Justin Cooley

{{Infobox person

| name = Justin Cooley

| image =

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2003|06|23}}{{cite news |last=Adler |first=Eric |title='Trial by fire': How this 19-year-old went from Olathe East to Broadway to Tony Awards |url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article275268356.html |newspaper=The Kansas City Star |via=Newspapers.com |date=June 9, 2023 |access-date=June 10, 2023}}

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| occupation = Actor

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}}

Justin Cooley (born June 23, 2003) is an American actor. He was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Seth in the off-Broadway and Broadway theatre productions of Kimberly Akimbo in 2022 and 2023.{{cite news |last=Tauer |first=Kristen |title=Justin Cooley Makes His Broadway Debut in 'Kimberly Akimbo' |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/justin-cooley-makes-broadway-debut-202238200.html |website=Yahoo.com |date=December 5, 2022 |access-date=May 7, 2023}}{{cite news |last=Gutierrez |first=Lisa |title=Johnson County 19-year-old is up for a Tony Award for debut role in Broadway musical |url=https://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/article274970681.html |newspaper=The Kansas City Star |date=May 3, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023}}

Life and career

Cooley was born to Paul and Julie. He grew up in Overland Park, Kansas,{{cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |title=Meet the 19-Year-Old 'Kimberly Akimbo' Actor Who's Charming Broadway |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/theater/justin-cooley-kimberly-akimbo-broadway.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 26, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023}} where he attended Olathe East High School. He was named outstanding actor in a lead role for the Blue Star Awards, a regional theatre competition for high school students, and became a finalist for the Jimmy Awards. He enrolled at Texas Christian University, but received an offer to join the cast of Kimberly Akimbo and quickly deferred school for one semester to join the production off-Broadway as Seth. Cooley earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, a Lucille Lortel Awards nomination for Outstanding Leading Performer in a Musical, an Outer Critics Circle Awards nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, and a Theatre World Award for his performance in the off-Broadway production.{{cite news |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Nominees for 71st Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards Announced |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/nominees-for-71st-annual-outer-critics-circle-awards-announced |website=Playbill.com |date=April 26, 2022 |access-date=May 7, 2023}}

Cooley made his Broadway debut when Kimberly Akimbo moved to the Booth Theatre. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance.

Theatre credits

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
scope="col" \| Year ! scope="col" \| Title ! scope="col" \| Role ! scope="col" style="width:18em" class="unsortable" \| Venue ! scope="col" class="unsortable" \| Notes
2021 ! rowspan="2" scope="row" \|Kimberly Akimbo \| rowspan="2" \|Seth \|Atlantic Theater Company \|Off-Broadway premiere
2022–24 \|Booth Theater \|Broadway

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Role

! scope="col" style="width:18em" class="unsortable" | Venue

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes

2021

! rowspan="2" scope="row" |Kimberly Akimbo

| rowspan="2" |Seth

|Atlantic Theater Company

|Off-Broadway premiere

2022–24