Leonard Dozier

LEONARD DEMAR DOZIER WAS BORN ON FEBRUARY 20, 1979 in Somers Point, NJ. However, he grew up just a few minutes away in a small town called Pleasantville. Whether as a basketball phenom, the grand marshall in a parade, delivering Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at churches, or as a salutatorian and class president of his high school class, he is undoubtedly a fixture in Pleasantville’s history.

 After many years of notoriety as a basketball player, Leonard turned to acting during his sophomore year in high school after convincing the principal at his high school to pay for acting classes for him. A year later, he founded Cineplay Productions while also getting cast in Showmakers Theater's production of Bram Stoker’s Dracula as the maniacal Renfield  Later that year, he was cast in Showmakers Theater’s riveting production of “A Few Good Men.” His performance, according to director Helen Vaspoli, was “among the finest she had ever seen in her 40 years of theater.” Following high school, and upon being selected as an Edward J Bloustein scholar, he was accepted to The University of the Arts, Montclair State University, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and Fordham University for which he chose in honor of one of his childhood heroes, Denzel Washington.

As a singer and songwriter, he was selected by the Songwriter’s Circle to perform at the world-renowned Bitter End in New York City. In 2004 he co-wrote and produced “When I Say” with Grammy-nominee George Mesterhazy , which was later released on his 2007 CD “Song of Leonard.”

As an actor, he recently starred as  the wealthiest African-American in the country circa 1900, Colonel John Mckee, in the stage production "A Gift From John Mckee"  and is set to play Reverend Johnson in the new television series “Cream.” He is also set to star in a stage musical about the life of the legendary Luther Vandross, written by him, for which he will play Luther. His resume also includes a recent starring role in the world-premiere production of “Heartbreaker” in Waterford, Connecticut as well as a starring role in the world-premiere musical “Battlecry,” directed by Tony-nominee and Broadway’s Gabe Barre with music composed by Hollywood’s Paul Bogaev. Adding to his history of playing leading men, he was also the leading man in the off-Broadway world-premiere of “Make It So,” the touring production of “Halfway There,” and Cineplay’s very successful rendition of “A Raisin in the Sun, which also toured. He was also a supporting actor in Hollywood producer Polly Wilkinson’s television pilot, “South Jersey Dreams.”

Among his current projects are Cineplay Production’s first film titled “Quiet Storm: Memoirs of a Ladykiller” and a stage musical about the life of the legendary Luther Vandross written by him for which he will play Luther. Additionally, Leonard was the voice behind American Idol Ruben Studdard’s national television promo which was seen on BET, LIFETIME, and MTV. He has voiced documentaries for the National Urban League and Bravo Film and Video. Also, his audiobook narration of Dr. Creflo Dollar’s “8 Steps to Create the Life You Want” is in major bookstores nationwide. He is newly signed to the two of the most prestigious agencies in New York for commercials, theater, television, and film.