Norm Lewis — Nominee for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical


Show:
Porgy and Bess

Role:
Catfish Row’s earnest and good-hearted cripple, Porgy, who falls in love with (and eventually loses) Bess, a drug-addicted woman known for her loose morals.

Bio Brief:
Since making his Broadway debut in the Who's Tommy, this versatile leading man has lent his powerful baritone to leading roles as varied as Javert in Les Miserables (on Broadway and in London), Billy Flynn in Chicago and King Triton in The Little Mermaid. 

Other Honors for This Role:
—Broadway.com Audience Choice Award nomination for Favorite Onstage Pair (with Audra McDonald)
—Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical  
—Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical 
—Drama League nomination for Distinguished Performance Award

Tony History
This is Lewis' first Tony nomination.

Fun Fact:
Lewis and Audra McDonald first played lovers in the 2001 Actor’s Fund concert of Dreamgirls: He played Curtis Taylor Jr. to McDonald’s Deena Jones.

Quotable Quote:
“It’s funny, I never thought of myself ever playing this role, but when they decided to bring it back to Broadway and use a mix of Broadway and opera people, I was very excited about it.”  —Lewis in an opening night interview with Broadway.com, 1/12/12