Jesse Lamont Martin (né Watkins; January , ) is an American actor and
singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the
musical Rent and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on
Law & Order and Captain Joe West on The Flash.Martin, the third of
four sons, was born in Rocky Mount, Virginia. His father, Jesse Reed
Watkins (â€"), was a truck driver, and his mother, Virginia Price, a
college counselor. He was born two months premature. His parents
divorced when he was a child. His mother eventually remarried and
Martin adopted his stepfather's surname.When Martin was in grade
school, the family relocated to Buffalo, New York, but Martin began to
dislike speaking because of his Southern accent and was often overcome
with shyness. A concerned educator and mentor influenced him to join
an after-school drama program and cast him as the pastor in The Golden
Goose. Being from Virginia, the young Martin played the character the
only way he knew how: as an inspired Southern Baptist preacher. The
act was a hit, and Martin emerged from his shell. Martin attended high
school at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, where he
was voted "Most Talented" in his senior class. He later enrolled in
New York University's Tisch School of the Arts' theatre program, and
while at NYU he was also the popular president of Rubin Dorm, the
former domain of Mark Twain.After graduation, Martin toured the states
with John Houseman's The Acting Company. He appeared in Shakespeare's
Rock-in-Roles at the Actors Theatre of Louisville and The Butcher's
Daughter at the Cleveland Play House, and returned to Manhattan to
perform in local theatre, soap operas, and commercials. Finding that
auditions, regional theater, and bit parts were no way to support
himself, Martin waited tables at several restaurants around the city.
He was serving a pizza when his appearance on CBS's Guiding Light
aired in the same eatery. While the show aired, the whole waitstaff
gathered around the bar television to cheer his performance. Often,
during the dinner rush, he broke out in song. When he gave his
customers their dinner checks, he told them to "keep it, because
someday I'll be famous!"[citation needed]
singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the
musical Rent and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on
Law & Order and Captain Joe West on The Flash.Martin, the third of
four sons, was born in Rocky Mount, Virginia. His father, Jesse Reed
Watkins (â€"), was a truck driver, and his mother, Virginia Price, a
college counselor. He was born two months premature. His parents
divorced when he was a child. His mother eventually remarried and
Martin adopted his stepfather's surname.When Martin was in grade
school, the family relocated to Buffalo, New York, but Martin began to
dislike speaking because of his Southern accent and was often overcome
with shyness. A concerned educator and mentor influenced him to join
an after-school drama program and cast him as the pastor in The Golden
Goose. Being from Virginia, the young Martin played the character the
only way he knew how: as an inspired Southern Baptist preacher. The
act was a hit, and Martin emerged from his shell. Martin attended high
school at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, where he
was voted "Most Talented" in his senior class. He later enrolled in
New York University's Tisch School of the Arts' theatre program, and
while at NYU he was also the popular president of Rubin Dorm, the
former domain of Mark Twain.After graduation, Martin toured the states
with John Houseman's The Acting Company. He appeared in Shakespeare's
Rock-in-Roles at the Actors Theatre of Louisville and The Butcher's
Daughter at the Cleveland Play House, and returned to Manhattan to
perform in local theatre, soap operas, and commercials. Finding that
auditions, regional theater, and bit parts were no way to support
himself, Martin waited tables at several restaurants around the city.
He was serving a pizza when his appearance on CBS's Guiding Light
aired in the same eatery. While the show aired, the whole waitstaff
gathered around the bar television to cheer his performance. Often,
during the dinner rush, he broke out in song. When he gave his
customers their dinner checks, he told them to "keep it, because
someday I'll be famous!"[citation needed]
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