John Clarence Stewart
John Clarence Stewart | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 16, 1988 Stone Mountain, Georgia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Columbus State University (BFA) Kennesaw State University (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2013–present |
John Clarence Stewart (born August 16, 1988) is an American actor and singer, best known for his role as Simon on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020–21). Prior to that, Stewart was recognized for portraying Alex Wesley on Luke Cage (2016–18) and Lionel on What/If (2019).
Early life
[edit]Stewart was born in 1987 in Stone Mountain, Georgia.[1][2][3] He initially attended Shiloh High School before transferring to George Walton Academy on a football scholarship for one year. His senior year he transferred back to Shiloh High School. He performed in his school musical Once on This Island. He attended Columbus State University, graduating in 2009 with a BFA in Performance Theater. He then attended Kennesaw State University, graduating in 2012 with a BA in Theater and Performance Studies and Dance.[4][5] Thereafter he performed educational theatre for Kaiser Permanente, along with many plays at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre including The Whipping Man, Choir Boy and A Christmas Carol. He also taught at the theatre's summer camp. While working on Choir Boy, John understudied the production at Manhattan Theatre Club (which co-produced with Alliance Theatre). John premiered the role of Tray in brownsville song (b-side for tray) at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Before moving to New York, John also performed in Bull Durham, a musical adaptation of the film by Ron Shelton, at the Alliance. At 24 years old he moved to New York City and then to Los Angeles to further pursue acting.[3]
Career
[edit]Stewart made his professional debut portraying John in The Whipping Man (2013) at the Alliance Theatre. He performed in additional productions by the theatre and starred as Tray in brownsville song (b-side for tray) (2014) at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and as Wanre in Fit for a Queen (2016) at the Classical Theatre of Harlem.[6][7][8]
In 2015, Stewart made his television debut in Gotham as Officer Griffin Katz. He continued appearing in guest roles on several television shows, with his first major television role as Alex Wesley in Luke Cage (2016–2018). In 2019 he gained further recognition for portraying Lionel in the Netflix series What/If (2019). His breakthrough role came in 2020 portraying Simon in Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.[9]
Filmography
[edit]Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Gotham | Officer Griffin Katz | Episode: "All Happy Families Are Alike" |
| 2015 | The Mysteries of Laura | Clint | Episode: "The Mystery of the Crooked Clubber" |
| 2015 | Blue Bloods | Officer Keith Roosevelt | Episode: "The Bullitt Mustang" |
| 2016–2018 | Luke Cage | Alex Wesley | 13 episodes |
| 2017 | The Good Fight | Leigh Hunter | Episode: "Inauguration" |
| 2017 | Skin Deep | Marcus | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Hawaii Five-0 | Hilo | Episode: "Ke ala o ka pu" |
| 2019 | What/If | Lionel | Main role |
| 2020–2021 | Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist | Simon Haynes | Main role |
| 2022 | P-Valley | Thaddeus Wilks/Big Teak | Recurring |
| 2023 | 9-1-1: Lone Star | Joe | 2 episodes |
References
[edit]- ^ Alexander, Andrew (November 15, 2019). "10 Years of ArtsATL: John Clarence Stewart goes from Alliance to Marvel's "Luke Cage"". ArtsATL. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ NewsDesk (May 4, 2020). "John Clarence Stewart Talks Avoiding Tropes and Black Men Showing Vulnerability". ExBulletin. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Ho, Rodney (May 1, 2020). "INTERVIEW: Atlanta native John Clarence Stewart on playing Simon on "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ "John Clarence Stewart - LinkedIn Profile". LinkedIn. July 7, 2020.
- ^ Scott, Thomas A. (October 14, 2014). "Kennesaw State University Oral History Project" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 7, 2020.
- ^ "John Clarence Stewart theatre profile". AboutTheArtists. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ "Script in Hand Series". Westport County Playhouse. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ "10 Years of ArtsATL: John Clarence Stewart goes from Alliance to Marvel's "Luke Cage"". ArtsATL. November 15, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ "Simon: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Character". NBC. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
