Alex Ko | |
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Born | |
Occupation(s) | Film director, film screenwriter, actor |
Years active | 2009–present |
Nicholas Alexander Ko (born February 3, 1996) is an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He won the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical on Broadway in 2009.
Ko is the middle child of three children. He was born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa. Ko's father, Cheukman Sam Ko, was born in Hong Kong where he was working professionally including projects: Shanghai Surprise and The Protector (1985 film). [1] Ko's father became an entrepreneur after relocating to the United States in 1992 and died of cancer when Alex was 11 years old. [2] His mother, Tammie Cumming, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in DeLand, Florida. At the age of 13, Ko and his family relocated to New York City to perform the title role of Billy in "Billy Elliot the Musical" on Broadway. Ko said that his household is influenced heavily by the Chinese culture. [2]
Ko won National and Regional Dance and Gymnastics Championship titles since the age of 5-years old. [3] He was the youngest student admitted to The University of Iowa Department of Dance, where he earned college credit and a 4.0 grade-point-average. [4] He was also awarded full scholarships to Steps on Broadway and the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. [2]
After attending elementary school at the age of 12, Ko was accepted to The University of Iowa in Iowa City under Iowa's Talented and Gifted law and dual-enrolled in the Iowa City Home School Assistance Program. [2]
Ko continued his dance education at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School (ballet) – Pre-Professional Division of the American Ballet Theatre. [2]
Ko attended high school at the Professional Children's School in New York City and went on to study and graduated with honors from the American University of Paris.
BroadwayKo played the title role in the Broadway musical, Billy Elliot the Musical , as the first replacement Billy for Kiril Kulish. Ko was discovered when taking classes for one week at Steps on Broadway during the summer of 2008. [2] He relocated in 2009 to New York City from Iowa with his family. Alex made his Broadway debut on 6 October 2009 and made his final performance as Billy on 15 May 2011. [5] TelevisionKo made a cameo appearance at Sugarland's televised broadcast of their Unstaged concert held in NYC in October 2010. He went on to make his national television debut in November 2010 (NBC) and February 2011(Hallmark Channel), when he appeared as a guest artist on NBC's production of Shall We Dance On Ice? with a solo performance and a duet with Broadway performer, Cody Green. [6] Ko also appeared in a guest role on ABC Family's Bunheads in June 2012 directed by Kenny Ortega . [7] [8] AutobiographyUpon leaving his role as "Billy" in Billy Elliot the Musical, Ko announced he was represented by literary agent, Charlotte Sheedy, and secured a contract with HarperCollins to publish a book about his life's journey to Broadway. His autobiography, Alex Ko: From Iowa to Broadway, My Billy Elliot Story, was published on 30 April 2013. The book trailer, published by HarperCollins, [9] was produced and directed by Stephen Daldry. FilmographyAfter moving to Paris at the age of 18, Ko went on to direct, produce, and write short films, including Ça va 2016 [10] and The Duck in 2018. [11] The Duck premiered at the Arizona International Film Festival in 2019 [12] and was also featured at the Motovun Film Festival in July 2019. [13] Awards and honorsOn 17 June 2010, Ko received the Broadway Beacon award for his performance in the title role of "Billy", along with the four other boys, Jacob Clemente, Michael Dameski, Liam Redhead and Dayton Tavares, who were rotating in the role in Billy Elliot the Musical on Broadway. [14] Ko was an honoured guest at a reception held by President Barack Obama at The White House on 28 May 2013 held to honor the contribution of Asian Americans in the arts. [15] Alex Ko's short film, The Yellow Dress, won the 2020 Austin Film Festival (AFF) Narrative Short Audience Award. [16] Related Research ArticlesBilly Elliot is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy who discovers a passion for ballet. His father objects, based on negative stereotypes of male ballet dancers. The film stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, Gary Lewis as his father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older brother, and Julie Walters as his ballet teacher. Hinton Govorn Battle Jr. was an American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer. He won three Tony Awards, all in the category of Featured Actor in a Musical. He was the first to portray the Scarecrow in the stage version of The Wiz. Lar Lubovitch is an American choreographer. He founded his own dance company, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company in 1968. Based in New York City, the company has performed in all 50 American states as well as in more than 30 countries. As of 2005, he had choreographed more than 100 dances for the company. In addition to the company, Lubovitch has also done creative work in ballet, ice-skating venues, and musical theater, notably Into the Woods. He has played a key role in raising funds to fight AIDS. Billy Elliot: The Musical is a coming-of-age stage musical based on the 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy, a motherless British boy who begins taking ballet lessons. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the 1984–85 UK miners' strike in County Durham, in North East England. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage. Liam Mower is an English actor and dancer. Best known for his talent for ballet, he was one of the three boys who shared the lead role in the original London cast of Billy Elliot the Musical which earned a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, making him the youngest nominee and the youngest solo winner in the category aged 13. He is currently employed by Matthew Bourne and has appeared in his production of Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and The Car Men. Matthew Koon is a British actor and dancer. Layton Williams is an English actor, singer, dancer and musical theatre performer known for playing the role of Stephen Carmichael in the television series Bad Education and his work in the West End theatre. His first job was at the age of twelve playing the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical in London's West End. Oliver Taylor is an English stage actor and dancer, best known for playing the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London. Trent Matthias Kowalik is an American actor, singer, dancer, and music producer. After making his theatrical debut as Billy in 2007 in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical, he went on to co-originate the same role in the 2008 Broadway production. Along with the two other boys playing Billy, he earned a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, becoming the youngest winner in that category. Corey Snide is an American actor and dancer best known for his performance as Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical based on the hit film Billy Elliot. Snide is a graduate of Colonie Central High School, and of Juilliard. Robbie Fairchild is an American dancer and actor. He is best known for originating the role Jerry Mulligan in the musical An American in Paris, and as Munkustrap in the 2019 film Cats. He was a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet. Kiril Jacob Kulish is an American actor, singer and dancer who is best known for portraying the title role in the original American production of Billy Elliot the Musical, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, making him one of the youngest winners of the award. David Alvarez is a Canadian dancer and actor, best known for being one of the original Billys in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot the Musical and becoming one of the youngest winners of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. He trained as a dancer with American Ballet Theatre and plays Bernardo in Steven Spielberg's 2021 film version of West Side Story. Tommy Batchelor is an American theatre performer from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Cesar Corrales is a Mexican-Canadian ballet dancer and actor. He starred as "Young Billy" in the Chicago and Toronto productions of Billy Elliot the Musical and has been a principal dancer with English National Ballet. He is now a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet. Jacob Clemente is an American actor and dancer. He is best known for his portrayal of "Billy" in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot: The Musical. Giuseppe Bausilio is a Swiss actor, dancer, and singer. Bausilio is known for his theater roles, such portrayal of "Billy" in the Broadway, Chicago, and National Tour productions of Billy Elliot the Musical, as well as his performances as "Race" and "Davey" in the Broadway production of Newsies the Musical. He also starred as Alfie in fourth season of the Canadian television series The Next Step, and as Michael Fiorelli in the 2020 film Ode to Passion. Ryan Steele is an American dancer and actor. He has performed on Broadway and in other performances, as well as in film and television. He is best known for the role of Specs in the 2012 musical Newsies. Billy Elliot the Musical Live is a 2014 British filmed version of Elton John's coming-of-age stage musical Billy Elliot the Musical (2005), which in turn was based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. Stephen Daldry directed both the original film and the 2014 musical adaptation. Jordan Samuels is an American actor, dancer, and singer. References
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