Justin Cooley (born June 23, 2003) is an American actor. He was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Seth in the off-Broadway and Broadway theatre productions of Kimberly Akimbo in 2022 and 2023.[2][3]
Justin Cooley | |
|---|---|
 Cooley in 2026 | |
| Born | June 23, 2003[1] |
| Occupation | Actor |
Life and career
editCooley was born to Paul and Julie.[1] He grew up in Overland Park, Kansas,[4] and he attended Olathe East High School.[3] He was named outstanding actor in a lead role for the Blue Star Awards, a regional theatre competition for high school students, and became a finalist for the Jimmy Awards.[4] He enrolled at Texas Christian University, but received an offer to join the cast of Kimberly Akimbo and quickly deferred school for one semester to join the production off-Broadway as Seth.[4] Cooley earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, a Lucille Lortel Awards nomination for Outstanding Leading Performer in a Musical, an Outer Critics Circle Awards nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, and a Theatre World Award for his performance in the off-Broadway production.[2][5]
Cooley made his Broadway debut when Kimberly Akimbo moved to the Booth Theatre.[4] He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance.[3]
Cooley has been announced to portray Leaf Coneybear in New World Stages' production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which opened November 17th, 2025.[6]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Pizza Movie | Byron | Film debut |
Theatre credits
edit| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Kimberly Akimbo | Seth | Atlantic Theater Company | Off-Broadway premiere |
| 2022 | Booth Theater | Broadway | ||
| 2025 | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | Leaf Coneybear | New World Stages | Off-Broadway |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Kimberly Akimbo | Nominated | [2] |
| Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Leading Performer in a Musical | Nominated | [2] | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Nominated | [5] | ||
| Theatre World Award | Honoree | [2] | |||
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Nominated | [3] | |
| 2026 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | Nominated | [7][8] |
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical | Nominated | [9][10][11] | ||
| Dorian Award | Outstanding Featured Performance in an Off-Broadway Production | Nominated | [12][13][14] | ||
References
edit- 1 2 Adler, Eric (June 9, 2023). "'Trial by fire': How this 19-year-old went from Olathe East to Broadway to Tony Awards". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Tauer, Kristen (December 5, 2022). "Justin Cooley Makes His Broadway Debut in 'Kimberly Akimbo'". Yahoo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 Gutierrez, Lisa (May 3, 2023). "Johnson County 19-year-old is up for a Tony Award for debut role in Broadway musical". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 Paulson, Michael (April 26, 2023). "Meet the 19-Year-Old 'Kimberly Akimbo' Actor Who's Charming Broadway". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- 1 2 Gans, Andrew (April 26, 2022). "Nominees for 71st Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards Announced". Playbill.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (July 23, 2024). "Kevin McHale to Lead the Cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee". Playbill.com. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ↑ Gans, Andrew (April 20, 2026). "2026 Drama League Awards Nominations Are Out; Read the Full List". Playbill. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
- ↑ Hipes, Patrick (April 20, 2026). "Daniel Radcliffe, Luke Evans Among Drama League Award Nominees". Deadline. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Outer Critics Circle Award 2026 Nominations". New York Theater. April 21, 2026. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Announcing the 2026 Outer Critics Circle winners: Full list". Broadway News. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Schmigadoon!, Ragtime Win Big at 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards; Read the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ↑ Abourizk, Michael (May 13, 2026). "Dorian Theater Awards announces 2026 nominees". Broadway News. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- ↑ Mandell, Jonathan (May 13, 2026). "2026 Dorian Theater Award Nominations: Schmigadoon, Lost Boys lead". New York Theater. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- ↑ Mandell, Jonathan (June 1, 2026). "2026 Dorian Theater Award winners: Schmigadoon. Prince Faggot. Ragtime: Joshua. Junior. Quincy. Qween". New York Theater. Retrieved June 1, 2026.