Lamar Johnson

Lamar Johnson

Lamar Johnson is a Canadian actor and dancer from Toronto, Ontario. He belongs to a generation of performers whose work moves between dance, television, and film, and his public career has been marked by that range. He first became widely known through dance drama, then moved into dramatic screen roles that brought him broader recognition in Canada and beyond.

Johnson is best known to many viewers as West, the hip hop dancer he played on The Next Step from 2013 to 2019. The role followed several bit parts and minor appearances, and it gave him a clear place in a popular dance series. He later played Seven Carter in the American drama film The Hate U Give in 2018, Charlie in All the Bright Places in 2020, and Henry Burrell in The Last of Us in 2023.

His background as a dancer shaped the path that led to those roles. Johnson was self-taught before he later trained at the Canadian School of Dance. He also attended St. Mother Teresa Catholic Academy. Before his better-known screen work, he danced with Seeds on the street, gaining experience in a troupe. That combination of self-direction, formal training, and group performance sits at the center of the public story of his development as an artist.

Recognition for Johnson’s acting grew with his film and television work. In 2023, he won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performance in a Film at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards for his performance as Michael in Brother. For his role as Henry Burrell in The Last of Us, he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. In 2024, he was named co-winner of the Radius Award at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards, alongside Devery Jacobs.

Johnson’s words resonate because they carry the same balance seen in the known facts of his career: discipline, timing, and forward motion. “Too young to rush, too old to waste time” fits a performer who began with dance, built experience through smaller appearances, and became known through roles that asked him to bring physical skill and emotional presence to the screen. His profile is still being written, but the shape of it is already clear: careful work, visible growth, and a strong sense of when to move.