Larry Owens is an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer. He received a Lucille Lortel Award and a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

for his leading performance in the off-Broadway musical '' A Strange Loop''. Owens has acted on television shows including '' Search Party'', '' High Maintenance'', ''

Modern Love Modern Love may refer to: Film * ''Modern Love'' (1918 film), a silent film starring Mae Murray * ''Modern Love'' (1929 film), a part-talking film distributed by Universal Pictures * ''Modern Love'' (1990 film), a film by Robby Benson * ''Mod ...

'', and '' Abbott Elementary''.

Early life and education

Owens was born and raised in East Baltimore, Maryland. He named '' Hairspray'' as a musical he saw growing up that helped him see musical theater as a career path. He loved the work of

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

and nurtured his interest at the performing arts camp

Stagedoor Manor Stagedoor Manor is a performing arts training center located in Loch Sheldrake, New York. Since its opening, it has trained thousands of young actors, many of whom have gone on to success in film, television, and theater. Stagedoor Manor is l ...

. He trained in acting and improvisational theater at the School at Steppenwolf and named Tarell Alvin McCraney, Amy Morton, and

K. Todd Freeman Kenneth Todd Freeman (born July 9, 1965) is an American actor. He has been nominated for two Tony Awards over the course of his career and has won one Drama Desk Award. He has played supporting roles in films such as ''Grosse Pointe Blank'' (1997 ...

as some of his instructors. Owens moved to New York in 2015 to pursue a professional career in the performance arts. He was a volunteer at the Musical Theatre Factory and there connected with playwright

Michael R. Jackson Michael R. Jackson (born 1981) is an American playwright, composer, and lyricist, best known for his musical ''A Strange Loop'', which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2022 Tony Award for Best Musical. He is originally from Detroit, M ...

, who wrote '' A Strange Loop''.

Career

Theatre

Owens performed in the musical theater productions '' Spamilton'' and '' Gigantic''. He also performed for

Catherine Cohen Catherine Cohen (born 1991) is an American comedian, actress, and singer. Her live comedy performances combine stand-up comedy with cabaret-style songs. Her first Netflix comedy special, ''The Twist...? She's Gorgeous'', was released in 2022. Ear ...

's ''Cabernet Cabaret'' and hosted his own monthly show ''Decolonize Your Min''d with Karen Chee. In 2019 he gained wider prominence and received critical acclaim for his performance in

's '' A Strange Loop'', performed off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons and directed by Stephen Brackett. Vinson Cunningham praised his performance in '' The New Yorker'': "Owens...performs Jackson’s songs with power, humor, and pathos, filling in the textual gaps in Usher’s characterization with an entire life’s worth of mannerism and style." For his performance he won a Lucille Lortel Award and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, among other accolades. In July 2021 he starred in the original solo show ''Sondheimia'', performed at Feinstein's/54 Below.

Television

Owens was a staff writer for the truTV game show ''Paid Off''. He acted on season four of '' High Maintenance'' as well as the television shows '' Search Party'', '' Abbott Elementary'', ''

Dash & Lily ''Dash & Lily'' is an American romantic comedy television series created by Joe Tracz and based on the young adult novel series ''Dash & Lily's Book of Dares'' by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. The 8-episode series premiered on Netflix on Novem ...

'', ''

Life & Beth ''Life & Beth'' is an American comedy-drama series starring Amy Schumer, Violet Young, Michael Cera, Yamaneika Saunders, Michael Rapaport and Susannah Flood. It premiered on Hulu on March 18, 2022. In April 2022, the series was renewed for a t ...

'', and ''

''. He is a voice actor in the Amazon animated series ''

Fairfax Fairfax may refer to: Places United States * Fairfax, California * Fairfax Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California * Fairfax District, Los Angeles, California, centered on Fairfax Avenue * Fairfax, Georgia * Fairfax, Indiana * Fa ...

''.

Personal life

Owens is queer.

Filmography

Stage

Television

Film

Awards and nominations

For '' A Strange Loop''

2019

* Nominee, Antonyo Award for Best Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway

2020

* Nominee, Drama League, Distinguished Performance Award * Winner,

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

for Outstanding Actor in a Musical * Winner, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical * Winner, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical *Honoree,

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

, Special Citation to the Creative Team and Ensemble

References

External links

Official Instagram
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Owens, Larry Year of birth missing (living people) Living people African-American actors African-American singers American LGBT entertainers American LGBT actors American LGBT singers American LGBT writers Writers from Baltimore Comedians from Maryland LGBT African Americans American male musical theatre actors LGBT people from Maryland American television actors Gay entertainers Queer actors Drama Desk Award winners