Brian Stokes Mitchell
Mitchell in 2018
Born	(1957-10-31)October 31, 1957 (age 68) Seattle,Washington, U.S.
Occupations	Actor composer vocalist
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	Allyson Tucker ​ (m. 1994)​
Children	1
Website	www.brianstokes.com

Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerfulbaritone, he has been one of the central leading men of theBroadway theater since the 1990s.^[1] He has received numerous accolades including aTony Award, aDrama Desk Award,Outer Critics Circle Award and a nomination for aGrammy Award. In 2016 he received theIsabelle Stevenson Award.

Mitchell won theTony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Fred Graham / Petruchio in theBroadway revival ofKiss Me, Kate (2000). His other Tony-nominated performances were inRagtime (1998),King Hedley II (2001), andMan of La Mancha (2003). Mitchell's other notable roles include inOh, Kay! (1991),Jelly's Last Jam (1992),Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993),Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2002),South Pacific (2005),Les Misérables (2008),Guys and Dolls (2009),Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2010),Oliver! (2012),Camelot (2014),Shuffle Along (2016), andLove Life (2025).

Mitchell is also known for his television roles, including Dr. Justin Jackson in theCBS medical dramaTrapper John, M.D. (1979 to 1986) and recurring roles on shows such asFrasier,Glee,Mr. Robot,The Path,Billions, andThe Good Fight. He took the role of Walt in theCBSsitcomFam (2019). He received aGrammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album nomination forThe Complete Shakespeare Sonnets in 2001.

Mitchell was born inSeattle,Washington, the youngest of four children of George Mitchell, an electronics engineer, and his wife Lillian (née Stokes), a school administrator. Mitchell is of mixed racial heritage, including African American, German, Scots, and Native American descent^[2]. Mitchell grew up at various U.S. military bases overseas, where his father, a former Tuskegee Airman^[3], was a civilian engineer for the U.S. Navy. His mother, who earned a masters in social work^[4], was the first African-American policewoman in Seattle^[5]. When the family settled inSan Diego, California, he began acting in junior high musicals.^[6][7][8] He did not attend college, having begun performing professionally while a student atPatrick Henry High School, although he did have private teachers in both acting and voice in his teen years.^[9] He has said that he studied film scoring, orchestration, and conducting throughUCLA.^[10] Prior toRagtime, he was known professionally as Brian Mitchell.

Mitchell has a number of television and film credits, including the role of John Dolan inRoots: The Next Generations (1979), and a seven-year stint as Dr. Justin 'Jackpot' Jackson onTrapper John, M.D. from 1979 to 1986. Mitchell made several appearances as a celebrity panelist on episodes of$25,000 Pyramid and$100,000 Pyramid in the 1980s, and was considered one of the game's better celebrity players, helping a contestant win the $100,000 grand prize on the latter show in February 1986.^[11][12][13] Mitchell also participated as a celebrity panelist in four weeks' worth of episodes ofThe Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, a short-livedNBC game show that ran from 1983 to 1984.

Mitchell first performed on Broadway in the musicalMail in 1988, with music by Michael Rupert and lyrics by Jerry Cocker, winning theTheatre World award.^[14] His Broadway credits include an all-black revival ofGeorge andIra Gershwin'sOh, Kay! (1990),^[15]Jelly's Last Jam (1992) based on the works of jazz artistJelly Roll Morton, andKander and Ebb'sKiss of the Spider Woman (1993).^[16] He played recurring roles as Hilary Banks' news anchor fiancé Trevor Newsworthy/Collins onThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and supplied the singing voice ofJethro in the animated featureThe Prince of Egypt (1998). He originated the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr, in the musicalRagtime, which opened on Broadway in January 1998. He received a 1998Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical.^[17] He appeared in the 1999 revival ofCole Porter'sKiss Me, Kate as Fred Graham / Petruchio, winning theTony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.^[16][18] He appeared on Broadway inKing Hedley II in 2001 (Tony Award nomination) andMan of La Mancha in 2002 (Tony Award nomination).^[16] In 2002 he acted inFrasier asDr. Frasier Crane's upstairs neighbor and nemesis Cam Winston. He played the title role in the 2002Kennedy Center production ofSweeney Todd, part of theStephen Sondheim celebration.^[19][20]

He appeared in the New YorkCity Center Encores! staged concert productions ofJule Styne'sDo Re Mi (1999),Bob Merrill'sCarnival! (2002),Kismet (2006), andThe Band Wagon in 2014.^[21] On June 9, 2005, Mitchell appeared in a concert version of theRodgers and Hammerstein musicalSouth Pacific atCarnegie Hall. He starred as Emile, alongsideReba McEntire as Nellie Forbush andAlec Baldwin as Luther Billis. The production was taped and telecast by PBS in 2006.^[22] Of his performance,Ben Brantley wrote inThe New York Times, "As for Mr. Mitchell, his place in the pantheon of romantic musical leads is now guaranteed."^[23]

