Leon G. Thomas III (born )
is an American actor, record producer, songwriter and singer. After early roles in
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
and providing the singing voice of Tyrone on the
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
animated series ''
The Backyardigans
''The Backyardigans'' is a computer-animated musical children's television series created by Janice Burgess. The series was written and recorded at Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It centers on five animal neighbors who imagine themselves on fantas ...
'' (2006–2008), he played
André Harris on the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
series ''
Victorious
''Victorious'' (stylized as ''VICTORiOUS'') is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider (TV producer), Dan Schneider that originally aired on Nickelodeon, debuting on March 27, 2010, and concluding on February 2, 2013 after four seasons. Th ...
'' (2010–2013), for which he received a
NAACP Image Award
The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...
nomination.
Thomas signed to
Columbia and
Rostrum Records
Rostrum Records is an American independent record label initially located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, now located in Los Angeles, California. Benjy Grinberg is the founder and president of the label, which currently has twelve artists on its ros ...
, and sought success for his songwriting, and as a member of the production duo
the Rascals
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
. He has earned writing credits on
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
's ''
Positions'', Drake's ''
Certified Lover Boy
''Certified Lover Boy'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian rapper and singer Drake, released on September 3, 2021, by OVO Sound and Republic Records. Its production was handled by frequent collaborators 40, Nineteen85, PartyNextDoor, OZ, a ...
'', and
Toni Braxton
Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...
and
Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to:
Nicknames
* Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber
* Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician
* "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
's
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-winning album ''
Love, Marriage & Divorce
''Love, Marriage & Divorce'' is a collaborative studio album by American recording artists Toni Braxton and Babyface, released on February 4, 2014, by Motown Records. The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and as of July 2, 2014 the ...
'' (2014). Thomas earned a
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several ...
nomination at the
62nd Annual Grammy Awards
The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 26, 2020, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from October 1, 2018, to August 31, 2019. Al ...
, for co-writing the song "
Gold Roses
"Gold Roses" is a song by American rapper Rick Ross featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It was released by Epic Records as the third single from Ross's album ''Port of Miami 2'' on July 26, 2019. It follows Drake's " Money in the Grave" featuring Ro ...
" (2019).
Life and career
Leon G. Thomas III was born in
Brooklyn, New York City
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...
, to Jayon Anthony and Leon Thomas II.
He made his
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
debut at the age of 10
in 2003 as Young Simba in the Broadway production of ''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...
''. In 2004, he appeared as Jackie Thibodeaux in the original Broadway cast of
Tony Kushner
Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Lauded for his work on stage he's most known for his seminal work ''Angels in America'' which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. At the turn ...
's ''
Caroline, or Change
''Caroline, or Change'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music.
The show ran both Off-Broadway and on Broad ...
''. and toured with the company during its five-month run in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Thomas also performed in the Broadway production of ''
The Color Purple
''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. ''. In 2007, Thomas appeared in the film ''
August Rush
''August Rush'' is a 2007 musical drama film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and produced by Richard Barton Lewis. The screenplay is by Nick Castle and James V. Hart, with a story by Paul Castro and Castle. A co-production between the United States, ...
'' as Arthur, performing the song "La Bamba", and briefly after signed a development deal with Nickelodeon appearing as the singing voice for Tyrone in the computer-animated musical series ''
The Backyardigans
''The Backyardigans'' is a computer-animated musical children's television series created by Janice Burgess. The series was written and recorded at Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It centers on five animal neighbors who imagine themselves on fantas ...
''. Thomas has also guest-starred on ''
Jack's Big Music Show
''Jack's Big Music Show'' is an American musical children's television series produced for the Noggin channel. It was created and executive produced by David Rudman, Todd Hannert, and Adam Rudman through their company Spiffy Pictures. The main c ...
'' and ''
Just Jordan
''Just Jordan'' is an American television sitcom that aired on Nickelodeon as a part of the network's TEENick lineup. The series debuted on January 7, 2007, and was canceled on August 23, 2008, with 29 episodes produced.
Since the series' cancel ...
''. He also appeared as Harper in the ''
iCarly
''iCarly'' is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider, which originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series tells the story of Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove), a teenager who creates and hosts ...
'' episode "
iCarly Saves TV
'' iCarly'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly Shay who becomes an Internet star. Nickelodeon promoted many episodes such as "iDo", " ...
" and was featured on ''
The Naked Brothers Band Christmas Special''.
He played a main character on ''Victorious'', portraying Andre Harris, which premiered on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
on March 27, 2010. Thomas also appeared as Andre Harris in the crossover episode between ''Victorious'' and ''iCarly'', "
iParty with Victorious
''iParty with Victorious'' is a 2011 television movie that acts as a crossover of the television series ''iCarly'' and ''Victorious''. It premiered on Nickelodeon June 11, 2011.
The crossover's theme song mash-up, "Leave It All to Shine", prem ...
". He also appeared as himself in an episode of ''
True Jackson, VP
''True Jackson, VP'' is an American teen sitcom created by Andy Gordon for Nickelodeon. It aired from November 8, 2008, to August 20, 2011. The series stars Keke Palmer, Ashley Argota, Matt Shively, Danielle Bisutti, Greg Proops, Robbie Amell ...
