Brian Tyree Henry
{{Short description|American actor (born 1982)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Brian Tyree Henry by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
| caption = Henry in 2024
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|3|31}}
| birth_place = Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Actor
| education = {{ubl|Morehouse College (BA)|Yale University (MFA)}}
| yearsactive = 2007–present
}}
Brian Tyree Henry (born March 31, 1982){{cite web|last=Brown|first=Emma|title=Discovery: Brian Tyree Henry|url=http://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-brian-tyree-henry#_|website=Interview|publisher=Brant Publications|access-date=September 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160908164645/http://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-brian-tyree-henry|archive-date=September 8, 2016|date=September 7, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/atlanta-paper-boi-actor-brian-tyree-henry|title=Who Plays Paper Boi The Rapper on 'Atlanta'?|last=Fitz-Gerald|first=Sean|website=Thrillist|date=September 6, 2016|access-date=June 28, 2017}}[https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJ2F-LBTS Family Search] is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role as rapper Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles in the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta (2016–2022), for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Henry had a guest role in This Is Us in 2017, and had his film breakthrough in 2018 with roles in Steve McQueen's heist film Widows and Barry Jenkins' romantic drama If Beale Street Could Talk. He has since appeared in Child's Play (2019), Joker (2019), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Bullet Train (2022), and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024). He portrayed Phastos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals (2021), and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a grieving man in the drama film Causeway (2022). He also voiced Jefferson Davis in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and its sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) and Megatron in Transformers One (2024).
Henry has also appeared on stage, making his debut performance in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Romeo and Juliet (2007), and acting in various plays at the Public Theatre, before appearing in the original Broadway cast of The Book of Mormon (2011). In 2014, he appeared in the off-Broadway musical The Fortress of Solitude. For his performance in the 2018 Broadway revival of Kenneth Lonergan's play Lobby Hero, he received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
Early life
Henry was born on March 31, 1982, in Fayetteville, North Carolina and raised partly in Washington, D.C. His father was in the military, and his mother, Willow Dean Kearse, was an educator.{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/@KazzleDazz/atlanta-and-the-unfolding-of-paper-bois-depression-4c7130f49b6d|title=Atlanta and the Unfolding of Paper Boi's Depression|first=Kadia|last=Blagrove|date=April 20, 2018}} Henry graduated from E. E. Smith High School in Fayetteville{{cite web|url=https://www.fayobserver.com/story/entertainment/2023/01/25/brian-tyree-henry-of-fayetteville-nominated-for-oscsar/69836390007/ |title=Brian Tyree Henry of Fayetteville nominated for Oscsar |website=fayobserver.com |date=January 25, 2023 |access-date=August 10, 2023}} and attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia as a business major-turned-actor in the early 2000s. He received his master's degree from the Yale School of Drama.{{Cite news|url=http://www.vulture.com/2016/09/paper-boi-atlanta-rap-star-brian-tyree-henry.html?mid=fb-share-vulture|title=How Brian Tyree Henry Became Paper Boi, Atlanta's Rising Rap Star|work=Vulture|first=Maria Elena|last=Fernandez|date=September 7, 2016|access-date=May 6, 2018|language=en}}
Career
=2007–2015: Early career=
Henry began his career on stage, with roles in numerous plays and musicals. In 2007, he starred as Tybalt in Shakespeare in the Park's production of Romeo and Juliet. Henry also appeared in Tarell Alvin McCraney's trilogy of plays, titled The Brother/Sister Plays. In 2011, he received further success in his Broadway debut as a part of the original cast of the musical The Book of Mormon opposite Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells.{{cite web|title=Brian Tyree Henry|url=http://www.playbill.com/person/brian-tyree-henry-vault-0000116960|website=Playbill|access-date=September 15, 2016}}
Henry made guest appearances in television series such as NBC's Law & Order, and CBS's The Good Wife. In 2013, he had a brief but recurring role as Winston Scrapper in HBO's Boardwalk Empire appearing in the episodes "Havre de Grace" and "Farewell Daddy Blues". The following year he appeared in Steven Soderbergh's Cinemax series The Knick as Larkin in the episode "The Busy Flea". He made his feature film debut in the 2015 comedy film Puerto Ricans in Paris.
