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Craig Bierko

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Craig Bierko
Bierko in 2016
Born
Craig Philip Bierko

(1964-08-18) August 18, 1964 (age 60)
Rye Brook, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1987–present

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

Early life

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Bierko was born in Rye Brook, New York, where, for a brief time, his mother Pat was president of The Harrison Players, a local community theatre.[1]

After graduating Blind Brook High School, Bierko spent his freshman year studying journalism at Boston University’s School of Public Communications. But he spent most of his time across the Charles River doing plays at Harvard. The following year Bierko transferred to Northwestern University to study acting alongside David Schwimmer, Stephen Colbert, George Newbern and Harry Lennix. He graduated in 1986 with a BS in theater arts from the School of Speech.[2][3]

Career

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Television and film

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Bierko’s film roles include Timothy in the 1996 action film The Long Kiss Goodnight which he credits for being cast in far more interesting, darkly humorous roles such as[4] Max Baer in Ron Howard’s Cinderella Man opposite Russell Crowe, Tom Ryan in Scary Movie 4 (spoofing Tom Cruise throughout the film), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and The Thirteenth Floor. Bierko was the original choice for the character of Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends but turned it down, contrary to the advice of his friends Matthew Perry and Hank Azaria.[5][6] He played "the jazz guy" Ray King, a love interest for Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) in the fourth season of Sex and the City, attorney Jeffrey Coho on season three of the ABC television series Boston Legal, and one of four newly divorced friends on Fox’s short-lived Unhitched. Bierko was cast as Dave Lister in the pilot for the American TV version of the British show Red Dwarf. He has appeared twice on TV's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - first as Andy Eckerson, a United States Deputy Marshal who is working with the SVU (and ex-flame Det. Olivia Benson) to recapture an escaped convict,[7] and several years later, a serial rapist.

Bierko appeared for four seasons in the Peabody Award-winning series UnREAL as Chet Wilton, the eccentric, drug addicted, womanizing creator of a reality dating show.[8] Recently, he appeared on The Blacklist as The Chairman, the coldly sociopathic head of an underground stock market for criminals, and was seen on season two of the hit Netflix show Sex/Life as a superstar literary agent.

Theater roles

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In 2000, Bierko made his Broadway debut as Professor Harold Hill in Susan Stroman's critically acclaimed revival of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man, for which he received a Tony Award nomination.

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 creative differences.[9] He 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.[10] It closed on June 14, 2009, after 113 performances.[11] He performed the role of Peter in the acclaimed 2011 New York Philharmonic production of Stephen Sondheim's Company with Neil Patrick Harris, Patti Lupone and Stephen Colbert.

Bierko replaced Bertie Carvel as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical at the Shubert Theatre along with Jill Paice as Miss Honey on September 3, 2013, but could not start performances until September 17 following a neck and shoulder injury he suffered rehearsing a gymnastic flip.[12] Despite the injury, Bierko continued rehearsing, eventually performing the role for about a month before the shoulder injury - along with a foot injury sustained during performance - made it impractical to continue.[13]

In 2022, Conor McPherson cast Bierko as Mr. Burke in his Girl from the North Country (featuring music by Bob Dylan) opposite Luba Mason and Mare Winningham. The Tony Award-winning limited engagement played its final performance June 19, 2022.[14]

Personal life

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Bierko was in a relationship with actress Charlize Theron from 1995 to 1997.[15][16]

Filmography and stage work

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1987 Love Note Craig Johnson Video
1991 Victimless Crimes Terry Sullivan
1996 The Long Kiss Goodnight Timothy
1996 Johns Christmas Radio Preacher
1997 'Til There Was You Jon Hass
1998 Sour Grapes Richie Maxwell
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Lacerda
1999 The Suburbans Mitch
1999 The Thirteenth Floor Douglas Hall, John Ferguson, David
2000 The Cherry Picker Short film
2001 Kate & Leopold Actor in Advertisement Uncredited
2002 I'm with Lucy Peter
2003 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star George Finney
2004 Hair High Sarge (voice)
2005 Cinderella Man Max Baer
2006 Scary Movie 4 Tom Ryan
2006 Danika Randy Merrick
2006 For Your Consideration Talk Show Host
2007 Meet Bill Sergeant Uncredited
2008 Superhero Movie Wolverine Deleted scenes
2008 A Bad Situation Richard Video
2011 Company Peter Filmed production
2011 The Change-Up Valtan
2011 Bad Seed Bert
2012 The Three Stooges Mac Mioski
2013 Louder Than Words Eddie Stolzenberg
2013 If I Had Wings Geoff Taylor
2016 Equity Benji Akers
2016 Catfight The Talk Show Host
2019 Fair Market Value Lucas
2021 Scenes from an Empty Church The Sinner
2021 Before I Go Walt

