Law & Order's Jesse L. Martin will be keynote speaker at Fairfield Awards Dinner

Law & Order's Jesse L. Martin will be keynote speaker at Fairfield Awards Dinner

Jesse L. Martin, American film, stage, and television actor, best known for his role as Detective Edward Green in NBC Universal's "Law & Order," will be the keynote speaker at Fairfield University's annual Fairfield Awards Dinner on Tuesday, April 4 at 6 p.m., at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. The dinner benefits the Alumni Multicultural Scholarship Fund at Fairfield which supports educational opportunities for African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native-American students. Chairing the dinner is William A. Malloy, a 1980 alumnus and trustee of Fairfield and President of Marsh Inc.

Fairfield University will present Jesse L. Martin with its Distinguished Leadership Award for his dedication to service and commitment to excellence. Also honored at the dinner will be Christopher J. McCormick of Maine, a 1978 alumnus and President and CEO of L.L. Bean, with the Alumni Professional Achievement Award; Mary-Margaret Weber of Fairfield, Conn., a 1984 alumna and past president of the Fairfield University Alumni Association, with the Alumni Service Award; and Judy Primavera, Ph.D., of Orange, Conn., professor of psychology at Fairfield and founder of the Adrienne Kirby Family Literacy Project at ABCD in Bridgeport, with the Distinguished Faculty Award.

An accomplished actor and singer who has already made his mark in the worlds of theater, television and film, Jesse L. Martin continues to establish himself by constantly bringing a winning combination of indelible charm, charisma and intensity to his roles.

In film, Martin was most recently seen reprising his role in the film adaptation of Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer-Prize and Tony Award-winning musical Rent . Based on Puccini's classic opera La Boheme , this revolutionary rock opera tells the story of a group of bohemians struggling to live and pay their rent in the gritty background of New York's East Village. "Measuring their lives in love," these starving artists strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic. Martin originated the role of Thomas B. "Tom" Collins.

This year, Martin returned for his 7th season as the compulsive and passionate Detective Edward Green on the perennial hit Law & Order . He has received multiple SAG nominations (Ensemble) and six Image Awards nominations (Outstanding Actor) for his work on the show.

Martin received critical acclaim for his recurring role on Ally McBeal as Ally's boyfriend, Dr. Greg Butters. His additional television credits include a guest starring role as a disenfranchised alien on The X-Files (episode written and directed by David Duchovny); a series regular on the Fox series 413 Hope Street ; a guest-starring role on the Wolf Films/Studios USA series New York Undercover ; and the telefilm Deep in my Heart co-starring opposite Anne Bancroft and Gloria Reuben.

Past film credits include Season of Youth and the independent feature The Restaurant , where he performed alongside Adrien Brody, Elise Neal and Lauryn Hill.

Martin made his Broadway debut in Rent , one of the longest running shows on Broadway. Rent was the winner on the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for drama, the Obie Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, 4 Tony Awards and 3 Drama Desk Awards. Martin originated the role of Thomas B. "Tom" Collins in the off-Broadway production at the NY Theatre Workshop and carried it through to the Broadway production.

His extensive NY theater credits run the gamut from Shakespeare to musical comedy and include such productions as Timon of Athens and The Inspector General (National Actors Theatre); I Ain't Yo Uncle (Hartford Stage); Rock N' Roles from WM Shakespeare (Actors Theatre of Louisville); The Butcher's Daugter (Cleveland Playhouse); Romeo & Juliet (Acting Company Tour); and Two Gentlemen of Verona (Arena Stage).

An alumnus of NYU and a classically trained stage actor, Martin currently resides in Manhattan.

For more information about the 2006 Fairfield Awards Dinner, or to attend, contact the Office of Corporate Relations at (203) 254-4000, ext. 2927.

Posted On: 03-02-2006 10:03 AM

Volume: 38 Number: 179