Joshua Anthony Charlton Henry (born September 2, 1984) is a Canadian-American, Grammy and Tony Award winning actor and singer of stage and screen, known for his performances in Broadway musicals.
He is best known for starring as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the second Broadway revival of Ragtime, which earned him a Tony Award. He also received Tony Award nominations for his roles as Haywood Patterson in The Scottsboro Boys, Flick in Violet, and Billy Bigelow in the third Broadway revival of Carousel.
Henry starred in the lead role of Aaron Burr in the first United States national tour of Hamilton, previously playing the role in the Chicago production in 2016. His other notable performances include Dr. Jim Pomatter in the Broadway restaging of Waitress, Rapunzel's Prince in the second Broadway revival of Into the Woods which earned him a Grammy Award, and Gaston in Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration. He was also featured in the Broadway casts of In the Heights, American Idiot, Bring It On: The Musical, Porgy and Bess, and Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.
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Early life and education
Henry was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Zadoc Henry (a teacher at Calvary Christian Academy), and raised in Miami, Florida.
His father was a Math teacher and his mother was an accountant. He has an older brother who is a bass player and an older sister who is a public health doctor. His parents are from Jamaica.
He originally wanted to be an accountant, like his mother. However, he was cast as Harold Hill in his high school (Florida Bible Christian School) production of The Music Man and with the experience he changed his mind.
Henry studied theatre at the University of Miami, where he graduated in 2006.
Career
Theatre
Henry made his acting debut when he co-starred as Judas/John the Baptist in the Paper Mill Playhouse (Milburn, New Jersey) production of Godspell in 2006. He was set to star in a 2008 Broadway transfer opposite Gavin Creel as Jesus and Diana DeGarmo, but the project was cancelled.
In 2007, Henry appeared in the ensemble of the Off-Broadway musical In the Heights, re-joining the cast for the show's Broadway production. For In the Heights, the entire cast won a Drama Desk Award, and Henry and the ensemble won an ACCA Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus from Actors' Equity Association.
Henry starred in Serenade, which played off-Broadway from December 9, 2007, to December 15, 2007. In June 2009, Henry contributed original music to the off-Broadway musical Shafrika, The White Girl at the Vineyard Theatre.
In 2009, he also starred in The Wiz as The Tin Man at New York City Center as a part of their Encores! series.
From March 24, 2010 to July 20, 2010 he played "Favorite Son" in the original Broadway cast of the Green Day musical American Idiot. From March 15, 2011 until the show's closing on April 24, 2011 he returned to the role of "Favorite Son" in American Idiot.
Henry then joined the Broadway cast of The Scottsboro Boys, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman with a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb. He portrayed Haywood Patterson, for which he achieved critical praise. The Star Tribune wrote of his performance, "Joshua Henry ... ignites the role of Haywood Patterson as the lightning rod for our identification with the men." Charles Isherwood in The New York Times asserted that Henry "gives a performance of keen intensity as Haywood Patterson, an illiterate young man who becomes the focus of our sympathy as he steadfastly refuses to sign his name to a lie in order to obtain parole. Mr. Henry performs Haywood's ballad of hopeless yearning, 'Go Back Home,' with a powerful simplicity that slashes through the evening's artifice." Despite these positive reviews, The Scottsboro Boys closed within a month. For his performance, Henry was nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, but lost to Norbert Leo Butz in Catch Me If You Can.
Film and television
Henry appeared in the first Sex and the City film in 2008.
He appeared on the television series Kings and Nip/Tuck, as well as the 2010 short film Once Upon a Time in Australia. Henry also appeared in the role of Corporal Quincy Montclair on season 7 of the Lifetime series Army Wives.
In 2017, he starred in his biggest film role, Ben Moran in Renegades. From 2019 to 2021, he appeared in the television series See as Jerlamarel.
Henry also starred in the film adaptation of the musical tick, tick... BOOM! as Roger Bart. He starred alongside Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús, Vanessa Hudgens. It was released in November 2021. Henry received a Black Reel Award nomination for his performance.
In December 2022, Henry starred as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration. He starred alongside H.E.R., Josh Groban, Martin Short, David Alan Grier, Shania Twain, Rizwan Manji, and Rita Moreno.
Music
On September 23, 2008, Henry performed in a concert performance titled Party Worth Crashing in New York City.
Henry, along with Corbin Bleu and Andréa Burns, was featured on "Dare to Go Beyond: The Album", by the nonprofit organization R.Evolución Latina. It was released on December 13, 2010, produced by Luis Salgado.
On January 16, 2011, Henry, Laura Osnes, and Natalie Weiss were featured performers in Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk's You Made This Tour concert at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.
Henry performed in the 92nd Street Y's Lyrics & Lyricists event, honoring Burton Lane, on February 14, 2011.
On February 12, 2021, Henry released his EP Guarantee.
On September 10, 2021, Henry released his debut album Grow.
On December 13, 2022 Henry released his single Can't Nobody Tell Us Nothin'.
In October 2024, he appeared on Eisa Davis and Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical concept album Warriors. He sang the role of Wanya of The Bizzies.
Personal life
In October 2012, he married his college sweetheart, Cathryn Stringer.
The couple announced the birth of their first child, Samson Peter Henry, in October 2018. They welcomed twin sons Max and Leo on March 21, 2021.