(Photo by Michael Loccisano/WireImage)
Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning writer, director, actor and producer Danny Strong will deliver the keynote address at the USC School of Dramatic Arts’ 2026 commencement ceremony on May 15, 2026.
Strong, a 1996 alumnus of the School’s Bachelor of Arts program, is perhaps best known as the creator, showrunner, writer and director of the award-winning Hulu series Dopesick, and as co-creator, executive producer, writer and director of the hit FOX series Empire.
“We are so proud to welcome Danny Strong back to the USC School of Dramatic Arts as our 2026 commencement speaker,” said Dean Emily Roxworthy. “Danny’s career is a testament to what it means to be a true dramatic artist — someone who moves fluidly and fearlessly across every medium, from prestige television to film to the Broadway stage. That is precisely the kind of multifaceted, boundary-crossing career we prepare our students for, and there is no better person to stand before our graduating class and show them what that path looks like.”
Strong wrote the screenplays for Recount, Game Change, The Butler and Rebel in the Rye, which he also directed, and he co-wrote The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2.
On Broadway, Strong is having a landmark moment. Chess, the iconic Cold War musical featuring a score by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice, had its first Broadway revival in 2025 at the Imperial Theatre, built around Strong’s new book. Starring Tony winner Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele and Nicholas Christopher, the production has been one of Broadway’s top grossers, breaking house records and earning multiple extensions through Tony Awards season. Strong reunites with Chess director Michael Mayer for his next project: Galileo, a new musical inspired by the life of Galileo Galilei, which begins preview performances in November at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre. The show will star four-time Tony Award nominee Raúl Esparza and features an original score by Zoe Sarnak and Michael Weiner.
As an actor, Strong has appeared in major roles across some of television’s most beloved series, including Billions, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Mad Men, Justified, Girls, Gilmore Girls and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
His many accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, two WGA Awards, two Peabody Awards, a PGA Award, the PEN USA Literary Award, the Scripter Award, a DGA nomination and the NAACP Image Award.
The USC School of Dramatic Arts will honor its candidates for bachelor of arts, bachelor of fine arts, and master of fine arts degrees at the SDA commencement ceremony, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on May 15, 2026, in the Epstein Family Plaza (E-Quad) on the USC Campus.