The second most successful original cast member of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning musical
Rent (movie star Taye Diggs is the first), Martin was bitten by the acting bug as a child and attended a performing arts high school before earning a BFA from the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. He worked primarily on stage in the early '90s but supplemented his income waiting tables, which is how he met fellow server and
Rent creator Jonathan Larson. After appearing in the show, Martin landed a number of small-screen spots, including a recurring role on
Ally McBeal as the quirky heroine's on-again off-again doctor beau. In 1999, Martin hit the big time when he signed on to the long-running series
Law & Order as a rule-breaking detective.
Jesse L. Martin Fast Facts:- Family calls him by his middle name, Lamont.
- Bit by the acting bug after he played a pastor in a grade-school play.
- Made his Broadway debut in Timon of Athens in 1993.
- Originated the role of Tom Collins, an HIV-positive philosophy professor, in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning musical Rent (1996) and subsequently reprised the role in the 2005 movie version.
- Worked as a waiter at the Moondance Diner in New York City with Jonathan Larson who went on to create Rent. Martin initially didn't want to audition for the show because he was reluctant to appear in a musical but he wisely acquiesced.
- Perhaps as a nod to his Rent role, Martin played an AIDS counselor named Antonio Collin on the short-lived TV series 413 Hope Street (1997-1998).
- Stated that he would be a teacher if he weren't an actor.
- Jesse L. Martin Relationships:
- Jesse Reed Watkins - Father
- Virginia Price - Mother
- College:
- New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, New York, NY (BFA in Theater, 1991)
