Biography

Harry Connick, Jr.’s career has exemplified excellence across multiple platforms in the entertainment world over the past three decades. He has received Grammy and Emmy awards as well as Tony nominations for his live and recorded musical performances, his achievements in film and television, and his appearances on Broadway as both an actor and a composer. He continues to establish himself as a best-selling musician, singer, composer, and a legendary live performer with millions of recordings sold around the world.

The foundation of Mr. Connick’s art is the music of his native New Orleans, where he began performing as a pianist and vocalist at the age of five. Highlights of his music career include several multi-platinum recordings such as When Harry Met Sally; Blue Light, Red Light; When My Heart Finds Christmas; Come by Me; and Only You. His debut album on legendary Verve Records, his new label home, True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter, was released in 2019 and coincided with performances on Broadway in a show he wrote and directed, Harry Connick, Jr.: A Celebration of Cole Porter, which honors the musical achievements of one of America’s most respected songwriters, Cole Porter. In 2020, as the country entered the pandemic lockdown, Mr. Connick retreated to his home studio and emerged with an album of songs of faith and inspiration. Alone with My Faith, released during spring 2021, displays the sheer breadth of his talents: he wrote new songs, arranged all songs, played every instrument, and sang every voice. Alone with My Faith earned him his 16th career Grammy nomination for Best Roots Gospel Album.

Mr. Connick has appeared in 20 feature films with actors including Sandra Bullock, Hilary Swank, Renée Zellweger, Sigourney Weaver, and Morgan Freeman. His work on television includes starring roles on Will and Grace, South Pacific, and American Idol. In June 2020 he hosted the CBS special United We Sing: A Grammy Tribute to the Unsung Heroes, honoring essential workers in the pandemic. In 2016 he launched Harry, a national daytime television show, which earned 11 Daytime Emmy nominations, including nominations for best host, and a Critics’ Choice nomination for best talk show. In December 2021 he stepped into the shoes of Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks in Annie Live!, which aired on NBC. On Broadway, he received Tony nominations as both a lead actor in The Pajama Game and as a composer and lyricist for Thou Shalt Not.

Despite his busy career, Mr. Connick has always found the time to be charitable and has done some of his most important work in his efforts to help New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He, along with friend Branford Marsalis, conceived of Musicians’ Village and its centerpiece, the Ellis Marsalis Center. Musicians’ Village provides homes for Katrina-displaced musicians while the center uses music as the focal point of a holistic strategy to deliver a broad range of services to underserved children, youth, and musicians from neighborhoods battling poverty and social injustice.
Mr. Connick’s honors—including a star on the celebrated Hollywood Walk of Fame, induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame, honorary doctorates from Tulane and Loyola universities, and the Jefferson Award for Public Service—have not slowed his creative pace; they only confirm his determination to apply his talents in ways that prove inspirational to other artists and public-spirited citizens.

(11/2022)