John Clay III

John Clay III stars as Booker T. Washington in Ragtime on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater from September 26, 2025.

Clay earned an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for his performance as Anthony Justin "AJ" James in Choir Boy on Broadway, and he later starred as Jesse Webb in the musical New York, New York.

Off Broadway, he previously played Washington in Ragtime at New York City Center and also appeared in the venue's Encores! productions of Jelly's Last Jam and Grand Hotel. On TV, he has appeared on Raising Kanan and PBS's Great Performances series.