=2016–present: Breakthrough=
In 2016, Henry received critical acclaim and recognition for his starring role as Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles in the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta. For his performance in the series, he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in the episode "Woods". Chase Hutchinson of Collider declared Henry the "show's best character" writing, "Uniting [Atlanta] is the irreplaceable Henry's sense of presence and vulnerability he conveys as an actor, an element of the show that would not be the same without him. It makes him one of the best parts of the series and one of the best actors working today for all he manages to do in even the simplest of moments."{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/atlanta-brian-tyree-henry-paper-boi-best-character-reasons-why/|title= How 'Atlanta' & Brian Tyree Henry's Sense of Vulnerability Makes Paper Boi the Show's Best Character|website= Collider|first=Chase|last=Hutchinson|date=May 9, 2022|accessdate= November 15, 2022}}
From 2016 to 2017, he acted as Dascious Brown in the HBO comedy series Vice Principals. In 2017, Henry appeared as Ricky in the NBC drama series This Is Us, for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. That same year he starred in Dustin Guy Defa's drama film Person to Person and Matt Ruskin's Crown Heights.
In 2018, he returned to Broadway in the revival of Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero opposite Chris Evans, Bel Powley, and Michael Cera. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter hailed Henry as "terrific" and cited him as "the production's standout performance".{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/lobby-hero-theater-1097460/|title= 'Lobby Hero': Theater Review|website= The Hollywood Reporter|first=David|last=Rooney|date=March 26, 2018|accessdate= November 15, 2022}} For his performance he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/artists/2018-04-30_brian_tyree_henry_lobby_hero.html|title=The Tony Award Nominees - Artists - Brian Tyree Henry|website=TonyAwards.com|language=en|access-date=May 6, 2018|archive-date=April 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419230912/https://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/artists/2018-04-30_brian_tyree_henry_lobby_hero.html|url-status=dead}} Also in 2018, Henry made his film breakthrough appearing in seven films. He appeared in Steve McQueen's acclaimed heist film Widows portraying Jamal Manning, a crime boss and politician in the Chicago. Alissa Wilkinson of Vox declared "Brian Tyree Henry continues his run as the actor to watch, thanks to his appearance here as a charismatic and menacing political candidate."{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2018/11/16/18069770/widows-review-mcqueen-viola-davis-liam-neeson|title= In Widows, Viola Davis's heist crew captivates even when the story stumbles|website= Vox|first=Alissa|last=Wilkinson|date=November 16, 2018|accessdate= November 15, 2022}} He also appeared in Barry Jenkins' romantic drama film If Beale Street Could Talk based on the 1974 James Baldwin novel of the same name. For his performances in both films he received a nomination from the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor. That same year he portrayed Jefferson Davis in the animated superhero film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. That same year he also starred in the dystopian thriller film Hotel Artemis, and the crime drama White Boy Rick.
In 2019, he appeared in Todd Phillips's psychological drama Joker,{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/06/joker-quiet-place-2-plot-spoilers-bryan-tyree-henry-1202149492/|title=Brian Tyree Henry Teases 'Joker' Mother-Son Drama and That 'Quiet Place 2' Will Solve Monster Mystery|first=Zack|last=Scharf|work=IndieWire|date=June 12, 2019|access-date=January 26, 2023}} the science fiction horror film Don't Let Go and the horror film Child's Play, the latter being a remake of the 1988 film.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/09/gabriel-bateman-aubrey-plaza-brian-tyree-henry-childs-play-remake-mgm-1202468306/|title=Gabriel Bateman To Star As Andy In MGM's 'Child's Play' Remake, Joining Aubrey Plaza & Brian Tyree Henry|work=Deadline Hollywood|first=Amanda|last=N'Duka|date=September 20, 2018}} The following year he appeared in The Outside Story and Superintelligence. During this time he also appeared in the Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman, the HBO anthology series Room 104, and portrayed Berry Gordy an episode of the Comedy Central sketch series Drunk History. He also has recurring roles as Armando in the Fox animated series HouseBroken (2021–present), and as Elijah in the Netflix animated series Big Mouth (2022).
