Colman Domingo is our first Black gay movie star. The actor is not only taking over Hollywood but the cover of Out Magazine this month and with good reason, he’s not just blowing us (and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences) away with his stellar performances but he’s proven to have that special “it factor” that makes an actor a star.
Not only has he been nominated for an Oscar, BAFTA, and Critic’s Choice Award for his role as civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, but his role in The Color Purple is earning him loads of praise, and his role as Ali in Euphoria earned him his first of what is likely to be many Emmys. He’s not just excelling in his field he’s blazing a trail that is long overdue, though to hear him tell it he's just a normal guy.
“Catch me at home in my Carhartt coveralls going to Home Depot, getting some plants, and looking at power tools,” he told Out when describing an average day. “I’m in the garden, listening to some music in the afternoon — some jazz or something — waiting for my husband to come home from his class. Maybe I’ll light a fire. Maybe have some friends over. But I’m not out running, constantly just being fabulous.”
But he doesn't have to try to be fabulous, like all movie stars, he just is.
While he may be known for his performances in prestige dramas, he has done it throughout his career, and some of those performances may have passed you by. For instance, did you know he starred in a Transformers movie? Or a comedy sketch show? Or that he voiced the caped crusader himself?
Here are 10 of his performances you may have missed and how to correct that.
Courtesy of HBO
Domingo appeared as the recurring character Russell Davis in the second season of The Knick. The series was set in the early 1900s and followed a group of doctors working at the turn of the century.
Where to watch: Max
Courtesy of Freevee
Domingo appeared in season two of the iconic anthology series in the episode “Downtime”. Starring alongside Morena Baccarin and Tony Hale in an episode that sees the world going into a strange and sinister trance.
Where to watch: Freevee
Courtesy of Neon
Domingo takes on the role of Principal Turrell in this terrifying and timely story of online bullying turned mob mentality madness in this action thriller from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson.
Where to watch: On VOD
Courtesy of AMC
Domingo faces off with undead — and people who are sometimes bigger monsters — in this hit spinoff of The Walking Dead. He stars as Strand who starts as the villain but slowly develops into something far more complex.
Where to watch: Prime Video, AMC+
Courtesy of A24
Domingo gets to go full villain as X, a pimp and human trafficker in the A24 the headlines drama Zola. The role earned him a Spirt Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Where to watch: Tubi
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
In this sequel to the iconic Chicago set horror film of the same name, Domingo plays William Burke who runs the local laundromat and knows far more about the sinister and gruesome goings-on than he would like to admit.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Domingo lent his voice to one of the biggest — literally — Transformers in the franchise, Unicron. For those unfamiliar Unicron is more than just a massive, villainous, robot he is a kind of chaos god. Now that’s the kind of gravitas that is worthy of Domingo.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Paramount+
Courtesy of Spotify
Speaking of voice acting Domingo recently lent his velvety tones to the Spotify original podcast series The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark where he of course embodied Bruce Wayne aka Batman himself. In the series Batman and The Riddler find themselves shockingly on the same side when supervillains begin taking over Gotham City.
Where to listen: Spotify
Courtesy of Netflix
Sure we are all rightly gagging over Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman’s performances in this biopic about the trailblazing blue singer Ma Rainey but Domingo, as usual, also turned out a stellar performance at the guitarist and trombone player Cutler.
Where to watch: Netflix
Courtesy of Logo
Handsome, talented, and hilarious Domingo also has some stellar sketch comedy in his repertoire as well. Domingo starred alongside hilarious queer folks including Kate McKinnon, Julie Goldman, and Johnny McGovern.
Where to watch: Logo
