American actor and playwright Cole Escola was BOTD in 1986. Born and raised in Clatskanie, Oregon, they had a turbulent childhood, relocating to government housing with their family to escape their father’s violence. They moved to New York City, dropping out of college after a year, and began performing in gay cabaret venues. Escola’s YouTube comedy videos, co-written and performed with Jeffery Self, attracted a cult following, leading to a comedy show development deal from a cable TV network. They found mainstream success in 2015 with a supporting role in TV sitcom Difficult People, followed by regular appearances in Mozart in the Jungle, At Home with Amy Sedaris and Search Party. In 2024, Escola wrote and starred in the Off-Broadway show Oh, Mary!, a madcap comedy re-imagining First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln (played by Escola) as a wannabe cabaret singer, trapped in a marriage to the closeted gay Abraham Lincoln. The show transferred to Broadway, becoming a critical and box office hit, winning Escola a Tony Award for their performance. Since leaving the production, Escola has overseen Oh, Mary!‘s London transfer, starred in the Netflix series One Piece and is slated to write a screenplay starring The Muppets diva Miss Piggy. They identifies as non-binary, is vocally single and lives in New York.