Colman Domingo has received two Oscar nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. He has earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in recognition of his role in Euphoria. And, in 2024, he was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine.  

Now, the Philadelphia native has a new honor coming his way. He soon will be officially Temple Made. 

Domingo will be awarded an honorary degree during Temple’s 139th Commencement ceremony, the university announced Thursday. He will also deliver the Commencement address during the ceremony, which will be held on May 6, 2026, at 10 a.m. in the Liacouras Center, on Temple’s Main Campus. 

“An accomplished actor, director, producer and playwright, Colman Domingo’s creative achievements reflect so positively on both Temple University and the City of Philadelphia,” Temple President John Fry said. “As Colman’s career has taken off, he has never forgotten where he came from, as he has frequently shared that it was at Temple where he developed his passion for acting. It is fitting that we will be able to honor him in this way, as Colman illustrates what it means when we say Temple Made.” 

Temple University’s Commencement ceremony will celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2026 while also recognizing Domingo’s contributions to the arts and entertainment industries. Every year during the ceremony, the university honors distinguished figures by bestowing honorary degrees. Past recipients have included television star Quinta Brunson, Bishop Desmond Tutu, U.S. Senator Cory Booker, basketball Coach Dawn Staley, ESPN anchor Kevin Negandhi, R&B icon Patti LaBelle, and last year our Board chair Mitch Morgan.    

Domingo’s journey to becoming Temple Made is long overdue. He grew up in West Philadelphia and graduated from Overbrook High School before coming to Temple in the late 1980s where he majored in journalism and first developed his love for theater. 

It was an instructor at Temple who encouraged Domingo to pursue a career in acting, which led him to move to San Francisco at age 21 and begin his career. 

“I am beyond grateful and humbled to receive an honorary Doctorate from my alma mater Temple University. As a journalism student who struggled with the balance of working two jobs and supporting himself through school from 1987-1990, eventually dropping out with a good 50 credits to go, this degree is very meaningful to me,” Domingo said. “The foundation that Temple University has given me in my early years, awakened my curiosity to pursue a life in the arts. Chris Wolfe, my Acting 1 teacher in my sophomore year, pulled me aside and expressed that he believed that I had a gift. That teacher changed my whole life, and it started right there. There used to be a commercial shouting out the school in the 90s. ‘They could have chosen anywhere, they chose Temple.’ Well, I am glad Temple chose me.” 

Domingo’s career started with regional theater before he made his way to Broadway with roles in “Passing Strange” and “The Scottsboro Boys,” which earned him a Tony nomination for his performance as Mr. Bones. He also wrote and performed his autobiographical play “A Boy and His Soul,” reflecting his life as a young person in Philadelphia. 

The role that helped make Domingo a household name came in 2015 when he was cast as Victor Strand in AMC’s series “Fear the Walking Dead.” He would go on to play that character through 2023 and made history as the first actor in the “Walking Dead” franchise to direct an episode. His guest role as Ali in HBO’s “Euphoria” earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in 2022. 

In 2023 and 2024, Domingo received consecutive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayals of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in the biopic Rustin and a prison inmate named John “Divine G” Whitfield in the drama Sing Sing. In 2024, he also received the TIFF Tribute Award for Distinguished Career Achievement at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2025, he received the Lumiere Award from The Philadelphia Film Society, honoring his artistic excellence. 

Domingo can currently be seen in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man. His upcoming credits include the final season of Euphoria and season 2 of The Four Seasons, Antoine Fuqua’s Michael and Steven Spielberg’s next untitled sci-fi feature film. He will make his feature film directorial debut next year with Scandalous! starring Sydney Sweeney and David Jonsson. 

Being named an honorary degree recipient is the latest example of Domingo’s growing relationship with the university and its Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts. Just this past spring, he returned to campus to take part in the Temple Performing Arts Center’s Distinguished Speaker Series where he addressed a capacity crowd of students, faculty, staff and alumni. 

For more information about Temple University’s 2026 Commencement ceremony, visit temple.edu/commencement.