He came out publicly in 1993 on the syndicated daytime talk show Geraldo, and has been called "the first openly gay stand-up comedian" by various media outlets (a title Stuart himself rejects).

Stuart Ted Greif[1] was born in The Bronx, New York,[2] on January 13, 1959,[3][4] and raised in Los Angeles, California.

[1] Jason's grandmother saw her best friends shot to death, and forced her family to flee even as other Jews and Poles argued that the Nazi occupation wouldn't be that bad.

"[9] Jason Stuart says that his father and paternal grandparents suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome, leaving them constantly angry and afraid.

[7] In Los Angeles, Leonard obtained a job with Castle Neckwear, and eventually rose to the position of vice president.

The word "fag" was written on his locker, a girl punched him in the face (for which he was hospitalized), and another student beat him until he was unconscious.

[1][a] As a child, Stuart was impressed by sarcastic and self-deprecating comedians such as Lucille Ball, Totie Fields, Paul Lynde, John Ritter, and Lily Tomlin.

He also took acting classes and studied under such prestigious teachers as Nina Foch, Harvey Lembeck, Roy London, Allan Miller, and Lawrence Parke.

After being heckled one day for coming off too effeminate, he told the heckler "I'm not gonna let you make me feel bad for being myself."

He feared that coming out would cost him his day-job, and he was constantly aware that homophobes might physically attack him on stage or as he left the club.

[12] In June 1994,[14] Stuart performed his act on Broadway at the Town Hall theatre in OUTrageous Comedy '94, a benefit for the Gay Games hosted by Sandra Bernhard.

[2] He continued to do small roles on television, appearing on The John Larroquette Show, Murder, She Wrote, and seaQuest DSV, among others,[2] but many casting directors openly refused to hire a gay man (and told him so to his face).

[17] In 2002, Stuart had what was described as a semi-regular role playing a gay therapist on the Damon Wayans comedy My Wife and Kids.

[19] His first televised comedy special, Jason Stuart: Making It to the Middle, aired on the Here TV cable network in 2005.

[12] By 2010, Stuart was one of the most in-demand character actors in the United States, and was a favorite of casting directors who wanted a gay or sexually ambiguous performance.

[11] He portrayed the officiant who marries John Lithgow and Alfred Molina in the critically lauded 2014 film Love is Strange,[5] and appeared in the highly praised 2015 independent feature Tangerine, an innovative production shot with three iPhone 5S smartphones.

[21] That same year, he had a guest shot on the TV series Sleepy Hollow,[8] and toured the country with a new stand-up show, I'm Only Gay on the Weekends.

[16] The show found a permanent home for a year at the Purple Room, a Palm Springs supper club and jazz venue.

[16] In the motion picture, a fictionalized version of Nat Turner's slave rebellion, Stuart plays Joseph Randall,[22] a white, racist plantation owner and rapist.

[1][6] To prepare for the film, Stuart read books on slavery in the Antebellum South[1] and worked for a week perfecting his scenes with actor friends.

[11] Stuart told San Diego Jewish World that the role was life-changing, and he rededicated himself to being honest and truthful in his performances.

Co-created and co-written with co-star Mitch Hara,[4][23] the series is about two gay Jewish men who have been married for 30 years but now find their relationship falling apart.

[23] That year, he appeared in an episode of the streaming legal drama Goliath, That month, he released his second comedy album, I'm the Daddy and I Have Candy.

Stuart called Setoodeh's argument "wrongheaded" and said it "sends a damaging and false message that we are limited in the roles we are able to play.

"[25] In his role as LGBT Committee co-chair, Stuart was the moderator of the first Transgender Actor Panel at the Outfest LGBTQ-oriented film festival in Los Angeles in 2015.

[9] Stuart is "guardedly friendly" with his older brother and half-siblings from his father's second marriage, but estranged from his younger sister.