# Jeremy Pope
**Jeremy Pope** (born 1992) is an American actor and singer from [Orlando, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/orlando-florida), known for a rapid rise across Broadway, television, and film that made him, before the age of 30, a nominee for the Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, and [Tony Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-awards).[1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy) He is best known for originating the role of Pharus Jonathan Young in *Choir Boy* on Broadway, playing [Eddie Kendricks](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-kendricks) in *Ain't Too Proud*, and starring as Ellis French in the A24 film *The Inspection*.[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/jeremy-pope/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1992, Orlando, Florida[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jeremy-pope/) |
| Training | Timber Creek High School and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/jeremy-pope/) |
| 2019 Tony nominations | Sixth person in Tony Awards history nominated in two categories for separate performances in the same year: Lead Actor in a Play for *Choir Boy* and Featured Actor in a Musical for *Ain't Too Proud*[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/jeremy-pope/) |
| Emmy nomination | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, 2020, as Archie Coleman in Netflix's *Hollywood*[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jeremy-pope) |
| Golden Globe nomination | 2023, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, for *The Inspection*[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/jeremy-pope/) |
| Notable roles | Jean-Michel Basquiat (*The Collaboration*), Jackie Wilson (*One Night in Miami...*), Christopher (*Pose*), Jeremy (*The Beauty*)[1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8937111/) |
| Advocacy honor | GLAAD's Stephen F. Kolzak Award for raising visibility and promoting acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and issues[1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy) |
## Early life and training
Pope grew up in Orlando, Florida, and got the theater bug in high school, where he chose the school musical over track and landed a lead part in *Cats*. He auditioned for the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) without telling his parents, was accepted, and moved to New York.[6](https://issues.backstage.com/backstage-2020-05-14.pdf) He is a graduate of Timber Creek High School and AMDA, and credits his music aspirations to singing in church and appearing in school theater productions and talent shows.[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/jeremy-pope/)
## Broadway breakthrough
**Choir Boy.** Pope originally auditioned for the London stage production of *Choir Boy*, written by Oscar-winning screenwriter [Tarell Alvin McCraney](https://www.edgepedia.org/tarell-alvin-mccraney), and was not cast. When the play came to New York in 2013, the producers remembered him and tapped him for the lead role of Pharus, a young gay African-American student confronting a culture of homophobia at his boarding school.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jeremy-pope/) His New York debut as Pharus at the Geffen Playhouse production in 2014 earned him a Drama League Award nomination, and *The New York Times* described his work as "moving and magnetic".[7](https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/people/jeremy-pope/) He continued in the role through the show's Broadway premiere in 2019, which brought a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play; Pope has said he related to the character as someone who grew up Black and gay in Orlando.[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/jeremy-pope/)
**Ain't Too Proud.** Between *Choir Boy* stints, Pope was cast as singer Eddie Kendricks in *Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations*, which debuted at [Berkeley Repertory Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/berkeley-repertory-theatre) in 2017 and later reached Broadway.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jeremy-pope/) The role brought a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical and a Grammy nomination for the cast recording.[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/jeremy-pope/) • [8](https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeremy-pope/)
At the 2019 Tony Awards, Pope became the sixth actor in the ceremony's history nominated for two performances in the same season.[9](https://time.com/6235099/jeremy-pope-the-inspection-interview/) According to Forbes, no other Black man on Broadway had previously, in a single year, received two distinct Tony nominations for different roles, making him the first to do so.[8](https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeremy-pope/) The other performers who share the two-nominations distinction are [Amanda Plummer](https://www.edgepedia.org/amanda-plummer), Dana Ivey, Kate Burton, Jan Maxwell, and [Mark Rylance](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-rylance).[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8937111/)
