Tituss Burgess

Tituss Burgess is an American actor and singer born on February 21, 1979, in Athens, Georgia, where he attended Cedar Shoals High School and participated in its theatre program. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from the University of Georgia before relocating to Orlando, Florida, to work at Walt Disney World. There he performed as a vocalist in the Festival of the Lion King at Disney's Animal Kingdom, a position through which he obtained his Actors' Equity card.

Burgess made his Broadway debut in 2005, playing Eddie in Good Vibrations and then appearing that same year as Hal Miller in Jersey Boys. In 2007, he originated the role of Sebastian the Crab in The Little Mermaid, performing opposite Sierra Boggess, Sean Palmer, and Norm Lewis. Two years later, he took on the role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson — a part traditionally played by a white actor — in the 2009 Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls. His stage work during this period also included regional productions of The Wiz and Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as a performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" at the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising concert Broadway Backwards in March 2013. He was cast as The Witch in a 2015 DreamCatcher Theatre production of Into the Woods, presented at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, a role that had traditionally been played by a female performer.

Beyond the stage, Burgess appeared in Season 5 of 30 Rock as D'Fwan, a member of Tracy Jordan's wife's entourage, reprising the role in Season 6. He also appeared in episodes of Miracle Workers and The Good Fight in 2019. His most prominent screen credit came on March 6, 2015, when Netflix released the first season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, in which he starred as Titus Andromedon, Kimmy's roommate. The role earned him five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, as well as a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2015 Critics' Choice Television Awards. The series ran from 2015 to 2020. From 2020 to 2022, Burgess voiced Cole Tillerman in the animated musical series Central Park, alongside Leslie Odom Jr., Kristen Bell, Daveed Diggs, Josh Gad, Kathryn Hahn, and Stanley Tucci. On January 1, 2021, he starred as Remy in a benefit concert presentation of Ratatouille the Musical, which streamed on TodayTix and originated as an internet meme on TikTok. On December 2, 2021, he played Rooster Hannigan in the NBC television special Annie Live!. In 2023, he appeared as the Narrator in the second season of the Apple TV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon!.

In June 2016, Burgess reprised his role of Sebastian the Crab alongside Norm Lewis, who returned as King Triton, in a Hollywood Bowl concert production of The Little Mermaid featuring Sara Bareilles, Rebel Wilson, and Darren Criss. He also contributed a voice role to The Angry Birds Movie in 2016 and served as a guest judge on the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in 2017.

Burgess returned to Broadway in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, playing Harold Zidler from October 10 to December 17, 2023. He subsequently took over the title role in Oh, Mary!, playing Mary Todd Lincoln in a temporary engagement from March to April 2025, and reprising the role from June 23 to August 2, 2025. His discography includes the Jersey Boys original cast recording, a debut solo studio album titled Here's To You released in 2006, The Little Mermaid original cast recording from 2008, a 2018 audiobook narration of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and a 2019 solo album titled Saint Tituss. Burgess is gay and has been open about his identity throughout his public career.