Brian Tyree Henry
Brian Tyree Henry (born March 31, 1982)[1][2][3] is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles in the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta (2016–present), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He is also known for his performances in Boardwalk Empire, How to Get Away with Murder, and This Is Us.
Brian Tyree Henry | |
|---|---|
 Henry at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | March 31, 1982 |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2007–present |
Henry made his film breakthrough in 2018, with starring roles in Steve McQueen's heist film Widows, Barry Jenkins' romantic drama film If Beale Street Could Talk, and the animated superhero film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He also appeared in Todd Phillips' Joker (2019), Casimir Nozkowski's The Outside Story (2020), Adam Wingard's Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Joe Wright's The Woman in the Window (2021), and Chloé Zhao's Eternals (2021).
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 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
Early life
Henry was born 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.[1][4] Henry attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia as a business major-turned-actor in the early 2000s, and received his master's degree from Yale School of Drama.[5]
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 as a part of the original cast of the musical The Book of Mormon.[6]
Henry made guest appearances in the television series Law & Order, The Good Wife, and Boardwalk Empire. 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. From 2016 to 2017, he appeared as Tavis Brown in the HBO comedy series Vice Principals. In 2017, Henry guest starred 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.
In 2018, he starred in the Broadway revival of Lobby Hero, which earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.[7]
Also in 2018, Henry made his film breakthrough, with starring roles in the dystopian thriller film Hotel Artemis, the heist film Widows, the romantic drama film If Beale Street Could Talk, and the animated superhero film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
In 2019, he co-starred in the psychological thriller films Joker[8] and Don't Let Go as well as the horror film Child's Play, the latter being a remake of the 1988 film.[9]
In 2021, he starred as Bernie Hayes in Godzilla vs. Kong alongside Millie Bobby Brown and Julian Dennison and as Phastos in the 2021 Marvel Studios film Eternals.
Personal life
Henry's mother, Willow Deane Kearse, died in early 2016. The Atlanta episode "Woods" was dedicated to Kearse.[10]
Filmography
Film
 |
Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Puerto Ricans in Paris | Spencer | |
| 2017 | Person to Person | Mike | |
| Crown Heights | Clayton "Massup" Benton | ||
| 2018 | Irreplaceable You | Benji | |
| Family | Pete | ||
| Hotel Artemis | Honolulu/Lev | ||
| White Boy Rick | Det. Mel "Roach" Jackson | ||
| Widows | Jamal Manning | ||
| If Beale Street Could Talk | Daniel Carty | ||
| Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | Jefferson Davis (voice) | ||
| 2019 | Don't Let Go | Garret Radcliff | |
| Child's Play | Detective Mike Norris | ||
| Joker | Carl | ||
| 2020 | The Outside Story | Charles Young | |
| Superintelligence | Dennis Caruso | ||
| 2021 | Godzilla vs. Kong | Bernie Hayes | |
| The Woman in the Window | Detective Little | ||
| Vivo | Dancarino (voice) | ||
| Eternals | Phastos | ||
| 2022 | Bullet Train |
Lemon | Post-production |
| Red, White and Water |
TBA | ||
| 2023 | The Magician's Elephant | ||
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Law & Order | Ben | Episode: "Dignity" |
| Last of the Ninth | Uniform | Television film | |
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Randall Simmons | Episode: "Double Jeopardy" |
| 2013 | Boardwalk Empire | Winston 'Scrapper' | Episodes: "Havre de Grace" and "Farewell Daddy Blues" |
| 2014 | The Knick | Larkin | Episode: "The Busy Flea" |
| 2016–present | Atlanta | Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles | Main role |
| 2016–17 | Vice Principals | Tavis Brown | Episodes: "The Good Book", "Gin" and "Tiger Town" |
| 2017 | How to Get Away with Murder | Public Defender | Episode: "Go Cry Somewhere Else" |
| This Is Us | Ricky | Episode: "Memphis" | |
| Drop the Mic | Himself | Episode: "David Arquette vs. Brian Tyree Henry and Jesse Tyler Ferguson vs. Chrissy Metz" | |
| 2018 | BoJack Horseman | Cooper Wallace, Jr. / Strib (voice) | Episode: "The Amelia Earhart Story" |
| Room 104 | Arnold | Episode: "Arnold" | |
| Drunk History | Berry Gordy | Episode: "Game Changers" | |
| 2021–present | HouseBroken | Armando (voice) | Recurring role, 9 episodes |
| 2022 | Class of '09[11] | Tayo Miller | Miniseries; filming |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Romeo and Juliet | Tybalt | Shakespeare in the Park |
| The Brothers Size | Oshoosi | The Public Theatre | |
| 2009 | In The Red and Brown Water | The Egungun | |
| Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet | Oshoosi Size / Terrell | ||
| 2011 | The Book of Mormon | General | Eugene O'Neill Theatre |
| 2014 | The Fortress of Solitude | Robert Woolfolk | The Public Theatre |
| 2018 | Lobby Hero | William | Helen Hayes Theatre |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | MTV Movie & TV Award | Best Duo (shared with Lakeith Stanfield) | Atlanta | Nominated | [12] |
| Gold Derby Award | Breakthrough Performer of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Best Comedy Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||||
| Best Drama Guest Actor | This Is Us | Nominated | |||
| Guild of Music Supervisors Award | Best Song/Recording Created for Television | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Lobby Hero | Nominated | [13] |
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | Nominated | |||
| Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Play | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Atlanta | Nominated | [12] | |
| Gold Derby Award | Best Comedy Supporting Actor | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | If Beale Street Could Talk | Nominated | ||
| Gold Derby Award | Best Ensemble Cast | Widows | Nominated |
References
- Brown, Emma (September 7, 2016). "Discovery: Brian Tyree Henry". Interview. Brant Publications. Archived from the original on September 8, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- Fitz-Gerald, Sean (September 6, 2016). "Who Plays Paper Boi The Rapper on 'Atlanta'?". Thrillist. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJ2F-LBTS
- Blagrove, Kadia (20 April 2018). "Atlanta and the Unfolding of Paper Boi's Depression".
- "How Brian Tyree Henry Became Paper Boi, Atlanta's Rising Rap Star". Vulture. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
- "Brian Tyree Henry". Playbill. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- "The Tony Award Nominees - Artists - Brian Tyree Henry". TonyAwards.com. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
- Brian Tyree Henry Teases Joker by Zack Scharf, IndieWire.com, June 12, 2019.
- N'Duka, Amanda (20 September 2018). "Gabriel Bateman To Star As Andy In MGM's 'Child's Play' Remake, Joining Aubrey Plaza & Brian Tyree Henry".
- Nguyen, Hanh (April 20, 2018). "'Atlanta' Writer on Paper Boi's Heartbreaking Loss, 'Teddy Perkins,' and Life After 'Deadpool'". IndieWire. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- White, Peter (June 22, 2021). "Brian Tyree Henry & Kate Mara To Star In FBI AI Limited Series 'Class Of '09' Set At FX". Deadline Hollywood.
- "Brian Tyree Henry - Awards - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- "Brian Tyree Henry - Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved August 9, 2019.