Kenny Leon

Directing

Kenny Leon

Acting credits

Case Closed poster
9.0

A young homicide detective and a retired police detective work together to solve three recent murders related to an old, unsolved case of a stolen diamond.

Case Closed

1988

The Rosa Parks Story poster
7.1

A seamstress recalls events leading to her act of peaceful defiance that prompted the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Rosa Parks Story

2002

Web of Deceit poster
4.0

After making a name for herself on the West Coast, a defense lawyer returns to her hometown of Atlanta to argue a controversial rape-murder case. But it's not all work and no play: once there, she reenters high society and has a reunion with an old flame -- who just happens to be the prosecuting attorney on her case. As she investigates her client's claims of innocence, she uncovers a sinister conspiracy that threatens both her life and her new romance.

Web of Deceit

1990

Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia poster
6.7

The true story of Mahalia Jackson, who began singing at an early age and went on to become one of the most revered gospel figures in U.S. history, melding her music with the civil rights movement.

Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia

2021

The Nightman poster
3.2

A drifter comes between an aging Southern beauty and her teenaged daughter.

The Nightman

1992

In the Line of Duty: Street War poster
5.4

In this gritty cops-and-crooks drama, two detectives hunt a gang leader suspected of murdering a New York cop. The detectives enlist the help of the dead cop's partner, who is also the brother of the gangster. There's nothing civil about this war that has two brothers squaring off against each other. The strong cast includes Mario Van Peebles, Ray Sharkey and Peter Boyle.

In the Line of Duty: Street War

1992

Dreams Worth While: The Journey of "A Raisin in the Sun" poster
NR

Cast and crew discuss making "A Raisin in the Sun" for television.

Dreams Worth While: The Journey of "A Raisin in the Sun"

2008

The Kudzu Christmas poster
8.0

Recently divorced Nina Taylorson (Wilson) and her young son Mason move to a small Georgia town to start a new life. Mason befriends Gaitus Stevens (Lawhorn), a lonely recently widowed older gentleman, and together they attempt to save several abandoned puppies hiding in the thick Kudzu bush. Their love, faith and determination help them cope with loss and separation and realize the blessings they share during the holiday season.

The Kudzu Christmas

2002

The Making of the Wiz Live! poster
NR

Go behind the curtain in The Land of Oz with NBC's "The Making of The Wiz Live!" The hour-long special will give an exclusive backstage look at this highly anticipated television event.

The Making of the Wiz Live!

2015

Big Ain't Bad poster
4.0

Though Ric and Natalie are well matched and seemingly happy, the soon-to-be groom finds himself too weak to resist engaging in a one-night stand, which, understandably, sends the would-be bride running in the opposite direction. Luckily, or so it would seem, she finds a wealthy suitor perfectly willing to include her among his accolades. Ric, now thoroughly lovelorn, sets off in hopes of proving that status and expensive gifts aren't valuable if there's no love involved.

Big Ain't Bad

2002

Behind the camera

In My Dreams poster
6.4

Natalie and Nick are frustrated with their luck in romance. After tossing coins into a fountain, the two then begin dreaming about each other. But, according to fountain mythology, they only have a week to turn those dreams into reality.

In My Dreams

2015

A Soldier's Play poster
NR

In a segregated army camp in Louisiana in 1944, a black sergeant is shot dead after crying out "they still hate you." As the play examines the murder, the truth of it becomes more shocking and hateful than the murder itself.

A Soldier's Play

2021

The Wiz Live! poster
7.0

Winner of 7 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Wiz was a massive Broadway hit which spawned a dismal feature film starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Executive Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have assembled a Tony-winning creative team, the imaginative Cirque du Soleil Theatrical and a diverse cast of showstoppers designed to create an eye-popping new take on the musical unlike anything ever seen.

The Wiz Live!

2015

Hairspray Live! poster
7.3

A teenage girl living in Baltimore in the early 1960s dreams of appearing on a popular TV dance show.

Hairspray Live!

2016

Hairspray Live! poster
7.3

A teenage girl living in Baltimore in the early 1960s dreams of appearing on a popular TV dance show.

Hairspray Live!

2016

Steel Magnolias poster
6.9

In an updated contemporary version of the beloved stage play and 1989 film, "Steel Magnolias" chronicles the lives and friendship of six women in Louisiana. Supporting each other through their triumphs and tragedies, they congregate at Truvy’s beauty shop to ponder the mysteries of life and death, husbands and children - and hair and nails - all the important topics that truly unite and celebrate women.

Steel Magnolias

2012

American Son poster
6.0

Time passes and tension mounts in a Florida police station as an estranged interracial couple awaits news of their missing teenage son.

American Son

2019

American Son poster
6.0

Time passes and tension mounts in a Florida police station as an estranged interracial couple awaits news of their missing teenage son.

American Son

2019

A Raisin in the Sun poster
6.1

Walter Lee Younger is a young man struggling with his station in life. Sharing a tiny apartment with his wife, son, sister and mother, he seems like an imprisoned man. Until, that is, the family gets an unexpected financial windfall.

A Raisin in the Sun

2008

Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia poster
6.7

The true story of Mahalia Jackson, who began singing at an early age and went on to become one of the most revered gospel figures in U.S. history, melding her music with the civil rights movement.

Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia

2021

The Watsons Go to Birmingham poster
6.8

In the Summer of 1963, Flint, Michigan is home to the Watsons, a close knit family. When 15 year-old Byron’s antics go over the top, his parents realize enough is enough and they decide the family needs a dose of Grandma Sands' no nonsense approach in Birmingham, Alabama. So the Watsons load up their 1948 Plymouth Brown Bomber and head South. When they finally make it to Birmingham, they meet Grandma Sands and her friend, Mr. Robert and discover that life is very different there than in Flint. During that historic summer, the Watsons find themselves caught up in something far bigger than Byron’s antics; something that will change their lives and country forever.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham

2013

The Public's Much Ado About Nothing poster
7.5

This bold interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedic masterpiece features Danielle Brooks (“Orange is the New Black,” Broadway’s “The Color Purple”) and Grantham Coleman (“Buzzer,” “The Americans”) as the sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick. Tony Award winner Kenny Leon (“American Son,” “A Raisin in the Sun”) directs with choreography by Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown (“Choir Boy”). Set in contemporary Georgia with an election race underway, Great Performances: Much Ado About Nothing finds the community of Messina celebrating a break from an ongoing war, but not all is peaceful amid the merriment. Former rivals battle it out, revenge is sought and trickery runs amok in this timeless comedy of romantic retribution and miscommunication. Earning a New York Times Critic’s Pick, the play was recorded during its final weekend of Free Shakespeare in the Park performances, June 22-23, 2019.

The Public's Much Ado About Nothing

2019

Ohio State Murders poster
10.0

Ohio State Murders is an unusual look at the destructiveness of racism in the U.S. When Suzanne Alexander, a fictional African American writer, returns to Ohio State University to talk about the violence in her writing, a dark mystery unravels.

Ohio State Murders

2021