- Luke Macfarlane
caption = Luke Macfarlane after his performance in "The Busy World is Hushed."
birthdate = Birth date and age|1980|1|19
birthplace =London, Ontario
occupation = Actor
yearsactive = 2003–presentLuke Macfarlane (born January 19, 1980) is a Canadian
actor .Biography
Early life
Macfarlane was born Thomas Luke Macfarlane, Jr. in
London, Ontario . His father, Thomas (deceased), was the Director of Student Health Services at theUniversity of Western Ontario , and his mother, Penny, is a mental health nurse at a London hospital. Macfarlane attendedLondon Central Secondary School with twin sister Ruth and older sister Rebecca.Acting career
Macfarlane studied drama at Juilliard in
New York City , where he starred in the productions of "Romeo & Juliet", "Richard III", "The School of Night", "Blue Window", "The Grapes of Wrath", and "As You Like It" before graduating from the drama division in 2003.Macfarlane was one of the four leads in "Juvenilia" at the
Playwrights Horizons Theater from November 14–December 21, 2003. He played the lead role in the American premiere of the play "Where Do We Live", staged at the Vineyard Theatre in May 2004. The production was cited by the 2005GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding New York Theatre: Broadway and Off-Broadway. He also appeared withJill Clayburgh andHamish Linklater in the off-Broadway production of "The Busy World is Hushed", again at Playwrights Horizons, in Summer 2006. [ [http://theater2.nytimes.com/2006/06/26/theater/reviews/26busy.html The Busy World Is Hushed - Review - Theater - New York Times ] ] He reprised his role of Thomas for the L.A. Premiere at the Skirball Cultural Center from February 7-11 of 2007.On television, Macfarlane is perhaps best known for his role as Pvt. Frank "Dim" Dumphy on the 2005 FX network television series " Over There". He played opposite
Cynthia Nixon inRobert Altman 's "Tanner on Tanner " on theSundance Channel .At present, Macfarlane has a permanent role on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" as Scotty Wandell, husband to one of the "brothers" of the show, Kevin Walker (played by
Matthew Rhys ). The character of Scotty has been the center of some debate, as his more buoyant personality (contrasting to Kevin's masculinity) has led fans and critics like "TV Guide "'sMichael Ausiello , to be critical of what Ausiello referred to as "Kevin's swishy friend." [ [http://www.afterelton.com/columns/2006/10/13.html AfterElton.com - Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (October 13, 2006) ] ]In the episode "Date Night" it was established that Scotty's "flamboyant" personality was an act, due to being nervous and wanting to feel less insecure. Scotty and Kevin dated for several episodes before they broke up due to Scotty feeling Kevin did not treat him with enough respect. Macfarlane received praise for his portrayal of a type of gay man who is often written and performed in very stereotypical terms. Actor Rhys said that the show received a big reaction when Kevin and Scotty broke up, and that the relationship had "struck a chord". [ [http://www.afterelton.com/people/2007/1/rhys2.html AfterElton.com - Interview With Brothers and Sisters' Matthew Rhys (page 2) ] ]
Luke was the last cast member to be added to the FOX pilot, "Supreme Courtships", playing the role of conservative Allen Moore, described as a trust fund baby trying to prove he's more than just a legacy in the court. The pilot was not picked up by
Fox Broadcasting Company for the 2007–2008 season. In his latest travail for TV, Macfarlane was cast as the leading role in the upcoming two-part mini-series called "Iron Road" which filmed in China for five weeks and British Columbia for two weeks. This mini was shot from late April to mid June 2007, and was set to be released in April 2008, though it has not yet aired.Macfarlane was part of the one-night celebrity performed staging of
Howard Ashman 's unproduced musical "Dreamstuff". The musical was re-imagined by Howard's partners Marsha Malamet andDennis Green and performed one night only at Los Angeles' Hayworth Theatre as part of theBruno Kirby celebrity reading series, directed byUgly Betty 'sMichael Urie . Luke starred in the show alongsideEden Espinosa ,Vicki Lewis ,Fred Willard andDavid Blue (actor) .Music career
Macfarlane was the lead singer and a songwriter for the band Fellow Nameless, which began in his 8th grade along with some of his classmates at Lester B. Pearson School for the Performing Arts under the name of Slipnaught, a name they randomly chose from a dictionary because they did not have a name for the band when it came time to perform on stage. Fellow Nameless came from Slipnaught mainly because the band members hated the original name, and so, Fellow Nameless was born at
London Central Secondary School . Fellow Nameless has produced one underground album, which was a half-studio, half-live CD album, and they recorded an additional ten songs that never got put out including three songs that were recorded for a development deal withMaverick Records . They played a showcase for Danny Strick A&R ofMaverick Records and in the end got passed over. The once thought of as defunct London, Ontario, based band, Fellow Nameless, later had two incarnations without Macfarlane as lead singer. The first incarnation came in the second quarter of 2004 with the creation of Van A Primer and a new singer, Matthew Pearn. Their current incarnation, as of March, 2006, has three of the remaining band members under the new band name of Cancel Winter. Macfarlane’s other musical talents include classical cello and the trumpet.Personal life
Macfarlane is openly
gay . [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=25746 'Brothers & Sisters' Actor Comes Out. (April 16, 2008)] ]Filmography
* "Iron Road" (2008)... James Nichol
* "Brothers & Sisters" (2006-present)... Scotty Wandell
* "Trapped Ashes " (2006)...Vincent
* "Recalled " (2006)...Lieutenant Sefton
* "Over There" (2005)...Pvt. Frank Dumphy
* "Tanner on Tanner " (2004)...Stuart DeBarge
* "Kinsey" (2004)...Bruce KinseyReferences
External links
*imdb name|1682832|Luke Macfarlane
* [http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/lukemacfarlanefans Fan site for Luke Macfarlane]
* [http://www.lukemacfarlane.org Luke MacFarlane Online] - Extensive fansite for Luke Macfarlane
*tv.com person|335632|Luke MacFarlane
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