Colman Domingo Biography

A Newport Beach Film Festival’s Artist of Distinction award recipient, Colman Domingo is a Tony®, Lawrence Olivier, Drama Desk, Drama League and NAACP Award nominated, OBIE and Lucille Lortel Award winning actor, playwright and director.  Domingo stars in the Golden Globe nominated Barry Jenkins sprawling James Baldwin drama If Beale Street Could Talk. Colman will star in A24’s Zola and in Noah Hawley’s sci-fi drama Lucy in the Sky for Fox Searchlight.  Additionally, Colman will be seen starring in the Independent film, The God Committee with Kelsey Grammer & Julia Stiles.   Colman stars on AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead as Victor Strand. He has recently guest starred on Bojack Horseman (Netflix), Timeless (NBC), American Dad (FOX) and Miles From Tomorrowland/ Mission Force One (Disney Jr). Colman recurred on The Knick (Cinemax), guest starred on Horace and Pete (Hulu) and Lucifer (FOX). Colman recently starred in Assassination Nation directed by Sam Levinson and the 2018 SXSW Audience Award– winning First Match directed by Olivia Newman for Netflix. Domingo is a recipient of The Best Drama Actor from The 2018 Independent Television Festival presented by the Television Academy® in Nothingman directed by Eli Kooris and Joshua Shaffer. Colman is a recent recipient of the  Sundance Feature Film Program Grant. Mr. Domingo, his creative partner Alisa Tager and AMC Networks are currently developing an original drama series for television, titled West Philly, Baby, which he will write, direct, and Executive Produce. He is also at work on an untitled half hour comedy for HBO.

His hit Broadway musical Summer: The Donna Summer Musical was honored with two Tony® Award nominations as well as Drama Desk and Drama League. It kicks off its National Tour in Fall of 2019.

Colman co-starred in many films such as the Academy Award® nominated Paramount film Selma as Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Lee Daniels’ The Butler,  Lincoln directed by Steven Spielberg, three films directed by Spike Lee, including Miracle At St. Ana, Red Hook Summer and Passing Strange, Freedomland  directed by Joe Roth, True Crime directed by Clint Eastwood, and The Birth of a Nation. Domingo starred in The London Evening Standard Award winning The Scottsboro Boys at the Young Vic in London a role which he originated on and Off Broadway and reprised on the West End.

Domingo followed in the footsteps of Zakes Mokae, James Earl Jones and Danny Glover and starred as Zachariah in the New York revival of Blood Knot written and directed by Athol Fugard as the inaugural production of the Signature Theater Center Off Broadway. Colman is well known for his star turns as Mr. Franklin and a German performance artist, Mr. Venus of Berlin, in the Tony and Drama Desk Award winning groundbreaking musical Passing Strange directed by Annie Dorsen on Broadway and documented on film by Spike Lee. Mr. Domingo has starred in the first ever screen adaptation of a Ralph Ellison story for PBS, King of the Bingo Game.

Colman made his British and  Australian theatrical debuts with his self penned solo play A Boy and His Soul  at the Tricycle Theater and Brisbane Powerhouse Theaters, the production which originated at the New York City’s stalwart the Vineyard Theatre. He starred in his play Wild with Happy that had its debut at the Public Theater. His fourth play Dot premiered at the Humana Festival at Actors Theater of Louisville and premiered Off Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre directed by the legendary Tony award winner Susan Stroman. Dot is enjoying regional productions around the country and is published by Samuel French.

Domingo and nationally acclaimed theatre-maker Patricia McGregor co-authored  the critically acclaimed, sold out, and Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theater nominated production of Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole musical that had its world premiere at People’s Light Theatre in October 2017, and will premiere on the West Coast at the Geffen Playhouse in February 2019, starring Dulé Hill. Colman also collaborated with Des McAnuff and Robert Cary on SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical which enjoyed its world premiere at LaJolla Playhouse, starring Tony®- award winner LaChanze, Ariana DeBose and Storm Lever. It is currently on Broadway on  at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre.

Colman’s most recent play, The Brother(s), will receive its world premiere at the Z Space in San Francisco, in November 2018.

As a 20-year veteran theatre director, Domingo recently helmed the critically acclaimed IRNE award nominated (Best Direction of a Play) Huntington Theatre’s world premiere of A Guide For The Homesick by Ken Urban in fall of 2017. Colman also staged Claire Kiechel’s Pilgrims for the Lark. His NAACP award nominated (Best Direction) and StageSceneLA celebrated (Outstanding Comedy Direction and Outstanding Production of a play) production of Barbecue closed to sold out houses at the Geffen Playhouse. Colman helmed the Off-Broadway Alliance Best Family Musical Award winning production of A Band of Angels and staged August Wilson’s Seven Guitars for Actors Theater of Louisville. He also helmed the Off-Broadway productions of Exit Cuckoo for The Working Theater and Single Black Female for the New Professional Theater.  He has directed for Berkeley Rep as well as Lincoln Center Director’s Lab. Colman has received residencies and/or commissions from The Geffen Playhouse, American Conservatory Theater, People’s Light & Theatre Company, New York Theater Workshop, Scott Rudin Productions, Jeffrey Sellar, The Wallace Foundation, San Francisco Cash Fund, New Professional Theater and the March of Dimes.

Mr. Domingo is on faculty of The National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and has taught, guest lectured and mentored at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Texas at Austin, the Savannah College of Art and Design, University of Wisconsin, Madison O.M.A.I., The New York Writers Institute as the Burian Lecture Fellow, University of Minnesota, Temple University, The Art Institute of San Francisco and Community College of Philadelphia.