Jason Stuart
Jason Stuart is a prolific character actor and stand-up comic. Born in the Bronx and raised in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, he now resides in Palm Springs next door to his 85-year-old Jewish mother, Gloria, though he does not live with her! Stuart is a self-described insecure Jewish kid who turned to theater and performing to mask his emerging sexual identity. He confesses, “Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl saved my life.” Streisand inspired him in such a deep, indescribable way that, like many other gay men of a certain age, he ironically found himself attracted to Omar Sharif. He has overcome typecasting by playing Joseph Randall, a heterosexual Christian plantation owner in 1831, in a major supporting role in one of the most talked-about films in recent history, The Birth of a Nation, from filmmaker Nate Parker. This drama reflected the prejudice he has fought against his entire life and gave him the confidence he has today.
As an LGBTQ rights advocate, Stuart reflects his enlightenment and life’s calling through his subtle characterizations, combining his humanitarian beliefs with his mastery of the craft of acting. As a teenager, he played Santa Claus in a play, and wearing a fat suit afforded him the insight that being a Jewish and closeted gay teenager was like wearing a Santa fat suit. A huge fan of I Love Lucy, Stuart noticed that Ms. Ball got the biggest laughs when she was pregnant. He realized the key to great acting is doing the unexpected, and he performed the role as if he were “Lucy” pregnant—a formula that has worked for him, and he hasn’t looked back since.
Hollywood began to take notice, casting him in films like Kindergarten Cop and Vegas Vacation, as well as TV shows like The Closer and My Wife & Kids. Frustrated by years of living in the closet, Jason chose to come out publicly on an infamous episode of Geraldo Rivera focused on “Unconventional Comedians.” He went on to guest on shows such as Goliath opposite J.K. Simmons, Love from comedy guru Judd Apatow, and indie films like Tangerine from filmmaker Sean Baker and Love Is Strange opposite John Lithgow and Alfred Molina. Stuart hit comedy gold with co-star and co-creator Mitch Hara for their Amazon comedy series Smothered, which won the Indie Series Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy. This success led to a wave of interest for Stuart and Hara as content creators, hitting a nerve in the zeitgeist and giving them new material, energy, and purpose. Their motto is, “We do not wait for permission to create.” Season 2 of Smothered garnered 11 Indie Series Awards nominations for co-acting, co-writing, and co-producing, and is now available on Amazon, YouTube, Revry, Apple TV, and more.
These days, Jason keeps his comedy chops polished through stand-up gigs all over the country, with his recent comedy album I’m the Daddy and I Have Candy featured on Sirius XM Radio. He is also a sought-after speaker on diversity in the workplace with his autobiography, Shut Up, I’m Talking!. Additionally, he serves as the National Co-Chairman of the SAG-AFTRA LGBTQ Committee, which he co-created in 2004. He has recently completed several projects that are streaming, including diverse roles in the thriller Immortal opposite Sam Levine and starring Dylan Baker and Tony Todd, the action film Abducted on Showtime (playing detectives in both), and a starring role in the indie drama Hank from director Hongyu “Neo” Li, about a couple considering an open relationship. This film continues to earn high praise at numerous festivals, including winning Best LGBTQ Short at the Los Angeles International Film Festival and earning a nomination for Best Actor at the Glendale International Film Festival.
Stuart, one of the busiest and most respected actors and stand-up comics, always remembers the genius of Lucille Ball and the words of Viola Davis: “My dreams had to be bigger than my fears.” He keeps his eye on the big prize: a substantial role in a major Hollywood feature film. But he always remembers where he came from. “My dad, who passed away 10 years ago, was a Jewish immigrant who always said to me (in a thick Polish accent), ‘When you go to the interview, wear a tie and show them you mean business.’” Stuart took that to mean, “Be your best self,” and that is who he strives to be.
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