In 2021, he starred as Bernie Hayes in Godzilla vs. Kong alongside Millie Bobby Brown and as Phastos in the Marvel Studios film Eternals directed by Chloe Zhao. In 2022, he starred in David Leitch's action comedy Bullet Train opposite Brad Pitt. In his final role of the year, Henry starred in Lila Neugebauer's A24 drama Causeway opposite Jennifer Lawrence as mechanic James Aucoin. Henry received critical acclaim for his performance, garnering Academy Award, Critics' Choice, Gotham Award, and Independent Spirit Award nominations.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/gotham-awards-nominations-full-list-1235413626/|title='Tár' Leads Gotham Awards Nominations: Full List|website=Variety|first=Ethan|last=Shanfield|date=October 29, 2022|accessdate=December 11, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/11/2023-independent-spirit-award-nominations-1234784758/|title='Everything Everywhere,' 'TÁR' Lead Independent Spirit Award Nominations: See the Full List|website=IndieWire|first=Ryan|last=Lattanzio|date=November 22, 2022|accessdate=December 11, 2022}} In a review for The Independent, Adam White wrote: "Henry lends each hushed gap in James's tale the feel of a sledgehammer."{{cite web |title=Causeway review: Jennifer Lawrence reminds us all how good she is |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/causeway-film-review-jennifer-lawrence-b2217450.html |last=White |first=Adam |website=The Independent |access-date=March 14, 2023 |date=November 4, 2022}} Mary Siroky for Consequence praised Henry's performance and said that he "is so grounded here that there are moments we feel like we are intruding into his life."{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2022/11/causeway-review-jennifer-lawrence-apple-tv-plus/2/|title=Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry Captivate in Causeway: Review|website=Consequence|first=Mary|last=Siroky|date=November 3, 2022|access-date=March 14, 2023}}
Henry voiced a younger Megatron in the animated film Transformers One, making him the first Black actor to voice the character.{{Cite web |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=April 27, 2023 |title='Transformers' Animated Prequel Sets Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and More Voice Cast |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/transformers-animated-prequel-chris-hemsworth-scarlett-johansson-1235596692/ |access-date=April 27, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} In 2024, he became the new voice of Smokey Bear (also the first Black actor to voice the character).{{Cite web |last=Zumberge |first=Marianne |date=2024-02-27 |title=Smokey Bear voiced by Brian Tyree Henry in 80th anniversary PSA |url=https://buckrail.com/smokey-bear-voiced-by-brian-tyree-henry-in-80th-anniversary-psa/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Buckrail - Jackson Hole, news |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Smokey Bear travels through the decades for 80th anniversary ad {{!}} Marketing Dive |url=https://www.marketingdive.com/news/smokey-bear-travels-through-decades-80th-anniversary-ad/708414/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=www.marketingdive.com |language=en-US}}
Personal life
Henry's mother, Willow Deane Kearse, died in early 2016. The Atlanta episode "Woods" was dedicated to her.{{cite news|last=Nguyen|first=Hanh|title='Atlanta' Writer on Paper Boi's Heartbreaking Loss, 'Teddy Perkins,' and Life After 'Deadpool'|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2018/04/atlanta-season-2-episode-8-woods-teddy-perkins-stefani-robinson-1201955350/|access-date=April 22, 2018|work=IndieWire|date=April 20, 2018}} His father died during the filming of Dope Thief.{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/arts/television/brian-tyree-henry-dope-thief.html | title=Brian Tyree Henry Isn't Hiding | work=The New York Times | date=March 10, 2025 | last1=Soloski | first1=Alexis }}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable"
|+Key | style="background:#FFFFCC;" | {{dagger|alt=Films that have not yet been released}} |Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
!scope="col" | Year !scope="col" | Title !scope="col" class="unsortable" | Role !scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
| 2015
| scope="row" | Puerto Ricans in Paris | Spencer | |
| rowspan="2"|2017
| scope="row" | Person to Person | Mike | |
| scope="row" | Crown Heights
| Clayton "Massup" Benton | |
| rowspan="7"|2018
| scope="row" | Irreplaceable You | Benji | |
| scope="row" | Family
| Pete | |
| scope="row" | Hotel Artemis
| Honolulu/Lev | |
| scope="row" | White Boy Rick
| Det. Mel "Roach" Jackson | |
| scope="row" | Widows
| Jamal Manning | |
| scope="row" | If Beale Street Could Talk
| Daniel Carty | |
| scope="row" | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
