Brian J. Smith

Brian Jacob Smith (born October 12, 1981) is an American actor, known for his role as Will Gorski in the Netflix-produced series Sense8,[1] Lieutenant Matthew Scott in the military science fiction television series Stargate Universe, and his Tony Award-nominated role as Jim O'Connor (The Gentleman Caller) in the 2013 revival of The Glass Menagerie.[2]

Brian J. Smith
Smith in 2010
Born
Brian Jacob Smith

(1981-10-12) October 12, 1981
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Education
OccupationActor
Years active2005–present

Early life and education

Smith is a native of Allen, Texas.[1] He studied at the Quad C Theatre program at Collin County Community College in Plano, Texas.[3] After he was an apprentice for one year at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, Smith moved to New York City to attend the Juilliard School Drama Division's four-year acting program (Group 36: 2003–2007),[4] where one of his classmates was Nicole Beharie.[5] Smith graduated from Juilliard with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Career

While enrolled at Collin College, Smith worked as theatre technician.[6] He was later cast as Alex in A Clockwork Orange in a Quad C Theatre production to a positive review from the Dallas Observer.[7] In 2005, he portrayed Trey, a gay man facing intolerance from the son of a fundamentalist preacher, in Hate Crime, an independent film that featured at gay and lesbian film festivals around the United States.

Upon graduating from Juilliard, Smith briefly considered joining the US Army due to several setbacks in his career.[8]

Smith eventually received acting roles in two more independent films, Red Hook and The War Boys. In 2008, he appeared on Broadway in the play Come Back, Little Sheba as the character Turk.[1][9] Smith was cast as Lieutenant Matthew Scott, a lead role in the 2009 Stargate television series, Stargate Universe, until its cancellation in 2010. He also guest-starred on Law & Order in 2009.

In 2011, Smith recurred on The CW's Gossip Girl and starred in the SyFy original film Red Faction: Origins. In April 2012, he began his run as Andrei in the hit Broadway show, The Columnist, which ended in July 2012. His next projects included the mini-series Coma from producer Tony Scott and an appearance on Warehouse 13 for SyFy.

From September 2013 to February 2014, he played The Gentleman Caller in a Broadway production of Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie at the Booth Theatre.[10] This role earned him 2014 Drama Desk and Tony Award nominations as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play. In 2015, he appeared in the pilot episode of Quantico as one of the new FBI recruits.

Smith was a lead cast member on the Netflix original series Sense8 (2015-2018) playing the character Will Gorski. He followed up with main roles on Treadstone,[11] a serial spin-off of the Bourne films, and the BBC World War II drama mini series World on Fire in 2019.[12]

Personal life

On November 7, 2019, Smith came out as gay in an interview with Attitude.[13]

Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2005 Hate Crime Trey McCoy
2009 The War Boys George
2009 Red Hook Chappy
2011 Red Faction: Origins Jake Mason Television film
2016 22 Chaser Ben
2016 The Passing Season Sam Alden
2021 The Matrix 4 Filming
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2004 Stargate Atlantis Soldier Season 1 Episode:10 "the storm"
2009 Law & Order Derek Sherman Episode: "Crimebusters"
2009–11 Stargate Universe Matthew Scott Main role; 40 episodes
2009–10 Stargate Universe Kino Matthew Scott Main role; 10 episodes
2010 Agatha Christie's Poirot Hector MacQueen Episode: "Murder on the Orient Express"
2011 Gossip Girl Max Harding 6 episodes
2012 Warehouse 13 Jesse Ashton Episode: "Personal Effects"
2012 Coma Paul Carpin 2 episodes
2012 The Good Wife Ricky Waters Episode: "The Art of War"
2012 Person of Interest Shayn Coleman Episode: "Shadow Box"
2013 Blue Bloods Robert Carter Episode: "Devil's Breath"
2013 Defiance Gordon McClintlock 2 episodes
2013 Unforgettable John Curtis Episode: "Past Tense"
2015–2018 Sense8 Will Gorski Main role; 24 episodes
2015 Quantico Eric Packer Episode: "Run"
2018 L.A. Confidential Ed Exley Unsold series pilot
2019 Treadstone Doug McKenna Main role; 10 episodes
2019 World on Fire Webster Main role; 7 episodes

Theatre
Year Title Role Notes
2008 Come Back, Little Sheba Turk Manhattan Theatre Club
Broadway
2008 Good Boys and True Brandon Second Stage Theatre
Off-Broadway
2008 Three Changes Gordon Playwrights Horizons
Off-Broadway
2012 The Columnist Andrei Manhattan Theatre Club
Broadway
2013 The Glass Menagerie The Gentleman Caller American Repertory Theater
Boston, MA
2013 The Glass Menagerie The Gentleman Caller Booth Theatre
Broadway
2017 The Glass Menagerie The Gentleman Caller Duke of York's Theatre
London, UK
2017 Sweet Bird of Youth Chance Wayne Chichester Festival Theatre

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result
2013 Elliot Norton Award Outstanding Ensemble The Glass Menagerie Won
2014 Tony Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Nominated
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Won
Broadway.com Audience Choice Award Favorite Featured Actor in a Play Nominated
Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Male) Nominated
BroadwayWorld.com Award Best Featured Actor in a Play Won

References
  1. Sumner, Darren (January 15, 2009). "Brian J. Smith cast in Stargate Universe". GateWorld. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
  2. League, The Broadway. "The Glass Menagerie – Broadway Play – 2013 Revival | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  3. "Brian J. Smith Adds Dimension to Menagerie | New York Theatre Magazine". nytheatremag.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  4. "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. November 2009. Archived from the original on November 11, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  5. "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. March 2010. Archived from the original on November 11, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  6. "BrianSmith". www.collintheatrecenter.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  7. Liner, Elaine (October 10, 2002). "Droog Addicts". Dallas Observer.
  8. Hoffman, Barbara (November 17, 2013). "Meet the new hottie burning up Broadway". New York Post. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  9. Brantley, Ben (January 25, 2008). "So Quiet You Can Hear a Heart Stop". The New York Times. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  10. "Brian J. Smith". Playbill. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  11. Andreeva, Nellie (November 8, 2018). "'Treadstone': Jeremy Irvine & Brian J. Smith Cast In USA's 'Bourne' Series". Deadline. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  12. "Who Is Brian J. Smith? 'World On Fire's Webster Feels A Real Connection With His Character". Bustle. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  13. "'Sense8' star Brian J. Smith recalls growing up gay and 'terrified' in suburban Texas". Attitude.co.uk. November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
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