Jonathan Lee Iverson

Jonathan Lee Iverson dons the iconic top hat once again to become the Ringmaster of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Barnum's FUNundrumSM, a production that celebrates the extraordinary legacy of the greatest showman on earth! And in following the tradition of P.T. Barnum's pursuit for global and fascinating talent, Jonathan, who was the first African American Ringmaster, as well as the youngest Ringmaster to ever welcome Children of All Ages to The Greatest Show On Earth, is a multi-talented performer and exceptional vocalist.

Jonathan, a New York City native, began performing at age 11 with the world-famous Boys Choir of Harlem. For seven years, he was intensely trained in all forms of music including classical, jazz, hip hop, and gospel. Jonathan experienced a string of unforgettable, inspiring moments as a member of the Boys Choir, which included being awarded the lead tenor for the choir, singing at the intermission for Luciano Pavarotti's Concert in Central Park, performing in a live show on Broadway for two weeks, and winning second place in the Lena Horne Vocal Jazz Scholarship.

Jonathan graduated from the University of Hartford's Hartt School in May 1998 with a degree in voice performance, and shortly after his graduation, Jonathan was invited to begin his professional entertainment career with the 129th Edition of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey®. Jonathan couldn't refuse the offer and felt his prominent role in the show was an unbelievable dream come true.

Jonathan toured with Ringling Bros. all around the United States, and his charismatic charm and his incredible voice caught the eye of Barbara Walters, who named him one of the ten most fascinating people in 1999. Jonathan's continuing passion for performance and his drive for excellence earned him an invitation back to perform with the 131st and 133rd Editions.

After three consecutive tours with The Greatest Show On Earth, Jonathan left to pursue other performance opportunities, but continued to work with Ringling Bros. for special events. Jonathan performed in several Off Broadway productions including Carnival, Showboat, The Magic Flute, and Dreamgirls. He also did a few commercials for Jeep, Six Flags Great Adventure and Casual Male XL as well as some singing with the USO Liberty Bells of New York, voiceovers for a new animated feature entitled Eloise, and a bit of freelance journalism under his pen name J. Frederick Baptiste/Johnathan Baptiste.

Jonathan is honored to return to Ringling Bros., and can't wait to take audiences on a funtastic excursion aboard the circus train to amazing places near and far on his quest to create The Greatest Show On Earth. Joining Jonathan on the rails is his wife Priscilla, his son Matthew Felipe and their daughter, Lila Simone.