Lemon Andersen

LEMON ANDERSEN is a critically acclaimed poet, author, and actor who has been a pioneer in the spoken-word and theater scene for the past decade. He has the greatest number of appearances on HBO's Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, with eight performanc­es in six seasons. Lemon is an original cast member of Rus­sell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway; the show took home the Tony Award for "Special Theatrical Event" and the Drama Desk nomination for "Unique Theatrical Ex­perience." His most recent performance was in the movie The Son of No One starring Al Pacino, Channing Tatum, and Ray Liotta. Lemon appeared in and wrote for Joe Wright's The Soloist, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx. His other film credits include Spike Lee's Miracle At St. Anna, Sucker Free City, She Hate Me, and he appeared op­posite Denzel Washington in Inside Man. His theater credits include Slanguage, which was directed by Jo Bonney and premiered at the New York Theater Workshop to rave reviews and sold out shows. He is currently touring his critically acclaimed solo show County of Kings, which was produced by Spike Lee and the Culture Project and premiered at the Public Theater. The book based on the show was the Grand Prize Winner of the 2010 New York Book Festival. He is also the author of Ready Made Real, a collection of original poems.

He is currently working on his new play ToasT which is set to premiere at the Public Theater as part of the Under The Radar festival in January 2013. His poetry has been featured on various media channels. From radio and viral spots, to print ads, to the limited edition Absolut Brooklyn bottle, and most recently he wrote and narrated the Boost Mobile commercial "Be Heard" for basketball superstar Carmelo Anthony. Was the opening performance for Red Bull's King of the Rock the first ever one-on-one basketball tournament to be held on Alcatraz Island. A native New Yorker, Lemon resides in Brooklyn with his wife and daughters.

Lemon has performed at such prestigious venues as the Apollo Theater, The Chicago Theater, Hollywood's Ko­dak Theater and The Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Lemon has taught performance art workshops at both colleges and correctional facilities. From the University of Michigan, to Harvard University, to New York's infamous Sing Sing prison. He has studied master acting with Wynn Handman at Carnegie Hall and has