Leslie Jordan, an Emmy-winning actor, writer and singer best known for his appearances in “Will & Grace,” “American Horror Story” and “Hearts Afire,” has died. He was 67.
On Monday morning, Jordan was driving in Hollywood when he collided with a structure near the intersection of Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street. Some form of medical emergency was presumed to have befallen him.
Jordan was a professional actress whose credits include included “The Help,” “The Cool Kids” and “Call Me Kat,” which is currently airing its third season on Fox. On “Will & Grace,” he played Karen’s sexually ambiguous, socialite adversary Beverly Leslie, a role for which he was nominated for and ultimately won the Emmy for guest actor in a comedy series in 2006.
He had roles in films like “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” and “Ski Patrol,” as well as TV shows like “Ally McBeal” and “Ugly Betty” and “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” and “Hidden Palms” and “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Caroline in the City” and “Pee-Playhouse” Wee’s and “Reba” and “Boston
In Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story,” Jordan portrayed three distinct roles in the “Coven,” “Roanoke,” and “1984” seasons.
The character of Earl “Brother Boy” Ingram in the play “Sordid Lives,” which was made into the cult romantic comedy film of the same name in 2000, was one of Jordan’s most lauded performances. “Hysterical Blindness and Other Southern Tragedies That Have Plagued My Life Thus Far,” his first autobiographical theatrical piece, ran for seven months off-Broadway at the SoHo Playhouse in 1993. The performance was a biographical account of Jordan’s childhood in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and featured the actor performing satirical songs about racism and homophobia while accompanied by a gospel choir. Variety, writing about the play when it was first performed, commended Jordan’s “endearing stage presence” and deemed the show “bittersweet and amusing.”
By the end of the epidemic in 2020, Jordan had amassed millions of Instagram followers thanks to his witty films documenting the event.
Jordan released a gospel music CD titled “Company’s Comin’” in 2021 and, later that year, served as a guest panellist on “The Masked Singer,” where he played gospel standard “This Little Light of Mine.”
In 2021, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics honoured Jordan with the Timeless Star award for her longstanding contributions to the LGBTQ community. In 2013, he was a guest judge, and in 2022, he was a guest director on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” He helped out with AIDS Project Los Angeles and Project Angel Food during the epidemic’s height.
Jordan is a native Tennessean and product of Southern Baptist upbringing. As soon as he arrived in Los Angeles in 1982, he started building his credit history. In his twenties, he began abusing substances. Announcing his 13 years of sobriety in 2010, Jordan impressed many.
The world is a worse place today without the love and brightness of Leslie Jordan, her agent David Shaul remarked. He was a huge talent and a pleasure to work with, and he gave the country a safe place to feel through a terrible period. He was short in stature but tall in heart and talent as a brother, son, comedian, companion, and human being. The only consolation now is knowing that he left the world at the pinnacle of his personal and professional lives.
source:
Leslie Jordan, ‘Will & Grace’ and ‘American Horror Story’ Star, Dies at 67 in Car Accident
more:
In season 2 of House of the Dragon, what direction does the show take us?
