 1919: From Greenwich Village to The Toxic Avenger". Scarecrow Press. p. 406.
  28. ^ Brantley, Ben (July 1, 2010). "Railing at a Money-Mad World". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  29. ^ Brantley, Ben (July 2010). "Jealousy, Blow Thy Mighty Winds!". New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  30. ^ Itzkoff, Dave. "ARTSBEAT; 'Merchant of Venice' to Transfer to Broadway". New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  31. ^ McBride, Walter. "Photo Coverage: ROMEO & JULIET Afterparty with Jesse L. Martin & Co". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  32. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2008-09-19). "Uma Thurman, Jesse L. Martin join 'Muppets'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  33. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (January 27, 2019). "'Rent' Star Injured in Live Performance, Original Broadway Cast to Appear". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
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