Age, Biography and Wiki
Kenny Leon is an American director and producer. He is best known for his work on Broadway, including the Tony Award-winning revival of A Raisin in the Sun and the Tony Award-winning revival of Fences. He has also directed several television shows, including the Emmy Award-winning television movie The Watsons Go to Birmingham.
Leon was born in Tallahassee, Florida, and attended Florida A&M University, where he earned a degree in theater. He began his career as an actor, appearing in regional theater productions in the South. He then moved to New York City, where he worked as an assistant director and stage manager for various Broadway productions.
In 2000, Leon made his Broadway directorial debut with the revival of A Raisin in the Sun, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. He has since directed several other Broadway productions, including the Tony Award-winning revival of Fences, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.
Leon has also directed several television shows, including the Emmy Award-winning television movie The Watsons Go to Birmingham. He has also directed episodes of the television series Private Practice, The Good Wife, and The Big C.
Leon is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, and the NAACP Image Award. He is also the recipient of the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor given to an individual artist in the United States.
| Popular As |
N/A |
| Occupation |
Director, Producer |
| Age |
68 years old |
| Zodiac Sign |
Aquarius |
| Born |
10 February 1956 |
| Birthday |
10 February |
| Birthplace |
Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality |
United States |
We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 10 February.
He is a member of famous Director with the age 68 years old group.
Kenny Leon Height, Weight & Measurements
At 68 years old, Kenny Leon height not available right now. We will update Kenny Leon's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.
| Physical Status |
| Height |
Not Available |
| Weight |
Not Available |
| Body Measurements |
Not Available |
| Eye Color |
Not Available |
| Hair Color |
Not Available |
Who Is Kenny Leon's Wife?
His wife is Carole Mitchell-Leon (m. 1987–1998)
| Family |
| Parents |
Not Available |
| Wife |
Carole Mitchell-Leon (m. 1987–1998) |
| Sibling |
Not Available |
| Children |
Not Available |
Kenny Leon Net Worth
His net worth has been growing significantly in 2022-2023. So, how much is Kenny Leon worth at the age of 68 years old? Kenny Leon’s income source is mostly from being a successful Director. He is from United States. We have estimated
Kenny Leon's net worth
, money, salary, income, and assets.
| Net Worth in 2023 |
$1 Million - $5 Million |
| Salary in 2023 |
Under Review |
| Net Worth in 2022 |
Pending |
| Salary in 2022 |
Under Review |
| House |
Not Available |
| Cars |
Not Available |
| Source of Income |
Director |
Kenny Leon Social Network
Timeline
In January 2019 it was announced Leon would adapt the play American Son to become a Netflix film.
His memoir, Take You Wherever You Go, was released in June, 2018, by Grand Central Publishing. The title derives advice he received from his grandmother, Mamie Wilson.
Leon was awarded the 2016-2017 "Mr. Abbott" Award for outstanding artistry and creativity which is presented by the Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC) Foundation, recognition for his over 40-year career. In October 2017, Leon was the recipient the Governor's Award for the Arts and Humanities for the State of Georgia.
In 2015, Leon directed the live musical The Wiz for NBC. Cirque du Soleil partnered on the production with plans to bring the show to Broadway. He was slated to direct both the television production and Broadway revival. In 2016, Leon once again partnered with NBC for Hairspray: Live!, starring Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Kristin Chenoweth, and Harvey Fierstein.
Kenny Leon is an American director notable for his work on Broadway and in regional theater. In 2014, he won the Tony Award for Best Director of a Play for A Raisin in the Sun.
In 2014, he directed the Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun starring Denzel Washington and LaTanya Richardson Jackson and the Broadway premiere of the musical Holler If Ya Hear Me, featuring the discography of Tupac Shakur. Leon won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for his work on A Raisin in the Sun. That same year Mr. Leon directed NPR Presents Water±, written by award-winning NPR Science Correspondent Christopher Joyce, and award-winning theater writers Arthur Yorinks and Carl Hancock Rux with an original sound score by violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR). The show toured nationally, co-hosted by NPR's Michele Norris and WWNO's Eve Troeh and featuring Tony Award-winner Anika Noni Rose (Caroline, or Change); Tony Award-nominee Michele Shay (August Wilson's Seven Guitars); Jason Dirden (Tony Award-winning production A Raisin in the Sun); and Lucas Caleb Rooney (Boardwalk Empire).
In January 2012, he completed a Lifetime Original Television remake of Steel Magnolias. Other projects at that time included the world premiere of a staged adaptation of the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at the Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company; and a musical inspired by the work of rapper Tupac Shakur.
In November 2010, Leon directed Phylicia Rashad in the world premiere stage play Every Tongue Confess written by Marcus Gardley, which ran at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.
Leon participated in the federally funded TRIO Upward Bound college-prep program while in high school. He is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University. In addition to his directing experience, he has extensive acting experience on stage and in television and film. He made an appearance in the Hollywood Black Film Festival winner Big Ain't Bad, playing the role of Thomas Jordan, the mayor of Atlanta. In 2004, People named him one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" of the year. In 2007, he was a recipient of the 2007 Georgia Arts and Entertainment Legacy Award for his contributions to Georgia's cultural legacy.
Leon resigned from the Alliance in 2000 to take on other projects. These included being the co-founder and artistic director of True Colors Theater Company, a group based in both Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He also took his talents to Broadway. In the spring of 2004 he directed a revival of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, starring Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald in his Broadway debut. At the end of that year, he directed the Broadway premiere of August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean. In spring 2007, he directed August Wilson's Radio Golf. All three plays were nominated for Tony awards, and Leon was a Drama Desk Award nominee for A Raisin in the Sun. He also directed the television version of A Raisin in the Sun, which aired on ABC in February 2008. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 2010 for Best Director for his work on August Wilson's Fences, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, earning them both nominations and wins for Best Performance for Male and Female in a Play.
He gained prominence in 1988, when he became one of the few African Americans to head a notable nonprofit theater company as the artistic director of Atlanta's Alliance Theatre Company. During Leon's tenure, the company staged premieres of Pearl Cleage's Blues for an Alabama Sky, Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and Elton John and Tim Rice's musical Aida, which went on to Broadway. The Alliance's endowment also rose from $1 to $5 million during his time there.
