Craig Bierko

Craig Bierko
Born	Craig Philip Bierko August 18, 1964 (1964-08-18) (age 47) Rye Brook, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor

Craig Philip Bierko (born August 18, 1964) is an American actor and singer.

Early life

Bierko was born in Rye Brook, New York, the son of Pat and Rex Bierko, who ran a local community theatre.^[1] Bierko's mother was a Jewish convert to Roman Catholicism. Bierko has said he is "very connected" to his Jewish heritage.^[2]

Career

Craig got his big break in 1990 when he was cast opposite Valerie Bertinelli and Matthew Perry in the CBS sitcom Sydney, however the production lasted just 13 episodes. He went on to make steady appearances in various television shows including Amen, Wings and Ally McBeal. Bierko may be best-known for his role as Timothy in the 1996 action film The Long Kiss Goodnight, as Max Baer in the film Cinderella Man, as Tom Ryan in Scary Movie 4 (spoofing Tom Cruise throughout the film) and on the Broadway stage as Harold Hill in The Music Man. He was also the original choice for the character of Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends but turned it down.^{[citation needed]} He had a short role as Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker)'s jazz musician love interest in the fourth season of Sex and the City. He had another short role as attorney Jeffrey Coho during the third season of the ABC television series Boston Legal and as a lead in the short-lived Unhitched. He was also cast as Dave Lister in the pilot for the American version of Red Dwarf, which was not picked up as a series. He appeared in 2001's Kate and Leopold in an uncredited role.^[3]

Bierko was slated to appear on Broadway in the Manhattan Theatre Club production of To Be or Not to Be but withdrew from the production August 29, 2008, for unspecified reasons.^[4] He recently starred as Sky Masterson in the Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls which began performances at the Nederlander Theatre on February 5, 2009, and officially opened on March 1, 2009.^[5] The production closed on June 14, 2009 after 113 performances.^[6]

Filmography

• Love Note (1987)
• Sydney (1990)
• Wings (1990)
• Red Dwarf (1992) (unaired television pilot)
• Danielle Steel's Star (1993)
• The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
• 'Til There Was You (1997)
• johns (1997)
• Sour Grapes (1998)
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
• The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
• The Suburbans (1999)
• Ally McBeal (2000) 1ep season 3
• Kate & Leopold (2001) (uncredited)
• Sex and the City: Season 4 (2002)
• Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)
• Cinderella Man (2005)
• Scary Movie 4 (2006)
• Danika (2005)
• For Your Consideration (2006)
• Boston Legal: Season Three (2006)
• Unhitched (2008)
• Superhero Movie (2008)
• Meet Bill (2008) (uncredited)
• Head Case (2009)
• Damages (2010)
• The Change Up (2011)

Awards and recognition

• 100 Most Creative People in Entertainment "It" List, 2003 Entertainment Weekly
• Sexiest Broadway Star - People (2000)
• Theatre World Award (Winner) (2000)
• Broadway.com Audience Awards (Winner) (2000)
• Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for The Music Man (Nominee) (2000)
• Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Musical for The Music Man (Nominee) (2000)
• Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Musical for The Music Man (Nominee) (2000)

References

1. ^ Craig Bierko Film Reference biography
2. ^ Lipton, Brian Scott (2004-12-02). "MODERN MAN". TheaterMania. http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/5396. Retrieved 2006-12-13. 
   "My mother is Jewish, though she converted to Catholicism," Bierko says, "so we ended up being Christmas tree Jews. I grew up in Westchester with a lot of Jewish friends, and I feel very connected to that part of my heritage. When I read the play, it was the first time I'd seen that part of myself addressed."
   
3. ^ IMDb profile for Craig Bierko
4. ^ "Bierko Withdraws from To Be or Not To Be"
5. ^ "Luck Be a Lady": Guys and Dolls Returns to Broadway Feb. 5
6. ^ Adelaide's New Lament: Broadway's Guys and Dolls to Close June 14

External links

• Craig Bierko at the Internet Movie Database
• Craig Bierko at the Internet Broadway Database
• Craig Bierko at AllRovi

Persondata
Name	Bierko, Craig Philip
Alternative names
Short description	Actor
Date of birth	August 18, 1964
Place of birth	Rye Brook, New York, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death