- David Strathairn
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David Strathairn Born David Russell Strathairn
January 26, 1949
San Francisco, California,
United StatesOccupation Actor Years active 1980–present Spouse Logan Goodman (1980–present) David Russell Strathairn (born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying journalist Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck. He has appeared in many of writer/director John Sayles's movies.
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Early life
Strathairn was born in San Francisco, California, the second of three children of Mary Frances (née Frazier), a nurse, and Thomas Scott Strathairn, Jr., a physician.[1][2][3] He is of Scottish descent through his paternal grandfather, Thomas Scott Strathairn, a native of Crieff, and of Native Hawaiian ancestry through his paternal grandmother, Lei.[4][5] Strathairn attended Redwood High School in Larkspur, California, and graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts in 1970.
He studied clowning at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in Venice, Florida[6] and briefly worked as a clown in a travelling circus.[7]
Career
Strathairn was nominated for an Academy Award for his starring portrayal of CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow in the 2005 biopic Good Night, and Good Luck. The movie explored Murrow's clash with Senator Joseph McCarthy over McCarthy's Communist "witch-hunt" in the 1950s. Strathairn also received Best Actor Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nominations for his performance.
Other notable film roles include his portrayals of the title character in Harrison's Flowers (2000); the wisecracking blind techie in Sneakers (1992); Joe St. George in Dolores Claiborne (1995); Theseus; Pierce Patchett in L.A. Confidential (1997); Duke of Athens, in the 1999 version of A Midsummer Night's Dream; and corrupt baseball player Eddie Cicotte in Eight Men Out (1988).
Strathairn is often regarded as a character actor, appearing in supporting roles in many independent and Hollywood films. In this capacity, he has co-starred in Twisted as Ashley Judd's psychiatrist; in The River Wild as Meryl Streep's husband; as Tom Cruise's jailbird brother in The Firm; and as Kim Basinger's pimp in L.A. Confidential.
He has worked frequently with his Williams College classmate and director John Sayles. He made his film debut in Return of the Secaucus 7, and worked in the films Passion Fish, Matewan, Limbo and City of Hope, for which he won the Independent Spirit Award. Alongside Sayles, he played one of the Men in Black in the 1983 film The Brother from Another Planet. Several years later, Strathairn created the role of Edwin Booth with Maryann Plunkett in a workshop production of Booth! A House Divided, by W. Stuart McDowell, at The Players in New York City.[8]
His television work includes a wide range of roles: "Moss", the bookselling nebbish on the critically acclaimed The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd; Captain Keller, the father of Helen Keller in the 2000 remake of The Miracle Worker; and a far-out (both figuratively and literally) televangelist in Paradise, the pilot episode for a TV series on Showtime that was not successful.[9] Strathairn also had a recurring role on the hit television drama The Sopranos. Strathairn starred in the second season episode, "Out Where the Buses Don't Run", in Miami Vice.
Among Strathairn's recent films are: We Are...Marshall, a 2006 film about the rebirth of Marshall University's football program after the 1970 plane crash that killed most of the team's members; and Hereafter, set in the aftermath of the 2004 Sumatran tsunami, directed by Michael Patwin.[10] In 2006 he did a campaign ad for then congressional candidate (now, Senator) Kirsten Gillibrand. He reprised his role as Edward R. Murrow in a speech similar to the one from Good Night, and Good Luck, but was altered to reference Gillibrand's opponent John Sweeney. [11]
Strathairn plays the lead role opposite Andrew Walker in the 2007 independent film, Steel Toes, a film by David Gow (writer/co-director/producer)and Mark Adam (co-director/DOP/editor). The film is based on Gow's stage play Cherry Docs, in which Strathairn starred for its American premiere at the Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia.
He played a lead role opposite Matt Damon in the summer 2007 film The Bourne Ultimatum and appeared in Paramount Pictures' children's film The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) as Arthur Spiderwick. Strathairn appeared in the American Experience PBS anthology series documentary, The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a biography of the physicist. He also plays William Flynn, an FBI agent dealing with anarchism in 1920s New York City, in No God, No Master.
