Brian J. Smith | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Smith in 2010 | |
| Born | Brian Jacob Smith (1981-10-12)October 12, 1981 (age 43) Allen, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Brian Jacob Smith (born October 12, 1981) is an American actor, known for his role as Will Gorski in theNetflix-produced seriesSense8,[1] LieutenantMatthew Scott in themilitary science fiction television seriesStargate Universe, and hisTony Award-nominated role as Jim O'Connor (The Gentleman Caller) in the 2013 revival ofThe Glass Menagerie.[2]
Smith is a native ofAllen, Texas.[1] He studied at the Quad C Theatre program atCollin County Community College inPlano, Texas.[3] After he was an apprentice for one year at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, Smith moved to New York City to attend theJuilliard School Drama Division's four-year acting program (Group 36: 2003–2007).[4] Smith graduated from Juilliard with aBachelor of Fine Arts degree.
While enrolled at Collin College, Smith worked as theatre technician.[5] He was later cast as Alex inA Clockwork Orange in a Quad C Theatre production to a positive review from theDallas Observer.[6] In 2005, he portrayed Trey, a gay man facing intolerance from the son of a fundamentalist preacher, inHate Crime, an independent film that featured at gay and lesbian film festivals around the United States.
Upon graduating from Juilliard, Smith briefly considered joining the US Army due to several setbacks in his career.[7]
Smith eventually received acting roles in two more independent films,Red Hook andThe War Boys. In 2008, he appeared onBroadway in the playCome Back, Little Sheba as the character Turk.[1][8] Smith was cast as Lieutenant Matthew Scott, a lead role in the 2009Stargate television series,Stargate Universe, until its cancellation in 2010. He also guest-starred onLaw & Order in 2009.
In 2011, Smith recurred onThe CW'sGossip Girl and starred in the SyFy original filmRed Faction: Origins. In April 2012, he began his run as Andrei in the hit Broadway show,The Columnist, which ended in July 2012. His next projects included the mini-seriesComa from producer Tony Scott and an appearance onWarehouse 13 forSyFy.
From September 2013 to February 2014, he played The Gentleman Caller in a Broadway production of Tennessee Williams'sThe Glass Menagerie at theBooth Theatre.[9] This role earned him 2014Drama Desk andTony Award nominations as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play.[citation needed] In 2015, he appeared in the pilot episode ofQuantico as one of the new FBI recruits.
Smith was a lead cast member on theNetflix original seriesSense8 (2015–2018) playing the character Will Gorski. He followed up with main roles onTreadstone,[10] a serial spin-off of theBourne films, and theBBC World War II drama mini seriesWorld on Fire in 2019.[11]
Smith played Berg inThe Matrix Resurrections in 2021 and in 2023, was cast as Daniel Lennix, a lead character inFX on Hulu's seriesClass of '09 and as Ken inEssex County a Canadian television drama.
A House Is Not a Disco, his debut documentary film as a director, premiered at the 2024SXSW festival.[12]
On November 7, 2019, Smith came out asgay in an interview withAttitude.[13]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Hate Crime | Trey McCoy | |
| 2009 | The War Boys | George | |
| Red Hook | Chappy | ||
| 2016 | The Passing Season | Sam Alden | |
| 2018 | 22 Chaser | Ben Dankert | |
| 2021 | The Matrix Resurrections | Berg |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Stargate Atlantis | Soldier | Season 1, episode 10: "The Storm" |
| 2009 | Law & Order | Derek Sherman | Episode: "Crimebusters" |
| 2009–2010 | Stargate Universe Kino | Matthew Scott | Main role; 10 episodes |
| 2009–2011 | Stargate Universe | Matthew Scott | Main role; 40 episodes |
| 2010 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Hector MacQueen | Episode: "Murder on the Orient Express" |
| 2011 | Gossip Girl | Max Harding | 6 episodes |
| Red Faction: Origins | Jake Mason | TV movie | |
| 2012 | Warehouse 13 | Jesse Ashton | Episode: "Personal Effects" |
| Coma | Paul Carpin | 2 episodes | |
| The Good Wife | Ricky Waters | Episode: "The Art of War" | |
| Person of Interest | Shayn Coleman | Episode: "Shadow Box" | |
| 2013 | Blue Bloods | Robert Carter | Episode: "Devil's Breath" |
| Defiance | Gordon McClintlock | 2 episodes | |
| Unforgettable | John Curtis | Episode: "Past Tense" | |
| 2015 | Quantico | Eric Packer | Episode: "Run" |
| 2015–2018 | Sense8 | Will Gorski | Main role; 24 episodes |
| 2018 | L.A. Confidential | Ed Exley | Unsold series pilot |
| 2019 | Treadstone | Doug McKenna | Main role; 10 episodes |
| World on Fire | Webster O'Connor | Main role; 6 episodes | |
| 2023 | Essex County | Ken | Main role; 5 episodes |
| Class of '09 | Daniel Lennix | Miniseries; main cast[14] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Come Back, Little Sheba | Turk | Manhattan Theatre Club Broadway |
| Good Boys and True | Brandon | Second Stage Theatre Off-Broadway | |
| Three Changes | Gordon | Playwrights Horizons Off-Broadway | |
| 2012 | The Columnist | Andrei | Manhattan Theatre Club Broadway |
| 2013 | The Glass Menagerie | The Gentleman Caller | American Repertory Theater Boston, MA |
| The Glass Menagerie | The Gentleman Caller | Booth Theatre Broadway | |
| 2017 | The Glass Menagerie | The Gentleman Caller | Duke of York's Theatre London, UK |
| Sweet Bird of Youth | Chance Wayne | Chichester Festival Theatre |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Elliot Norton Award | Outstanding Ensemble | The Glass Menagerie | Won |
| 2014 | Tony Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Nominated | |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Nominated | ||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Won | ||
| Broadway.com Audience Choice Award | Favorite Featured Actor in a Play | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Male) | Nominated | |||
| BroadwayWorld.com Award | Best Featured Actor in a Play | Won |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
