'Hamilton' star Leslie Odom Jr. honored by Philadelphia City Council

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- One of Philadelphia's own was honored for his talents on stage and screen.

On Tuesday, Tony Award Winner Leslie Odom Jr. of "Hamilton" fame was recognized by the Philadelphia City Council.

Odom grew up in the city's East Oak Lane section and graduated from the Julia R. Masterman School.

Before starring as Aaron Burr in the smash-hit "Hamilton," Odom trained with Philadanco and at the Freedom Theater. And he attributes his success in part to his teachers here in Philadelphia.

Odom tells us, "Those folks, they put the classics in our hands. You know, we were singing 'Take the A Train' and 'Phantom of the Opera.' They were exposing us to things then. It's just wonderful for a chance to look at Philadelphia in person and say thank you."

It's been a whirlwind month for Odom. Three weeks ago he won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Burr. This weekend he helped celebrate America's birthday at the Welcome America festival. And on Saturday, he'll play Burr for the last time on Broadway.

Odom says he's anxious about the move away from Broadway, but he's not throwing away his shot. He'll be shifting his focus from the stage to jazz music.

The actor just re-released his self-title album, and recently debuted a video for his song "Autumn Leaves."