In 2009, Strathairn performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans. It was adapted from the historian Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.[12]
He currently stars as Dr. Lee Rosen on Syfy's new series Alphas.[13]
Theater
Strathairn is an accomplished stage actor and has performed over 30 theatrical roles. He performed several roles in stage plays by 2005 Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter. He played Stanley in two consecutive New York Classic Stage Company (CSC) productions of Pinter's 1957 play The Birthday Party, directed by Carey Perloff (since 1992 artistic director of the American Conservatory Theatre), in 1988[14] and 1989;[15] the dual roles of prison Officer and Prisoner in Pinter's 1989 play Mountain Language (in a double bill with the second CSC Rep production of The Birthday Party);[16] Edwin Booth in a workshop production also featuring Angela Goethals of Booth: A House Divided by W. Stuart McDowell at The Players in 1989; Kerner, in Tom Stoppard's Hapgood (1994); and Devlin, opposite Lindsay Duncan's Rebecca, in Pinter's 1996 two-hander Ashes to Ashes in the 1999 New York premiere by the Roundabout Theatre Company.[1][17]
Political involvement
Strathairn narrated a biographical video that was aired to introduce Barack Obama before his acceptance speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.[18]
Personal life
He married Logan Goodman, a nurse. They have two sons and live in the mid-Hudson Valley area near Poughkeepsie, New York. Their son, Tay, is an actor and musician who plays jazz piano. He has been a part of such bands as Dawes and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros as a keyboardist. Tay appeared in John Sayles' films Eight Men Out (as Bucky) and Lone Star (as Young Sam).[6][19] Their son Ebberly is an architecture graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was an ardent lacrosse player. He has worked for MASS Design Group.[citation needed]
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes 1980 Return of the Secaucus 7 Ron Desjardins 1983 Lovesick Marvin Zuckerman Silkwood Wesley 1984 Iceman Dr. Singe The Brother from Another Planet Man In Black 1985 When Nature Calls Weejun Miami Vice Marty Lang TV series, one episode 1986 At Close Range Tony Pine 1987 Broken Vows Stuart Chase TV film Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield 1988 Stars and Bars Charlie Call Me Sam Eight Men Out Eddie Cicotte Dominick and Eugene Martin 1989 Day One J. Robert Oppenheimer TV film The Feud The Stranger Wiseguy Sheriff Matthew Stemkowsky TV Series, 4 episodes 1990 Heat Wave Bill Thomas TV film Memphis Belle Col. Craig Harriman Judgment Father Frank Aubert TV film 1991 Son of the Morning Star Capt. William F. Benteen TV film Without Warning: The James Brady Story Doctor Art Kobrine TV film City of Hope Asteroid Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male 1992 Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even Keith A League of Their Own Ira Lowenstein Bob Roberts Mack Laflin O Pioneers! Carl Linstrum TV film
Bronze Wrangler Award for Television Feature FilmSneakers Erwin 'Whistler' Emory Passion Fish Rennie Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male 1993 Lost in Yonkers Johnny The Firm Ray McDeere A Dangerous Woman Getso 1994 The River Wild Tom Hartman 1995 Losing Isaiah Charles Lewin Dolores Claiborne Joe St. George Home for the Holidays Russell Terziak 1996 Beyond the Call Russell Cates TV film Mother Night Lieutenant Bernard B. O'Hare 1997 Song of Hiawatha Marcel In the Gloaming Martin TV film
Nominated – CableACE Award for Guest Actor in a Dramatic Special or SeriesL.A. Confidential Pierce Morehouse Patchett Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Bad Manners Wes 1998 The Climb Earl Himes Evidence of Blood Jackson Kinley TV film With Friends Like These... Armand Minetti Simon Birch Reverend Russell Meschugge Charles Kaminski 1999 A Midsummer Night's Dream Theseus Limbo "Jumpin Joe" Gastineau Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead A Map of the World Howard Goodwin 2000 A Good Baby Truman Lester Freedom Song Peter Crowley TV film Harrison's Flowers Harrison Lloyd The Miracle Worker Captain Keller TV film 2001 Relative Evil Dr. Charlie a.k.a. Ball in the House 2002 Speakeasy Bruce Hickman Blue Car Auster Lathe of Heaven Mannie TV film Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story Jack Hoschouer TV film 2004 The Sopranos Robert Wegler TV series, three episodes Paradise Reverend Bobby Paradise TV film Twisted Dr. Melvin Frank 2005 The Notorious Bettie Page Estes Kefauver Missing in America Henry Good Night, and Good Luck. Edward R. Murrow Gransito Movie Award for Best Actor
Volpi Cup for Best Actor
Women Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama2006 The Shovel Paul Mullin short film Heavens Fall Judge James Horton We Are Marshall Donald Dedmon 2007 The Sensation of Sight Finn Also Producer Steel Toes Danny Dunckelman Fracture DA Joe Lobruto Racing Daylight Henry Becker/Harry Stokes The Bourne Ultimatum Noah Vosen My Blueberry Nights Arnie Copeland Matters of Life and Death Mr. Jennings 2008 The Spiderwick Chronicles Arthur Spiderwick Monk (episode "Mr. Monk and the Genius") Patrick Kloster TV series, one episode 2009 The Uninvited Steven Cold Souls Dr. Flintstein The People Speak Himself Documentary Odysseus in America Narration 2010 Temple Grandin Professor Carlock TV film
Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television FilmHowl Ralph McIntosh House (episode "Lockdown") Nash TV series, one episode The Tempest Alonzo, King of Naples The Whistleblower Peter Ward forthcoming film Indiana University Health Commercial voice-over 2011 Alphas Dr. Lee Rosen TV Series, Running References
- ^ a b David Strathairn Film Reference bio. Filmreference.com. Retrieved on July 10, 2011.
