Brian Stokes Mitchell (b. 31 October, 1957, Seattle, Washington) is an American stage, film and television actor. He currently appears on Broadway. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central male star figures of the theatre in the last two decades. His Broadway credits include Mail (1988), an all-black revival of George Gershwin's Oh, Kay! (1990), Jelly's Last Jam (1992) based on the works of jazz artist Jelly Roll Morton, John Kander and Fred Ebb's Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993), Ragtime (1998), the 1999 revival of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, King Hedley II (2001) and Man of La Mancha (2002). He appeared in the City Center Encores! productions of Jule Styne's Do Re Mi (1999), Bob Merrill's Carnival! (2002), and Kismet (2006), and in the title role in the 2002 Kennedy Center revival of Sweeney Todd, part of Stephen Sondheim's 70th birthday celebration.

Mitchell has a number of television and film credits including the singing voice of Jethro in the animated feature The Prince of Egypt (1998), Hilary Banks' news anchor fiancé Trevor Newsworthy/Collins on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and a seven-year stint on Trapper John, M.D.. He also guest-starred on Frasier as Dr. Frasier Crane's neighbour and rival Cam Winston.

He won the American Theatre Wing's Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for Kiss Me, Kate in 1999. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for Ragtime in 1998 and Man of La Mancha in 2002, and for Best Actor in a Play for King Hedley II in 2001.

On June 9, 2005, Mitchell appeared in a concert version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, at Carnegie Hall. He starred as Emile, alongside Reba McEntire as Nellie Forbush and Alec Baldwin as Luther Billis. The production was taped and telecast by PBS on April 26, 2006.

Prior to Ragtime, he had been known professionally as Brian Mitchell. He is currently the President of the Actor's Fund, and his eagerly and critically-anticipated debut CD Brian Stokes Mitchell was released on June 6, 2006 on Playbill Records.

He has been married to actress Allyson Tucker since 1994 and has a son, Ellington.

Won Broadway's 2000 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for a revival of Cole Porter's "Kiss Me, Kate." He has been Tony-nominated three other times: twice as Best Actor (Musical), in 1998 for portraying Colehouse Walker in "Ragtime" and in 2003 for playing the Cervantes/Don Quixote character in a revival of "Man of La Mancha;" and once as Best Actor (Play), in 2001 for August Wilson's "King Hedley II."

Was nominated for a 1998 Tony for "Best Actor in a Musical" for his portrayal of "Coalhouse Walker" opposite Audra McDonald.

Added "Stokes" to his name because there were too many Brian Mitchells running around. Stokes is his mother's maiden name.

Began taking piano lessons at age six.

He found work in the mid to late 1970s with the Twelfth Night Repertory Company as both an actor and resident composer.

Was a regular cast member on the medical drama series "Trapper John, M.D." with Pernell Roberts as a cocky intern. He also composed the musical scores for some of the show's episodes.

Mitchell's ethnic background is German, Scottish, African, and Native American.

Trained and first acted at the San Diego Junior Theater, making his debut in a production of "Godspell" in 1974 at the Old Globe.

Born in Seattle, he grew up the youngest of four children in Navy bases in Guam and the Philippines. His father George, a former Tuskegee airman during WWII, was an electronics engineer; mother Lillian Stokes a policewoman and school administrator.