Carlton Wilborn (born 1964) is an American, award-winning dancer, actor, author, and motivational teacher.[1] He was a principal dancer for Madonna's Blond Ambition World Tour and The Girlie Show World Tour, and appeared in her Blond Ambition Tour documentary .
Born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, he attended Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, where he was in dance classes with Michelle Obama.[2]
At the age of 17, he became a principal dancer in Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.[3] Wilborn is one of seven dancers from the Madonna 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour, and is seen in the reunion documentary Strike a Pose (2016).
Wilborn is bisexual and was diagnosed with HIV in 1985, which he kept a secret while touring with Madonna.[1] [4] [5]
| 1988 | Dance | Nicholas | TV movie | |
| 1990 | Without You I'm Nothing | Ballet Dancer | ||
| 1993 | Grief | Jeremy | ||
| Demolition Man | Wasteland Scrap | |||
| 1994 | In the Army Now | Reserve Soldier #2 | ||
| The Privilege Cage | Daniel | Short | ||
| 1995 | Dead Presidents | Spyder | ||
| 1996 | Deadly Web | Sullivan | TV movie | |
| 1999 | Guinevere | Jay | ||
| The Velvet Club | Emcee | Short | ||
| Made Men | Felix | |||
| Tuesdays with Morrie | Eddie | TV movie | ||
| 2001 | MacArthur Park | St. Louis | ||
| 2004 | True Vinyl | Travis Smith | ||
| 2005 | Guess Who | Dancer | ||
| 2006 | The Hoax | Bahamas Desk Clerk | ||
| Ensemble | ||||
| Yellow | Broadway Choreographer | |||
| 2008 | An American Carol | Parent | ||
| 2012 | The Boarder | Zeb Williams | ||
| 2013 | Breakout | Max | ||
| 2015 | The Better Half | LeDawn | ||
| 2018 | Beautiful Boy | Vince | ||
| 2021 | Disciple | Donovan | Short |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | L.A. Law | Oz Wilson | Episode: "Do the Spike Thing" | |
| 1995 | The Marshal | - | Episode: "'65-'95" | |
| 1996–97 | L.A. Firefighters | Firefighter Ray Grimes | Main Cast | |
| 1997 | NYPD Blue | Bluestone | Episode: "Tom and Geri" | |
| 1997–98 | Fame L.A. | Robert Hawkins | Recurring Cast | |
| 1998 | Nash Bridges | Paul Avery | Episode: "Apocalypse Nash" | |
| V.I.P. | Wilgan | Episode: "Scents and Sensibility" | ||
| 1999 | Chicago Hope | Jerry Lawrence | Episode: "Playing Through" | |
| 2000 | The Huntress | Michael Maine | Episode: "Springing Tiny" | |
| 2001 | NYPD Blue | Maurice Carlisle | Episode: "Cops and Robber" | |
| Becker | Mr. Ellison | Episode: "The Ghost of Christmas Presents" | ||
| 2003 | Brian Davidson | Episode: "Entrance Wound" | ||
| The Practice | Lewis Nyler | Episode: "The Making of a Trial Attorney" | ||
| 2007 | Lincoln Heights | Washburn | Episode: "Missing" | |
| Viva Laughlin | Security Guard | Episode: "What a Whale Wants" | ||
| 2012 | The Mentalist | Glennda Snow | Episode: "Ruby Slippers" | |
| 2013 | Bunheads | Choreographer | Episode: "Next" | |
| 2014 | NCIS | Charles Garrett | Episode: "Double Back" | |
| 2016 | Bosch | I.A. Capt. Larry Williams | Episode: "Heart Attack" | |
| 2017 | Chronicles of Jessica Wu | Bruce Lockwood | Recurring Cast: Season 1 |
| Year | Artist | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Madonna | "Vogue" | |
| Janet Jackson | "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" | ||
| 2020 | Joyner Lucas | "Revenge" |
| 1991 | ||
| 2016 | Strike a Pose |