# Brian J. Smith
**Brian J. Smith** (full name Brian Jacob Smith) is an American actor, born 1981 in Dallas, Texas, known for playing Lieutenant Matthew Scott in the science fiction series *Stargate Universe* and Will Gorski in the Netflix series *Sense8*, and for his Tony-nominated performance as the Gentleman Caller in the 2013 Broadway revival of [Tennessee Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/tennessee-williams)'s *The Glass Menagerie*.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/) • [2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/brian-j-smith-473892) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1668284/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981, Dallas, Texas, USA; full name Brian Jacob Smith[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/brian-j-smith-473892) |
| Training | Graduated from the four-year acting program of the Juilliard School Drama Division; transferred from Stephens College in Missouri[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1668284/) • [4](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/brian-smith-actor.html) |
| Broadway roles | Turk in *Come Back, Little Sheba* (2008), Andrei in *The Columnist* (2012), The Gentleman Caller in *The Glass Menagerie* (2013–2014)[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/brian-j-smith-473892) |
| Awards for *The Glass Menagerie* | 2014 Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations; Outer Critics Circle Award winner[5](https://playbill.com/person/brian-j-smith-vault-0000111095) |
| Signature TV roles | Lt. Matthew Scott in *Stargate Universe* (2009–2010); Will Gorski in *Sense8* (2015–2018)[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/) |
| Recent stage work | Arnold in Samuel D. Hunter's *Grangeville*, Signature Theatre world premiere, February–March 2025[6](https://playbill.com/production/grangeville-off-broadway-the-pershing-square-signature-center-alice-griffin-jewel-box-theatre-2025) |
| Screen credits | Berg in *The Matrix Resurrections* (2021); lead roles in *Class of '09* and *Essex County* (2023)[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/) |
## Early life and training
Smith was born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Allen, a suburb north of the city.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/brian-j-smith-473892) • [7](https://www.promosmovistar.es/brian-j-smith/) While enrolled at Collin College, he worked as a theater technician and was cast as [Alex](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-a-clockwork-orange) in a Quad C Theatre production of *A Clockwork Orange* that drew a positive review from the *Dallas Observer*.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/) He later transferred from Stephens College in Missouri and graduated from the four-year acting program of the Juilliard School Drama Division in New York City.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1668284/) • [4](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/brian-smith-actor.html) In a 2019 Backstage interview he described Juilliard as "a brutal and beautiful experience," and credited a high school viewing of *The Seagull* at Dallas Theater Center and reading Stanislavsky's books with turning him toward acting as a career.[8](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/brian-j-smith-treadstone-usa-network-interview-69207/)
## Stage career
**Broadway debut and early roles.** Smith made his Broadway debut as Turk in the Manhattan Theatre Club revival of William Inge's *Come Back, Little Sheba*, which ran from January 24 to March 16, 2008, opposite [S. Epatha Merkerson](https://www.edgepedia.org/s-epatha-merkerson).[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/brian-j-smith-473892) • [9](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=10994) He said the role earned him his Equity card.[8](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/brian-j-smith-treadstone-usa-network-interview-69207/) [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) he appeared in *Three Changes* and *Good Boys and True* in 2008.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/) • [9](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=10994) In April 2012 he began a run as Andrei in David Auburn's *The Columnist* on Broadway, also serving as understudy for the role of Philip; the production closed that July.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/brian-j-smith-473892) • [1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/)
**The Glass Menagerie.** From September 26, 2013 to February 23, 2014, Smith played The Gentleman Caller in John Tiffany's Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams's *The Glass Menagerie* at the Booth Theatre.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/brian-j-smith-473892) The performance brought him 2014 nominations for the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, and he won the Outer Critics Circle Award in the same category.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/brian-j-smith-473892) • [5](https://playbill.com/person/brian-j-smith-vault-0000111095) BroadwayWorld records him as a Drama League Distinguished Performance nominee and BroadwayWorld Award winner for the production as well.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/) He reprised the role in the revival's 2017 West End transfer to the [Duke of York](https://www.edgepedia.org/duke-of-york)'s Theatre, his first West End appearance, and was nominated for the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/) • [14](https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-winners-2017/)
**Grangeville.