Leslie Odom Jr. was having a perfectly good TV career, with recurring roles in such series as "CSI: Miami," "Smash," "Person of Interest" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Then he landed Aaron Burr in the much-honored Broadway hit "Hamilton" _ winning one of its 11 Tony Awards and singing that showstopper "The Room Where It Happens."
Now Odom, 38, plays another historical figure: 19th-century Philadelphia businessman and abolitionist William Still in the Harriet Tubman drama "Harriet," opening in theaters Friday. Secretly a leader of the Underground Railroad, a network of safe houses that helped escaped slaves find freedom, he was among those who aided the daring Tubman as she repeatedly risked death traveling south to liberate slaves.
Born and raised in Flushing, Queens, N.Y., before moving with his family to Philadelphia at about age 7, Odom earned a fine-arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 2003. In addition to acting, he has released jazz albums and an inspirational book for young readers. Odom, who with his actress wife Nicolette Robinson has a 2 {-year-old daughter, Lucille, spoke with Newsday contributor Frank Lovece.
