Levi Kreis
| Levi Kreis | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Levi Todd Kreis |
| Born |
November 4, 1981 Oliver Springs, Tennessee |
| Origin | Oliver Springs, Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | Gospel, pop, Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actor |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, guitar |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Centaur Entertainment |
| Website | www.LeviKreis.com |
Levi Kreis (born November 4, 1981) is an American recording artist and Tony Award-winning actor from Oliver Springs, Tennessee.
Music career
His debut album was released on November 17, 2005, accompanied by an appearance on a special XM radio edition of NBC's The Apprentice. Four hopefuls were chosen from thousands of submissions. The two teams had a challenge to write, record, produce and package an artist for XM's station XM Cafe. Levi Kreis and his team won the challenge, launching Levi's recording career worldwide. He has since released four studio albums with plans for a fifth in 2010.
Acting career
As an actor, Levi was cast in the role of "Roger" in the national tour of RENT. He next starred in the award-winning independent film "Don't Let Go" starring Katharine Ross and Scott Wilson. He also played opposite Matthew McConaughey with the role of "Adam Meiks" in Bill Paxton's directorial debut Frailty.
Levi originated the role of Jerry Lee Lewis in Broadway's new musical Million Dollar Quartet. On June 13, 2010, he received the Tony Award for "Best Featured Actor In A Musical" for the role.[1] However, he had to leave the show on March 3, 2011, due to an injury.[2]
Personal life
In the May 2010 edition of The Rage Monthly, a San Diego gay lifestyle magazine, Kreis answered questions from the author Bill Biss about coming out:
- "I think it was the first of many moves toward me dispelling what I call the illusion of limitation. To think that opportunities become limited because of anything such as sexuality, age, race, etc, is to not have faith in the absolute support the universe has in our creative expression. It's like telling God that He is incapable! It's like telling me that there is something wrong with me. I can't subscribe to any of this anymore. I believe nature even teaches us that all life supports itself, and that very support is ours to the degree we believe it to be. I believe that God is all-supportative, all-good and there is no opposition to that. To live in this space, own whom you are and step into life with this level of authority and faith is how I hoped to live ever since I released that first CD and came out."[3]
Discography
- "One of the Ones" (2005)
- "The Gospel According To Levi" (2007)
- "Bygones" (2008)
- "Where I Belong" (2009)
- "Imagine Paradise"(2013)
References
- ↑ "Who's Nominated?". Tony Awards. IBM Corp. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
- ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "Tony Award Winner Levi Kreis Exits Million Dollar Quartet Early Due to Injury" playbill.com, March 11, 2011.
- ↑ Biss, Bill (May 3, 2010). "Levi Kreis is an Out Entertainer with Faith, Passion and Spirit". Rage Monthly.