Profile Text
Powell in 2019, photo by kathclick /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Isaac Cole Powell
Place of Birth: Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Date of Birth: December 30, 1994
Ethnicity: * father – African-American * mother – European
Isaac Powell, also known by his full name Isaac Cole Powell, is an American actor and singer. He is known for his Broadway roles, including Once on This Island and West Side Story , and for appearing in the films Dear Evan Hansen , Susie Searches , Cat Person , and Our Son , and on the shows Indoor Boys , American Horror Story , and The Franchise .
His father, Will Powell, is a three-time world CrossFit champion. His father is African-American and his mother is white. A picture of Isaac’s father can be seen here . His sister, Jessica Powell, is a personal trainer who has been featured on My Big Fat Fabulous Life .
He has said :
I pass as a white person and am afforded white privilege so I don’t feel like I was ever discriminated against – at least not to my face – and it’s not like I’m trying to pass. These are just the cards I was dealt. So no, I didn’t really experience racism towards myself, but I was privy to it. I encountered a lot of ignorance from people who didn’t know my dad was black and thought they could get away with saying certain things – certain, um, words – around me.
I pass as a white person and am afforded white privilege so I don’t feel like I was ever discriminated against – at least not to my face – and it’s not like I’m trying to pass. These are just the cards I was dealt. So no, I didn’t really experience racism towards myself, but I was privy to it. I encountered a lot of ignorance from people who didn’t know my dad was black and thought they could get away with saying certain things – certain, um, words – around me.
Isaac’s paternal grandfather is William J. “Billy” Powell (the son of William “Will” Powell and Elmira Giles). Isaac’s great-grandfather William was born in South Carolina. Elmira was born in South Carolina, the daughter of Mary E.
Isaac’s paternal grandmother is named Mae Oria.
Source: Obituary of Isaac’s paternal great-aunt (grandfather’s sister) – http://onlinechester.com