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Jeffrey Omura | |
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Born | |
Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BA) |
Occupation(s) | Actor, politician, labor organizer |
Years active | 2007–present |
Political party | Democratic |
Jeffrey Omura (born April 23, 1985) is an American actor, politician, and labor organizer. [1] He has worked onscreen in acclaimed shows such as Succession, Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods, and Gossip Girl as well as onstage with The Public Theater, [2] Weston Playhouse and Hartford Stage.
Jeffrey Omura was born at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan, on April 23, 1985. Raised in the suburb of Okemos, Michigan, Omura is of Japanese descent and is the third child of Linda Omura (née Ratliff) and Glenn Omura. The couple met while attending Michigan State University, and were married in 1969 – only two years after interracial marriage was legalized in the United States by Loving v. Virginia. [3] [ relevant? – discuss ]
Omura graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2007. [4]
Omura has acted in several theatre roles (see acting credits below). In 2007, Omura was cast in The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Michael Greif. [5] In 2008, Omura earned his Actors' Equity Association union card performing in The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks [6] , an early musical written by Tony Award nominee Joe Iconis (based on the children book series of the same name written by Nancy McArthur).
Omura made his television debut on The CW's Gossip Girl episode "Desperately Seeking Serena," playing Todd Jansen, the ex-boyfriend of Nelly Yuki. [7] The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) featured Omura in its 2009 Walt Disney Television Casting Project showcase. [8]
Omura was a volunteer for the 2004 John Kerry campaign, registering students in Okemos, Michigan to vote [9] . In 2008, Omura spent a month as a full-time field organizer for the Barack Obama campaign in Lansing, Michigan [ citation needed ]. In 2018, Omura campaigned for congressional candidate Katie Hill in Santa Clarita, California. Omura was active in two 2020 Democratic campaigns: first, Elizabeth Warren's Democratic Primary campaign in New Hampshire; and then Joe Biden's Presidential campaign in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [3]
In 2016, the Actors' Equity Association renegotiated its agreement with the Off-Broadway League of Theaters. [10] Omura created and led the Fair Wage On-stage grassroots movement to demand higher wages. [11] With their help, Equity negotiated record-breaking wage increases from 32% to 83%. [12] In 2017, Omura ran for a seat on Equity's National Council and won a three-year term. [13] In 2018, he was elected the chair of the International Actors Committee, allowing him to advocate for immigrant artists. [14] Omura was re-elected to Equity's Council in 2020, where he helped and supported union members during an industry-wide shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [15] He was influential in resolving a public jurisdictional battle between SAG-AFTRA and Equity. [16] Omura is one of the organizers behind the #BeAnArtsHero campaign, which organized the national arts sector to collectively lobby Congress for direct arts relief during the 2020 pandemic. The campaign was instrumental in securing $15 billion for the arts. [17] [18]
In 2021, City & State New York named Omura in their Labor 40 Under 40 List in recognition of his work with Actors Equity Association. [19]
Omura ran unsuccessfully to represent New York City Council District 6 in 2021, losing the Democratic primary to then-Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. [20] [21]
Primary election | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Gale Brewer | 21,594 | 54.8% | |
Democratic | Maria Danzilo | 5,834 | 14.8% | |
Democratic | Sara Lind | 5,166 | 13.1% | |
Democratic | Jeffrey Omura | 3,922 | 9.9% | |
Democratic | David Gold | 1,867 | 4.7% | |
Democratic | Zack Weiner | 959 | 2.4% | |
Democratic | Write-ins | 57 | 0.1% | |
Total votes | 39,399 | 100.0% |
Year | Title | Role | Season/Episode |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Gossip Girl | Todd Jansen | 1/15 |
2011 | Damages | Henry Thain | |
2011 | White Collar | Chad Stewart | |
2013 | The Michael J. Fox Show | Ted | |
2014 | Blue Bloods | Patrick Dunleavy | |
2014 | High Maintenance | Brandon | |
2016 | Limitless | Danny | |
2016 | The Blacklist | Trey | |
2016 | The Interestings | Robert Takahashi | |
2017 | Gone | Kyle Parrish | |
2018 | Elementary | Sonny Kwan | |
2018 | Succession | Rob |
Year | Production | Role(s) | Director / Production or Location | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | Romeo & Juliet | Ensemble | Michael Greif, Shakespeare in the Park | Off-Broadway | [23] |
2008 | The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks | Jason; Mackenzie | Joe Iconis, TheatreWorks USA | [24] | |
2013 | La Dispute | Azor | Darko Tresnjak, Hartford Stage | Regional | [25] |
2014 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Paul Mason Barnes, Repertory Theater of St. Louis | [26] | ||
2015 | Charles Francis Chan, Jr.'s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery | Charles Francis Chan (Frank Chan); Hastings | Ed Iskandar, NAATCO | Off-Broadway | [27] |
2016 | House Rules | JJ | Ralph Pena, Ma-Yi | [28] | |
2016 | Hamlet | Horatio | Patricia McGregor, The Public Theater | [29] | |
2017 | Captain Brassbound's Conversion | Felix Drinkwater | David Staller, Gingold Theatrical Group | [30] | |
2018 | Hello from the Children of Planet Earth | William | Jade King Carroll, Playwrights' Realm | [31] | |
2019 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf | Nick | Mike Donahue, Weston Playhouse | Regional | [32] |
2019 | Fruiting Bodies | Eddie; Morel; ten-year old | Shelley Butler, Ma-Yi | Off-Broadway | [33] |
2019 | On That Day in Amsterdam | Kevin | Kareem Fahmy, Cherry Lane Theatre | [34] | |
2019 | Take Me Out | [35] | |||
2022 | Change Agent | Cord Meyer | Craig Lucas, Arena Stage | Regional | [36] |
King Lear | Ed Iskandar, Exit, Pursued by a Bear | [ citation needed ] | |||
Macbeth | Lennox | Regional | [37] |