Jesse L. Martin (born Jesse Lamont Watkins; January 18, 1969 in Rocky Mount, Virginia) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for originating the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical RENT and his television roles as NYPD Detective Ed Green on Law & Order and Detective Joe West on The Flash (2014).
He appeared in:
- Guiding Light (1992) as Keith
- Timon of Athens (1993) as Alcibiades' Officer, Second Masseur
- Arabian Nights (1994) as Prince of Fools, Clarinetist, Boy
- New York Undercover (1995, 1998) as Mustafa Hawkins, Kaylen Foster
- One Life to Live (1995) as Quincy
- RENT (1996, 1998, 2005) as Tom Collins (both the inaugural play and the 2005 film adaptation)
- 413 Hope St. (1997-98) as Antonio Collins
- Ally McBeal (1998-99) as Dr. Greg Butters
- The X-Files (1999) as Josh Exley
- Law & Order as Detective Ed Green
- Law & Order (1999-2008)
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-2000)
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001)
- Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005)
- A Christmas Carol: The Musical (2004) as Ghost of Christmas Present, Ticket Seller
- A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008) as Postal Worker
- The Philanthropist (2009) as Philip Maidstone
- The Merchant of Venice (2010) as Gratiano
- The Winter's Tale (2010) as King Polixenes
- Romeo and Juliet (2012) as Gregory, Friar John, Watchman 2
- Joyful Noise (2012) as Marcus Hill
- Smash (2013) as Scott Nichols
- Arrowverse as Detective Joe West
- The Flash (2014-present)
- Flash vs. Arrow (2014)
- Heroes Join Forces (2015)
- Invasion! (2016)
- Crisis on Earth-X (2017)
- Sofia the First (2016-17) as Kai (voice)
- The Irrational as Alec Mercer (2023)
Tropes
- Big Applesauce: His works are usually set on New York. He himself was born (and resides) there.
- Gentle Giant: His nicer characters are this by default thanks to him being 6'3.
- Shakespearean Actors: He is a classically trained actor and has appeared on a number of Shakespearean plays.
- Made his Broadway debut in Timon of Athens.
- He performed twice (The Merchant of Venice and The Winter's Tale specifically) at the New York Shakespearean in the Park.
- He performed Romeo and Juliet during the 50th anniversary of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, New York.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: His characters tend to be slickly dressed. Doubles as Badass in a Nice Suit in the cases of Ed Green and Joe West.
- Star-Making Role: He is one of the inaugural cast of the wildly acclaimed Broadway show, RENT. As a screen actor, Det. Ed Green in Law & Order.
- Tall, Dark, and Snarky: His more cynical roles tend to be Deadpan Snarkers.
- Typecasting: Showrunners just love casting him as a cop.