| Jefferson Davis (voice) | |
| rowspan="3"|2019
| scope="row" | Don't Let Go | Garret Radcliff | |
| scope="row" | Child's Play
| Detective Mike Norris | |
| scope="row" | Joker
| Carl | |
| rowspan=2|2020
| scope="row" | The Outside Story | Charles Young | |
| scope="row" | Superintelligence
| Dennis Caruso | |
| rowspan="4"| 2021
| scope="row" | Godzilla vs. Kong | Bernie Hayes | |
| scope="row" | The Woman in the Window
| Detective Little | |
| scope="row" | Vivo
| Dancarino (voice) | |
| scope="row" | Eternals
| Phastos | |
| rowspan="2"| 2022
| scope="row" | Bullet Train | Lemon | |
| scope="row" | Causeway
| James Aucoin | |
| rowspan="3"| 2023
| scope="row" | The Magician's Elephant | Leo Matienne (voice) | |
| scope="row" | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
| Jeff Morales (voice) | |
| scope="row" | The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story
| Jefferson Davis (voice) | Short film |
| rowspan="3"| 2024
| scope="row" | Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire | Bernie Hayes | |
| scope="row" | The Fire Inside
| Jason Crutchfield | |
| scope="row" | Transformers One
| D-16 / Megatron (voice) | |
| 2027
| {{Pending film|Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse}} | Jeff Morales (voice) | In production{{Cite web |last=Behbakht |first=Andy |date=March 27, 2024 |title=Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse Will Be "More Epic Than" Across The Spider-Verse Says Actor |url=https://screenrant.com/spider-man-beyond-the-spider-verse-epic-brian-tyree-henry/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328081437/https://screenrant.com/spider-man-beyond-the-spider-verse-epic-brian-tyree-henry/ |archive-date=March 28, 2024 |access-date=April 15, 2024 |website=Screen Rant |language=en}} |
| {{TableTBA}}
| {{Pending film|Panic Carefully}} | {{TableTBA}} | Filming |
| {{N/A}}
| Golden | {{N/A}} | Unreleased |
=Television=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
| rowspan=2| 2009
! scope="row"| Law & Order | Ben | Episode: "Dignity" |
| scope="row"| Last of the Ninth
| Uniform | Television film |
|---|
| 2010
! scope="row"| The Good Wife | Randall Simmons | Episode: "Double Jeopardy" |
| 2013
! scope="row"| Boardwalk Empire | Winston 'Scrapper' | Episodes: "Havre de Grace" and "Farewell Daddy Blues" |
| 2014
! scope="row"| The Knick | Larkin | Episode: "The Busy Flea" |
| 2016–2017
! scope="row"| Vice Principals | Dascious Brown | Episodes: "The Good Book", "Gin" and "Tiger Town" |
| 2016–2022
! scope="row"| Atlanta | Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles | Main role |
| rowspan=3|2017
! scope="row"| How to Get Away with Murder | Public Defender | Episode: "Go Cry Somewhere Else" |
| scope="row"| This Is Us
| Ricky | Episode: "Memphis" |
| scope="row"| Drop the Mic
| Himself | Episode: "David Arquette vs. Brian Tyree Henry and Jesse Tyler Ferguson vs. Chrissy Metz" |
| rowspan=3| 2018
! scope="row"| BoJack Horseman | Cooper Wallace Jr. / Strib | Voice, episode: "The Amelia Earhart Story" |
| scope="row"| Room 104
| Arnold | Episode: "Arnold" |
| scope="row"| Drunk History
| Episode: "Game Changers" |
| 2021–2023
! scope="row"| HouseBroken | Armando | Voice, recurring role |
| 2022
! scope="row"| Big Mouth | Elijah / Chief | Voice, recurring role (season 6) |
| 2023
! scope="row"| Class of '09 | Tayo Miller | Miniseries; main role{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/06/brian-tyree-henry-kate-mara-to-star-in-fbi-a-i-limited-class-of-09-fx-1234779205/|title=Brian Tyree Henry & Kate Mara To Star In FBI AI Limited Series 'Class Of '09' Set At FX|last=White|first=Peter|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=June 22, 2021}} |
| 2025
! scope="row"| Dope Thief | Ray | Miniseries; main role |
=Theatre=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
| rowspan=2 | 2007
! scope="row"| Romeo and Juliet | Tybalt |
| scope="row"| The Brothers Size
| Oshoosi | rowspan=3| The Public Theatre |
|---|
| rowspan=2 | 2009
! scope="row"| In The Red and Brown Water | The Egungun |
| scope="row"| Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet
| Oshoosi Size / Terrell |
| 2011
! scope="row"| The Book of Mormon | General |
| 2014
! scope="row"| The Fortress of Solitude | Robert Woolfolk |
| 2018
! scope="row"| Lobby Hero | William |
Awards and nominations
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|3109964}}
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Brian Tyree}}
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male video game actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:Male actors from North Carolina
Category:Morehouse College alumni
Category:David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University alumni
Category:People from Fayetteville, North Carolina
Category:21st-century African-American male actors