Jesse L. Martin was born in Rocky Mount, Virginia. He has four older
brothers. His parents were truck driver Jesse Reed Watkins and college
counselor Virginia Price. His family called him by his middle name, Lamont,
to distinguish him from his father. Jesse’s parents divorced while Jesse was
a child and he and his brothers took his stepfathers surname. When he was in
grade school, the family moved to Buffalo, New York. Jesse was embarrassed
of his thick Southern accent and became painfully shy. A concerned teacher
encouraged him to join an after-school drama program and cast him as the
pastor in The Golden Goose. The act was a hit and Jesse began to come out of
his shell. He attended high school at The Buffalo Academy for Visual and
Performing Arts. Jesse was voted "Most Talented" in his senior class. For
college, he enrolled in the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts
Theater Program. While in college, he did bit roles on various soaps to
support himself. He never graduated and toured the states with the John
Houseman's The Acting Company, starring in various plays. Jesse returned to
Manhattan a few years later.
Because he could not yet support himself through acting,
Jesse began waiting tables at various restaurants, including the Moondance
Diner. He would often burst into song during the dinner rush. He is still
friends with many people from those days and keeps in contact.
Jesse made his Broadway debut in Timon of Athens, and then
performed in The Government Inspector. Jonathon Larson, who Jesse had worked
with at the Moondance Diner, approached him for a role in his new Off-Broadway
show, RENT. Jesse played Tom Collins, a gay computer geek, and the show was an
instant hit, receiving six Drama Desk Awards, five Obie Awards, four Tony
Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize. Jesse started to become famous and landed
roles on 413 Hope Street and an independent film Restaurant.
The creator of Ally McBeal saw the Broadway premiere of
RENT and remembered Jesse when they needed a new boyfriend for the shows main
character. He was cast as Dr. Greg Butters. Many people compained that Ally
was dating a black man, but he also developed a huge fan base which led to
another role on the X-Files. For a brief period, he returned to RENT to open
the London production as Tom Collins. Jesse had auditioned for Law and Order
years ago and received a small part. Preferring to wait, he now approached the
producers again and was cast Det. Ed Green. He has been there ever since
except for a brief hiatus at the end of the 2004–2005 season while he was
filming the movie adaptation of Rent, for which he returned to his role as Tom
Collins. Jesse also recently preformed in a 10th Anniversary Benefit for RENT
in which the entire original cast returned for one special night.
Jesse currently lives in New York City, near the Law and
Order studio, with his cat, Bob Marley. He does not employ a maid and cleans
his own house. He is one of only four actors to play the same character (Det.
Ed Green) in all four Law & Order series: Law & Order, Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Law & Order: Trial by Jury.
The others are Jerry Orbach (Det. Lennie Briscoe), Fred Dalton Thompson (D.A.
Arthur Branch), and Leslie Hendrix (Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers). He is currently
preparing two one-man shows: "Fiend" and an untitled piece based on the life
of Marvin Gaye. Jesse is currently single, he refers to Law and Order as his
girlfriend. Many suspect he is gay; he has neither affirmed nor denied this.
His hobbies include sketching and painting.
Role:
Det. Ed Green (Seasons 10-) 