** In 2025 Smith played Arnold, an artist living in [Rotterdam](https://www.edgepedia.org/rotterdam), in the world premiere of Samuel D. Hunter's *Grangeville* at Signature Theatre's Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, opposite [Paul Sparks](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-sparks) as his estranged half-brother Jerry, directed by Jack Serio.[6](https://playbill.com/production/grangeville-off-broadway-the-pershing-square-signature-center-alice-griffin-jewel-box-theatre-2025) • [10](https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/97974/grangeville) The two-hander about memory and forgiveness began previews February 4, 2025, opened February 24, and ran through March 23.[6](https://playbill.com/production/grangeville-off-broadway-the-pershing-square-signature-center-alice-griffin-jewel-box-theatre-2025) Reviews singled out the two lead performances; Steven Suskin of New York Stage Review rated the production five stars, citing "fine work from director Jack Serio and actors Brian J. Smith and Paul Sparks."[11](https://nystagereview.com/2025/02/24/grangeville-art-anguish-and-wonder-from-samuel-d-hunter/)
## Screen work
Smith's early screen work centered on independent film: he played Trey, a gay man facing intolerance from the son of a fundamentalist preacher, in *Hate Crime* (2005), a film featured at gay and lesbian film festivals around the United States, and went on to roles in *Red Hook* and *The War Boys*.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/) His breakthrough television role was Lieutenant Matthew Scott, a lead in the 2009 Stargate series *Stargate Universe*, which ran until its cancellation in 2010; he also guest-starred on *Law & Order* in 2009.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/) Guest and recurring parts followed across *The Good Wife*, *Defiance*, *Blue Bloods*, *Person of Interest*, *Unforgettable*, *Warehouse 13*, *Gossip Girl*, and *Quantico*, among others.[9](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=10994)
**Sense8 and later leads.** In 2015 Smith joined the cast of the Netflix series *Sense8*, created by the Wachowskis, playing Will Gorski, a Chicago police officer and one of the show's eight psychically linked leads; the series ran from 2015 to 2018.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1668284/) • [12](https://time.com/3903793/review-sense8-netflix-wachowskis/) He then took main roles in *Treadstone*, a [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network) spin-off of the Bourne film series, and the BBC World War II drama *World on Fire*, both in 2019.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/) He played Berg in Lana Wachowski's *The Matrix Resurrections* (2021), and in 2023 was cast as Daniel Lennix, a lead character in FX on Hulu's *Class of '09*, and as Ken in the Canadian television drama *Essex County*.[1](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/)
## Personal life and recent work
Smith came out as gay in 2019, in an interview with *Attitude* magazine.[7](https://www.promosmovistar.es/brian-j-smith/) He has also moved into directing: [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) lists him as director of the documentary *A House Is Not a Disco*, and Spanish-language coverage reports its premiere at the SXSW festival in 2024.[13](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-j-smith/credits/3060373641/) • [7](https://www.promosmovistar.es/brian-j-smith/) A 2024 film credit lists him as Luke in *Haze*.[13](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-j-smith/credits/3060373641/)
## References
1. [Brian J. Smith, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Brian-J-Smith/)
2. [Brian J. Smith – Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/brian-j-smith-473892)
3. [Brian J. Smith (II), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1668284/)
4. [Brian J Smith, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/brian-smith-actor.html)
5. [Brian J. Smith (Performer), Playbill](https://playbill.com/person/brian-j-smith-vault-0000111095)
6. [Grangeville (Off-Broadway, 2025), Playbill](https://playbill.com/production/grangeville-off-broadway-the-pershing-square-signature-center-alice-griffin-jewel-box-theatre-2025)
7. [Brian J. Smith: trayectoria y mejores papeles, Promos Movistar](https://www.promosmovistar.es/brian-j-smith/)
8. ['Treadstone' Star Brian J. Smith, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/brian-j-smith-treadstone-usa-network-interview-69207/)
9. [Brian J. Smith, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=10994)
10. [Grangeville, Concord Theatricals](https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/97974/grangeville)
11. [Grangeville: Art, Anguish, and Wonder, New York Stage Review](https://nystagereview.com/2025/02/24/grangeville-art-anguish-and-wonder-from-samuel-d-hunter/)
12. [Review of Sense8 on Netflix, TIME](https://time.com/3903793/review-sense8-netflix-wachowskis/)
13. [Brian J. Smith List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-j-smith/credits/3060373641/)
14. [officiallondontheatre.com](https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-winners-2017/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Sh to So*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license