Nathan Lee Graham’s character in Mid-Century Modern, Hulu’s delightful gay riff on The Golden Girls, is in a bit of a career tailspin. At the outset of the show’s first season, former fashion editor Arthur Broussard has been banished from Wintour-world and takes refuge in Palm Springs, moving in with his two longtime besties (played by Nathan Lane and Matt Bomer) to start over. Professionally, you could say Arthur is washed up.
But nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to Graham the actor. With the Max Mutchnick and David Kohan-created, Ryan Murphy-produced Mid-Century Modern, the 56-year-old actor and singer has leveled up, which is saying something, considering Graham has starred in more than one Tony-nominated Broadway musical and appeared in several iconic films and TV shows.
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A ‘Mid-Century Modern’ moment
Since premiering in March, Mid-Century Modern has been warmly received by critics and viewers who have been charmed by its winning amalgamation of old-school, multi-camera sitcom rhythms and contemporary sensibilities. Perhaps most importantly, Graham and the rest of the folks behind the show have provided a welcome refuge for LGBTQ+ Americans amid the perpetual chaos and anxiety of the news cycle.
As Graham told Out earlier this year, he wants viewers of the series to feel good themselves. “I want them to realize that they actually do matter. They actually are seen. They can have a good time and not feel guilty about it. They can lean into the joy.”
While Mid-Century Modern has perhaps afforded Graham wider recognition than he’s ever received outside the theater world, the actor has been bringing queer joy and representation to the stage and screen for decades. In 1999, he starred as one half of a gay couple alongside Toni Collette, Mandy Patinkin, and the legendary Eartha Kitt in the Tony-nominated Broadway production of The Wild Party.
The next decade saw him appearing in memorable guest and supporting roles in films like Zoolander, Sweet Home Alabama, and Hitch, as well as TV shows like Absolutely Fabulous, The Comeback, and Scrubs. In 2011, he was back on Broadway in another Tony-nominated show: the jukebox musical adaptation of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
@queerty #NathanLeeGraham talks to us about his iconic #Zoolander role and the secret to a memorable film performance at the #CriticsChoice ♬ original sound – Queerty*
More TV roles in Comedy Central’s Broad City, The CW’s Katy Keene, and Hulu’s Woke followed, and his sassy flight attendant Bernard was a highlight of Fox’s underrated LA to Vegas.
In February, before Mid-Century Modern’s premiere, Graham won a 2025 Obie Award for his performance as Queen Elizabeth I in Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando.
Graham has spent his career playing fabulous queer characters with bone-dry wit and a healthy dose of camp. Yet, as he told Queerty’s Michael Musto, he has never worried about being “pigeonholed,” and even rejects the idea of being typecast in queer roles.
“My biggest concern is, ‘Is the character good?’” he explained. “None of my straight friends are complaining about playing straight roles, so I’m not gonna complain about playing gay roles!”
“If I can play gay roles for the rest of my life, I’d love it because I’m representing not only myself, but millions of other people,” he added.
Nathan Lee Graham is living his best life, on and off screen
With Mid-Century Modern’s Arthur, Graham continues that career-long project, while also showcasing an underrepresented subset of the LGBTQ+ community: middle-aged Black gay men.
“The show has this mixture of ages and generational ideas, which is really exciting,” he told Out. “We have someone in their late 40s [Bomer], someone in their late 50s [Graham], and someone in their late 60s [Lane], and that’s what Mid-Century Modern is. If you don’t plan on kicking the bucket anytime soon, it’s nice to see people living their best lives throughout these ages.”
As Graham told Queerty’s Native Son, he is “immensely proud” to show viewers that Black gay men of a certain age “do exist.”
“We’re not a monolith, but representation matters,” he said. “Especially with a well-rounded character like Arthur, who has many dimensions and is truly human at the end of the day, without shame. I want the community to feel great about themselves.”
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