| Leland Gantt | |
| Birth Place: | McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education: | Point Park College (BA) |
| Occupation: | Actor, writer |
Leland Gantt is an American actor and writer known for his roles in various television series and films. Gantt is also a theatre actor, and has appeared in a one-man show, Rhapsody in Black.[1] [2] [3]
Gantt was born and raised in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.[4] After graduating from McKeesport Area High School, he attended the Indiana University of Pennsylvania before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Point Park College.[5] After struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, Gantt was inspired to pursue acting by a theatre teacher and moved to New York City in 1983.[6]
After moving to New York, Gantt appeared in Broadway productions of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,[7] Fences, Richard III, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Gem of the Ocean, Judas Iscariot,[8] and The Fall of Heaven.[9] [10] In 1991, Gantt was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in Let Me Live, losing to Kevin Spacey.[11] [12]
Gantt has also appeared in episodes of Law & Order and JAG. He portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1987 miniseries Hoover vs. The Kennedys.[13] He also starred in The Affair.[14]
| 1985 | Rockin' Road Trip | Curtis Smith | ||
| 1990 | Presumed Innocent | Leon Wells | ||
| 1991 | The Super | Male Tenant | ||
| 1992 | Malcolm X | Wilbur Kinley | ||
| 1998 | Pants on Fire | Allen | ||
| 1998 | Out of the Past | Bayard Rustin | Documentary; voice | |
| 2000 | Requiem for a Dream | Ward Attendant Penn | ||
| 2008 | Miracle at St. Anna | Livingston | ||
| 2020 | Another Year Together | Keith |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Hoover vs. The Kennedys | Martin Luther King Jr. | 2 episodes | |
| 1993, 2001 | Law & Order | FBI Agent Jeff Washington / Jonas 'Skate' Stark | ||
| 1995 | New York Undercover | Jerome Willard | Episode: "All in the Family" | |
| 1995 | The Affair | Barrett | Television film | |
| 1995 | JAG | Briefing Officer | Episode: "Scimitar" | |
| 2003 | Stew Matos | Episode: "Fallacy" | ||
| 2018 | Titans | Thurman | Episode: "Atlas Shrugged" | |
| 2019 | The Good Fight | Partner Thomas | Episode: "The One with the Celebrity Divorce" |