Playbill Records released his debut solo CD,Brian Stokes Mitchell on June 6, 2006.^[24][25] Mitchell has also performed in a Christmas concert with theMormon Tabernacle Choir later released as a CD and DVD entitledRing Christmas Bells. His second solo CD,Simply Broadway, was released October 30, 2012, by CD Baby.^[26] Mitchell returned to Broadway to star withPatti LuPone in the musical version of thePedro Almodóvar filmWomen on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which opened at theBelasco Theatre in November 2010.^[27] He guest starred in March 2010 inUgly Betty as Wilhelmina Slater's ex-boyfriend, Don.^[28] He appeared on the 57th episode ofGlee, titled "Heart" in 2012,^[29] and the 58th, titled "On My Way," as one ofRachel's dads (LeRoy) along withJeff Goldblum.

He has also done voice-overs for animation includingAnimaniacs,Capitol Critters,Tiny Toon Adventures,A Pup Named Scooby-Doo,The Further Adventures of SuperTed,Kid 'n Play,New Kids on the Block,Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf,Gravedale High,Potsworth & Co.,Captain Planet and the Planeteers,The Tom and Jerry Kids Show,Yo Yogi!,Fantastic Max,Pound Puppies,The Addams Family,California Raisins,The Angry Beavers,James Bond Jr.,Batman: The Animated Series,Paddington Bear,Pinky and the Brain,Defenders of Dynatron City,The Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats,Droopy, Master Detective,Denver, the Last Dinosaur,Mighty Max,Don Coyote & Sancho Panda,Vampirina, and the twoFlintstones animated moviesHollyrock-a-Bye Baby andI Yabba-Dabba Do!. Mitchell plays Nicholas Prophet inWolverine: The Long Night, a scripted podcast serial.

He also played a recurring role on theUSA Network seriesMr. Robot asScott Knowles,CTO ofE Corp. The series began in June 2015 and ended in December 2019.^[30] A new musical titledShuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, based on the making ofShuffle Along, opened on Broadway on March 14, 2016, in previews and officially on April 21 at theMusic Box Theatre. Mitchell playedF.E. Miller, withAudra McDonald asLottie Gee,Billy Porter,Joshua Henry andBrandon Victor Dixon.^[31]

He has been married to actress Allyson Tucker since 1994 and has a son, Ellington.^[32][33]

• Brian Stokes Mitchell (June 6, 2006)^[25]

  • Track listing

1. "Something's Coming" (West Side Story)
2. "The Best Is Yet to Come" (Cy Coleman)
3. "Pretty Women" (Sweeney Todd)
4. "Just In Time" (Bells are Ringing)
5. "Lazy Afternoon" (The Golden Apple)
6. "Another Hundred People" (Company)/"Take the 'A' Train"
7. "How Long Has This Been Going On?" (Funny Face)
8. "Life is Sweet" (Wonderful Town)
9. "Losing My Mind" (Follies)
10. "Being Alive" (Company)
11. "How Glory Goes" (Floyd Collins)
12. "Grateful"

• Simply Broadway (2012)
• Plays With Music (2019)

Sources:Playbill^[37]BroadwayWorld^[38]

• 2004 – Mitchell was elected the Chairman of the Board of theActors Fund of America^[42][43]
• 2016 – Mitchell received theIsabelle Stevenson Award "for his commitment to supporting members of the entertainment community in crisis or transition through his work with The Actors Fund."^[44]
• 2016 – Mitchell was inducted into theAmerican Theatre Hall of Fame

• "Playbill Records and Legacy Recordings Present Brian Stokes Mitchell".Playbill Records. 2008. Archived fromthe original on May 15, 2008. RetrievedJune 9, 2008.
• "Brian Stokes Mitchell".Legacy Recordings. 2008. Archived fromthe original on November 17, 2008. RetrievedJune 9, 2008.

• Official website
• Brian Stokes Mitchell at theInternet Broadway Database
• Brian Stokes Mitchell at theInternet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
• Brian Stokes Mitchell atIMDb

• 1957 births
• Living people
• 20th-century African-American male singers
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American singers
• American baritones
• American male film actors
• American male musical theatre actors
• American male television actors
• American male voice actors
• Tony Award winners
• Male actors from Seattle
• 20th-century African-American male actors
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century African-American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• Dora Mavor Moore Award winners
• Patrick Henry High School (California) alumni

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• Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata