Billy Porter
Billy Porter
Billy Porteris a Broadway performer, pop singer, film and television actor and vocal coach. He graduated from the Musical Theatre Program at Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School's School of Drama and achieved fame performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionStage Actor
Date of Birth21 September 1969
CityPittsburgh, PA
CountryUnited States of America
Billy Porter quotes about
albums awards carnegie changed jennifer later perform pittsburgh streisand tony
Seeing Jennifer Holliday from 'Dreamgirls' perform on the Tony Awards telecast and later discovering Barbra Streisand by listening to her albums at the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh really changed everything for me.
against gay hope movement music truth
My truth is I am gay and out, and if I can't do that in my music, then I don't need it. Fortunately, I do feel like there is a movement against homophobia, and I hope to be part of that.
closet fine gotta left realized serve supposed until utterly
I was fine being in the closet at the beginning of my career because that's what you were supposed to be - until I realized that it didn't serve anybody, and I was left feeling utterly empty. This is who I am, so I've gotta be me.
human
We need to understand that whatever we do, we're all human beings first.
artists embrace gives power social trying
I'm trying to embrace social media because it gives artists a little more power than we've had in the past.
heel high love man woman
I'm in love with what a high heel does to a leg: how it makes a woman or a man feel. It's empowering.
I do 'sissy with a heart of gold' really well.
drag played realness
I always said if I played a drag queen, I'd want to create a template with the realness they talk about in 'Paris Is Burning.'
cast people revival
People don't see me in traditional roles; I'm not getting cast in the revival of 'Company' as Bobby.
insular people saw supposed understand
When you grow up in the church, the only translation in that insular world that people understand is preaching. You're supposed to be a minister. So I was going down that path, and then I saw the Tonys.
eight fall idol love sort twice wait
Many movie stars or American Idol contestants sort of fall into theater... and say, 'Oh, yeah, I would love to do theater.' And then they get here and say, 'Oh, wait a minute, this actually is a craft!' It's not just show up one day and do it. It's show up eight times a week, twice on Wednesdays and twice on Saturdays.
america anybody choice gay nature refuse true
Just by the nature of making the choice to be true to who I am, I'm political. Sometimes that's all you need to do: Show up and be black, gay and Christian in America and actually say it out loud. And refuse to let anything or anybody take that away from you.
time trenches
I don't in any way disparage any time I've had in the trenches because it really has made me the artist I am today.
tried
For years I tried to put myself in a box, and it frustrated me, so I had to let go and let the universe take its course.