The talented actor Colman Domingo has been delivering terrific performances for years, building a body of work that showcases both his singular screen presence and versatility as an actor. In one of this summer’s most uniquely moving films, “Sing Sing,” he plays a prison playwright who finds salvation on the stage while incarcerated in a maximum security prison.
It’s one of his most stirring performances yet, but for anyone who has followed his career, it comes as no surprise, as Domingo has been demonstrating his abilities in a variety of roles.
The actor had a breakout year in 2023, with an Academy Award nomination for best actor for his turn in the Netflix biopic “Rustin,” playing the civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, who helped to organize the March on Washington. He also co-starred in the splashy musical adaptation of the Broadway stage play (itself adapted from the Steven Spielberg film) “The Color Purple,” playing the evil Mister, the abusive husband to Fantasia’s Celie. Domingo has a special talent for playing both heroes and villains, as demonstrated by this breakout year, and his awards season fashions proved his star quality as well. Stream “Rustin” on Netflix and “The Color Purple” on Max.
He also has a small, but memorable role in the ’90s-style crime caper (with a lesbian twist) “Drive-Away Dolls” directed by Ethan Coen and written by Coen and his wife, Tricia Cooke. Starring Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan, Domingo plays a crime boss who sets off on their tails when the pair take off with a rental car that has a high-value stash in the trunk. Stream “Drive-Away Dolls” on Peacock or rent elsewhere.