''. On August 2, 2011, the soundtrack album ''Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show'' was released, with Thomas featured in the songs "Song 2 You" (written by him) and "Tell Me That You Love Me". On June 5, 2012, ''Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show'' was also released, with Thomas featured in the songs "Countdown" and "Don't You (Forget About Me)". The ''Victorious'' television series ended production in July 2012 and the series' last episode aired on February 2, 2013.
![Leon Thomas III 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Leon_Thomas_III_2013.jpg)
In 2012, Thomas started to record his first mixtape called ''
Metro Hearts'';
it was released on August 1, 2012.
Songs on the mixtape ''Metro Hearts'' include "Forever", "Bad", "Moving On", "Vibe", "Like Clay" and "Never Look Back". The mixtape also included a cover of Drake's "
Take Care" with
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
. Leon Thomas co-wrote the song "Ain't No Other Me" for the British girl group
Stooshe, which features as a deluxe edition track on their debut album, ''
London with the Lights On
''London with the Lights On'' is the debut studio album by English girl group Stooshe. It was originally set for release on 25 June 2012 under the name of ''Swings and Roundabouts'', but was held back twice; under the new self-titled name and wa ...
''. Thomas co-wrote four songs on his former co-star
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
's 2013 album
"Yours Truly". He also co-produced four songs on Yours Truly, in addition to the song "Last Christmas" from Grande's
Christmas Kisses EP, as a member of production duo The Rascals. His production work under The Rascals was also included on
Toni Braxton
Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...
&
Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to:
Nicknames
* Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber
* Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician
* "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
's Grammy award-winning album
Love, Marriage & Divorce
''Love, Marriage & Divorce'' is a collaborative studio album by American recording artists Toni Braxton and Babyface, released on February 4, 2014, by Motown Records. The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and as of July 2, 2014 the ...
, contributing to the Toni Braxton solo "I'd Rather Be Broke" performed by
Toni Braxton
Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...
.
On September 24, 2013, Leon Thomas released a new single, "Hello How Are You", featuring
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...
. On January 1, 2014, Thomas released a new mixtape, ''
V1bes'', under the name Leon Thomas, via
Datpiff
DatPiff is an online audio distribution platform that was launched in 2005. It is headquartered in Pennsylvania. It specializes in hip-hop, rap, and urban music. The site was founded in the spring of 2005 by Marcus Frasier. It is owned by Media ...
. He also announced that a music video for his single "Hello How Are You" was in the works. In 2016, he served as a co-producer for
Post Malone
Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his variegated vocals, Malone has gained acclaim for blending genres and subgenres of hip ...
's album ''
Stoney''.
In 2016, Thomas released the mixtape ''Before the Beginning'' via
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
, which compiled eight songs which he had "
eld onfor a long time". In 2017, he appeared in the
Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Ann Bigelow (; born November 27, 1951) is an American filmmaker. Covering a wide range of genres, her films include ''Near Dark'' (1987), ''Point Break'' (1991), '' Strange Days'' (1995), '' K-19: The Widowmaker'' (2002), ''The Hurt Locke ...
-directed film ''
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
''.
In the year of 2018 saw the release of Thomas' debut EP ''Genesis'', which featured guest appearances from
Buddy
Buddy may refer to:
People
*Buddy (nickname)
*Buddy (rapper), real name Simmie Sims III (1993–Present)
*Buddy Rogers (wrestler), ring name of American professional wrestler Herman Gustav Rohde, Jr. (1921–1992)
*Buddy Boeheim (born 1999), Amer ...
and
Tayla Parx
Taylor is a unisex given name mainly in use in English-speaking countries, including England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The name Taylor also has been well used for characters on American and now some Australi ...
. The next year, Thomas earned a
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several ...
nomination at the
62nd Annual Grammy Awards
The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 26, 2020, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from October 1, 2018, to August 31, 2019. Al ...
for co-writing and co-producing the
Rick Ross
William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper.
Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...
and
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
song "
Gold Roses
"Gold Roses" is a song by American rapper Rick Ross featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It was released by Epic Records as the third single from Ross's album ''Port of Miami 2'' on July 26, 2019. It follows Drake's " Money in the Grave" featuring Ro ...
". Thomas would also go on to write and produce more records under the Rascals production duo, as well as a solo producer, co-writing and co-producing two songs on Ariana Grande's ''
Positions'', and three songs on Drake's ''
Certified Lover Boy
''Certified Lover Boy'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian rapper and singer Drake, released on September 3, 2021, by OVO Sound and Republic Records. Its production was handled by frequent collaborators 40, Nineteen85, PartyNextDoor, OZ, a ...
''.
In May 2022, hip-hop musician
Ty Dolla $ign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
signed a joint venture deal with
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
for his newly-launched EZMNY Records imprint, announcing Thomas to be the label's first artist.
Filmography
Discography
Studio albums
Mixtapes
Extended plays
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Promotional singles
Other charted songs
Other releases
Music videos
Production and songwriting credits
Broadway appearances
*''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...
''
*''
Caroline, or Change
''Caroline, or Change'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music.
The show ran both Off-Broadway and on Broad ...
''
*''
The Color Purple
''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. ''
Concert tours
*
Big Time Summer Tour (joined on August 21, 2012)
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Leon
1993 births
Living people
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American singers
African-American male actors
African-American male singers
American child singers
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male singers
American male television actors
Columbia Records artists
Male actors from New York (state)
Male actors from New York City
Musicians from Brooklyn
Singers from New York City