Kenny Leon is a Tony Award-winning Broadway and film director. His Broadway credits include the revival of Children of a Lesser God, the Tupac musical Holler If You Hear Me, A Raisin in the Sun starring Denzel Washington (Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Best Revival of a Play), The Mountaintop starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, Stick Fly produced by Alicia Keys, August Wilson's Fences (which garnered ten Tony nominations and won three Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play), Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf, as well as A Raisin in the Sun starring Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. Leon's recent television work includes "Hairspray Live!", and "The Wiz Live!" on NBC. Awards include the 2016 "Mr. Abbott" Award, and the 2010 Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing by the Drama League of New York. Prior to co-founding True Colors Theatre Company, he served 11 years as Artistic Director of The Alliance Theatre, where he produced the premieres of Disney's Elaborate Lives: The Legend of Aida, Pearl Cleage's Blues for an Alabama Sky and Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Other directorial credits include Alicia Keys World Tour, Toni Morrison's opera Margaret Garner, the world premiere of Flashdance The Musical, and the complete August Wilson Century Cycle at the Kennedy Center. Leon is a sought after motivational speaker that has done acting and theatre workshops at universities and corporate offices around the country, South Africa and Ireland. He has directed in the UK, and extensively throughout the US, including Chicago's Goodman Theatre, Boston's Huntington Theatre, Baltimore's Center Stage, Los Angeles' Center Theatre Group and New York's Public Theatre. Leon is a graduate of Clark Atlanta and is an honorary Ph.D. recipient of Clark Atlanta and Roosevelt Universities and has served as the Denzel Washington Chair at Fordham University.
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Biography from IMDb.
- Director, actor and producer
- 18 on MovieCove · 26 credits in all
What are Kenny Leon's films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 10
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 3 · Dark 3
Grounded 8 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 2
Gentle 2 · Charged 5 · Intense 3
A split, not a type: Steady 5 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0
Casual 5 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 4
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet6
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Kenny Leon's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Kenny Leon's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
26 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Colin in Black & White(2021)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows
4400(2021)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all shows
Gossip Girl(2021)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows
Ohio State Murders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
A Soldier's Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
The Public's Much Ado About Nothing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
American Son(2019)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Dynasty(2017)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows
Hairspray Live!(2016)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
The Wiz Live!(2015)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
In My Dreams(2014)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Steel Magnolias(2012)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
A Raisin in the Sun(2008)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Private Practice(2007)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows
Ghost Whisperer(2005)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows
The Kudzu Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Big Ain't Bad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Rosa Parks Story(2002)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
The Nightman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Web of Deceit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Case Closed(1988)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 26 titles from 1988 to 2024.
Film career
- 2002Screen debut· The Rosa Parks Story
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Kenny Leon's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th7
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
10 of their 18 titles are Mixed.
- Divisive2
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed10
Reviewers score the atmosphere 62/100 and the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Kenny Leon work with?
People who share at least 2 of Kenny Leon's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Craig Zadan shares the most, 4.
Writers
- Harvey FiersteinShared titles: Hairspray Live! (2016), The Making of the Wiz Live! (2015), The Wiz Live! (2015)See all 3 shared titles with Harvey Fierstein
Actors
- David Alan GrierShared titles: The Making of the Wiz Live! (2015), The Wiz Live! (2015), The Watsons Go to Birmingham (2013)See all 3 shared titles with David Alan Grier
- Queen LatifahShared titles: The Making of the Wiz Live! (2015), The Wiz Live! (2015), Steel Magnolias (2012)See all 3 shared titles with Queen Latifah
- Elijah KelleyShared titles: The Making of the Wiz Live! (2015), The Wiz Live! (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Elijah Kelley
- Mary J. BligeShared titles: The Making of the Wiz Live! (2015), The Wiz Live! (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Mary J. Blige
Cinematographers and editors
- Melissa KentShared titles: Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (2021), American Son (2019), A Raisin in the Sun (2008)See all 3 shared titles with Melissa Kent
- Bill DeRondeShared titles: Hairspray Live! (2016), The Wiz Live! (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Bill DeRonde
- Michael PolitoShared titles: Hairspray Live! (2016), The Wiz Live! (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Polito
- James ChressanthisShared titles: In My Dreams (2014), The Watsons Go to Birmingham (2013)See all 2 shared titles with James Chressanthis
Producers
- Craig ZadanShared titles: Hairspray Live! (2016), The Wiz Live! (2015), Steel Magnolias (2012), A Raisin in the Sun (2008)See all 4 shared titles with Craig Zadan
- Neil MeronShared titles: Hairspray Live! (2016), The Wiz Live! (2015), Steel Magnolias (2012), A Raisin in the Sun (2008)See all 4 shared titles with Neil Meron
- Barclay DeVeauShared titles: Hairspray Live! (2016), The Wiz Live! (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Barclay DeVeau
- Javier WinnikShared titles: Hairspray Live! (2016), The Wiz Live! (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Javier Winnik