**The Collaboration.** In 2022 Pope returned to Broadway as [Jean-Michel Basquiat](https://www.edgepedia.org/jean-michel-basquiat) opposite [Paul Bettany](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-bettany) as [Andy Warhol](https://www.edgepedia.org/andy-warhol) in *The Collaboration*, a play about the relationship between the two artists; he originated the role at London's Young Vic Theatre and appears in the forthcoming feature film adaptation written by four-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten.[1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy) • [9](https://time.com/6235099/jeremy-pope-the-inspection-interview/)
## Screen work
Pope made his screen debut in the horror film *The Ranger* (2018).[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jeremy-pope/) His first major screen role came in Ryan Murphy's Netflix miniseries *Hollywood* (2020), as Archie Coleman, an aspiring screenwriter facing prejudice; the performance earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and an African American Film Critics Association Breakout Performer Award.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jeremy-pope) • [1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy) He also appeared in the final season of Murphy's FX series *Pose* as [Christopher](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher), and played singer [Jackie Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-wilson) in [Regina King](https://www.edgepedia.org/regina-king)'s feature directorial debut *One Night in Miami...* (2020).[1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy) • [9](https://time.com/6235099/jeremy-pope-the-inspection-interview/)
**The Inspection.** Pope starred as Ellis French in *The Inspection* (2022), a semi-autobiographical film by writer-director Elegance Bratton about a young gay Black man joining the Marines, with [Gabrielle Union](https://www.edgepedia.org/gabrielle-union) as his mother. Pope described himself as a "vessel" for Bratton's story; the film was shot in 19 days during a [Mississippi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mississippi) summer in 117-degree weather, which Pope called the most emotionally and physically demanding role of his career.[9](https://time.com/6235099/jeremy-pope-the-inspection-interview/) The performance brought a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Lead Performance, the Distinguished Performance Award at the SCAD Film Festival, and the Virtuoso Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/jeremy-pope/) • [1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy) *Variety* named him to its "10 Actors to Watch in 2022" list.[1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy)
**The Beauty.** Pope stars as Jeremy in FX's *The Beauty*, Ryan Murphy's series based on the comic by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley, and serves as an executive producer of the show.[10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jeremy-pope/credits/3030657857/) His character is described as an aimless, tortured soul who crosses paths with a mysterious figure that gives him a shocking new purpose.[1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy)
## Music, fashion, and other work
Pope writes and records his own songs and has covered artists including Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, and Cyndi Lauper, releasing a cover of Lauper's "Time After Time" in 2020 as his fourth single.[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/jeremy-pope/) He released the EP *Last Name: Pope*, six original soulful records that he wrote and produced, and the short film *God is Good*, directed by C Prinz and choreographed by Parris Goebel, available on The Criterion Channel; his single "Worth a Million" premiered exclusively with *Vogue*.[1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy)
In fashion, Pope has walked the runway for Gucci and Rihanna's Savage X Fenty, served on the host committee for the Met Gala "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style", starred in Fendi's Spring/Summer 2024 campaign, and was the face of Calvin Klein's Iconic Pride Campaign.[1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy) He is also a photographer: he founded Pope Collection Photography[7](https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/people/jeremy-pope/) and showcased his photojournalism series *Flex(bitch)*, which explores his journey to manhood, masculinity, and self-love, at The SCOPE Art Show during Art Basel in Miami.[1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy)
## Recognition
GLAAD honored Pope with its Stephen F. Kolzak Award, given for making a significant difference in raising visibility and promoting acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and issues.[1](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy) His resume of historical figures extends beyond Basquiat, Kendricks, and Wilson to Sammy Davis Jr., whom he was set to play in Janet Mock's film *Scandalous!*, and his stage credits include Felix Turner in *The Normal Heart*.[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/jeremy-pope/)
## References
1. [Jeremy Pope as Jeremy | FX's The Beauty, FX Networks](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-beauty/cast/jeremy-pope-jeremy)
2. [Jeremy Pope, Golden Globes](https://goldenglobes.com/person/jeremy-pope/)
3. [Jeremy Pope - Actor, Singer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jeremy-pope/)
4. [Jeremy Pope | Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jeremy-pope)
5. [Jeremy Pope, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8937111/)
6. [Backstage, May 14, 2020 issue (Jeremy Pope interview)](https://issues.backstage.com/backstage-2020-05-14.pdf)
7. [Jeremy Pope, Geffen Playhouse](https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/people/jeremy-pope/)
8. [Jeremy Pope, Forbes profile](https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeremy-pope/)
9. [The Inspection's Jeremy Pope on His Path from Stage to Screen, TIME](https://time.com/6235099/jeremy-pope-the-inspection-interview/)
10. [Jeremy Pope credits, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jeremy-pope/credits/3030657857/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stage practitioners and craft › Acting: theory, technique, and teachers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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