- ^ Welcome to Dispatch Online. Dispatch.co.za (2010-11-12). Retrieved on July 10, 2011.
- ^ http://www.hivelys.com/files/FrazierBK/f4430.htm
- ^ "Secret Scottish Roots Of Best Actor Nominee". 'The Sunday Mail. (2009-08-11). Retrieved on July 10, 2011.
- ^ "David Strathairn Finds the Spotlight". BBC News (2006-01-27). Retrieved on July 10, 2011.
- ^ a b Full biography of "David Strathairn", Yahoo! Movies, Copyright 2007, accessed August 7, 2007.
- ^ "The Nominees: David Strathairn". CBS News. March 1, 2006. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/01/oscar/main1361519.shtml.
- ^ History of the Bristol Riverside Theatre[dead link]
- ^ Paradise (2004) (TV) at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ David Strathairn at the Internet Movie Database, accessed August 7, 2007.
- ^ "A 'Good Luck' Charm In Race For Congress". NY Daily News. 2006-10-03. http://articles.nydailynews.com/2006-10-03/gossip/18343674_1_kirsten-gillibrand-laura-bush-bae-systems. Retrieved 2011-10-9.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "David Strathairn to Headline Syfy's Alpha". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/David-Strathairn-Alphas-1020196.aspx.
- ^ Performance revs. by Susan Hollis Merritt, "The Birthday Party" (CSC Repertory Theatre, New York, April 17, 1988, Apr. 12, 1988 – May 22, 1988) and Bernard Dukore, "The Birthday Party" (CSC Repertory Theatre, New York, April–May 1988), The Pinter Review 2.1 (1988): 66–70; 71–73. (Cover photograph features Strathairn in his role as Stanley.)
- ^ 1989 CSC production, HaroldPinter.org (official site), accessed August 7, 2007.
- ^ Susan Hollis Merritt, "A Conversation with Carey Perloff, Bill Moor, Peter Riegert, Jean Stapleton, and David Strathairn: After Matinee of Mountain Language and The Birthday Party by CSC Repertory Ltd., Bruno's, New York, Nov. 12, 1989", The Pinter Review: Annual Essays 1989 (TPR) (Tampa: U of Tampa P, 1989) 59–84 (interview); cf. performance rev. by Francis Gillen, "Mountain Language, The Birthday Party" TPR 93–97. (Cover photograph features Strathairn and Stapleton in their roles as a prison Officer and the Elderly Woman in Mountain Language; his other role, the Prisoner, is the Elderly Woman's son.)
- ^ Performance revs. by Katherine H. Burkman, "Ashes to Ashes in New York: Roundabout Theatre Company at the Gramercy Theatre, March 30, 1999" and by Susan Hollis Merritt, "Ashes to Ashes in New York: Roundabout Theatre Company, Gramercy Theatre, New York, April 3, 1999", The Pinter Review: Collected Essays 1997 and 1998 (Tampa: U of Tampa P, 1999) 154-59.
- ^ Greeley Tribune (2008). Obama uses language of hope, calls for action. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
- ^ Tay Strathairn at the Internet Movie Database
External links
- David Strathairn at the Internet Movie Database
- David Strathairn at the Internet Broadway Database
- http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/12/entertainment/la-et-people-speak12-2009dec12
- The People Speak at the Internet Movie Database
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie (2001–2025) Brian Cox (2001) · Michael Moriarty (2002) · Ben Gazzara (2003) · Jeffrey Wright (2004) · Paul Newman (2005) · Jeremy Irons (2006) · Thomas Haden Church (2007) · Tom Wilkinson (2008) · Ken Howard (2009) · David Strathairn (2010) · Guy Pearce (2011)
Complete List · (1972–2000) · (2001–2025) Categories:- 1949 births
- Actors from California
- American film actors
- American people of Scottish descent
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- Emmy Award winners
- Independent Spirit Award winners
- Living people
- People from San Francisco, California
- People of Native Hawaiian descent
- Williams College alumni
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