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1987 Roomies Dale Episode: "The Ditch"
1987 Our House Douglas Episode: "The Children's Crusade"
1987 ABC Afterschool Specials Carl Warner Episode: "The Day My Kid Went Punk"
1988 Amen Bellman Episode: "A Sight Case of Murder (2)"
1988 Eisenhower and Lutz Waiter Episode: "Don't Change a Hair for Me"
1989 The Young and the Restless Greg
1989 Newhart Dirk 2 episodes
1989 Guns of Paradise Johnny Ryan 2 episodes
1990 Sydney Matt Keating 13 episodes
1990 Wings Matt Sargent Episode: "The Puppet Master"
1990 Murphy Brown Alex Episode: "Rootless People"
1991 Empty Nest Fred Episode: "The Man That Got Away"
1991 Baby Talk Bill Noonan Episode: "A Star Is Born"
1992 The Powers That Be Joe Bowman 4 episodes
1992 Red Dwarf Dave Lister Unaired television pilot
1993 Bodies of Evidence Thomas Wilkes Episode: "Trial by Fire"
1993 Danielle Steel's Star Spencer Hill Television film
1994–1995 Madman of the People B.J. Cooper 16 episodes
1995 Pride & Joy Greg Sherman 6 episodes
1998 Mad About You Gardner Mulloy Episode: "Weekend in L.A."
2000 Ally McBeal Dennis Martin Episode: "In Search of Pygmies"
2001 Sex and the City Ray King 2 episodes
2002 The Court Harlan Brandt
2003 Hench at Home Terry Hench Television film
2003, 2016 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Deputy Marshal Andy Eckerson, Bobby D'Amico 2 episodes
2005 Untitled David Diamond/David Weissman Project Dylan Television film
2006 The Great Malones Episode: "Pilot"
2006–2007 Boston Legal Jeffrey Coho 14 episodes
2007 Nip/Tuck Bob Easton Episode: "Carly Summers"
2008 Unhitched Jack "Gator" Gately 6 episodes
2009 Head Case Episode: "The Big Book"
2010 The Good Wife Duke Roscoe Episode: "Infamy"
2010 Damages Terry Brooke 4 episodes
2010 The League Craig O'Connor Episode: "Bro-Lo El Cuñado"
2010–2011 The Temp Life Eddie Chiapetta 3 episodes
2011 Suite 7 Alan Episode: "Superman"
2011–2012 Leap Year Andy Corvell 5 episodes
2011 Necessary Roughness Ray Santino 2 episodes
2011 Easy to Assemble Jebedehia Bateman 8 episodes
2011 The Mentalist Doc Dugan Episode: "The Redshirt"
2012 6 passi nel giallo Harry Chase Episode: "Visions of Murder"
2012, 2014 Hot in Cleveland Donald 2 episodes
2012 Elementary Jim Fowkes Episode: "The Rat Race"
2013 Body of Proof Dr. Derrick Malcolm Episode: "Committed"
2013–2014 The Michael J. Fox Show Bill 2 episodes
2013 Unforgettable Marco Lantini Episode: "A Moveable Feast"
2015–2018 UnREAL Chet Wilton 38 episodes
2017 Kevin Can Wait Peter Episode: "The Back Out"
2017 Tin Star Dermot O'Hanrahan Episode: "Jack"
2018 Blue Bloods Ray Cross Episode: "Meet the New Boss"
2022 The Blacklist The Chairman Episode: "The Chairman (No. 171)"
2023 Sex/Life Mick 4 episodes
2023 Julia Ross Macdonald Episode: "Loup en Croûte"

Stage

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Year Title Role Notes
2000–2001 The Music Man Harold Hill Broadway
Theatre World Award
Nominee: Tony Award
Nominee: Drama Desk Award
2001–2002 Thou Shalt Not Laurent LeClaire Broadway
2004–2005 Modern Orthodox Ben Jacobson Off-Broadway
2009 Guys and Dolls Sky Masterson Broadway
2011 Company Peter New York Philharmonic Concert
2013 Matilda the Musical Agatha Trunchbull Broadway replacement
2022 Girl from the North Country Mr. Burke Broadway

Awards and recognition

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References

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  1. ^ "Births". The New York Times. August 23, 1964. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  2. ^ "The Acting Cycle". Chicago Tribune. October 23, 1989. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Craig Bierko biography
  4. ^ LevinEpstein, Amy (March 19, 2018). "Craig Bierko On His 30-Year Acting Career - Serendipity". Serendipity. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  5. ^ "With Friends Like These" Archived January 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Tom Power interview of Matthew Perry at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto in Nov 2022
  7. ^ "Craig Bierko". IMDb. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 22, 2014). "Craig Bierko To Star In New Lifetime Series 'Un-Real', Michael Irby Joins 'The Lottery'". Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  9. ^ "Bierko Withdraws from To Be or Not To Be" Playbill
  10. ^ "Luck Be a Lady": Guys and Dolls Returns to Broadway Feb. 5 Archived 2009-02-22 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Adelaide's New Lament: Broadway's Guys and Dolls to Close June 14 Archived June 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Injury Delays Craig Bierko's Arrival in Matilda; Chris Hoch Steps in as Trunchbull Sept. 3 - Playbill.com". Archived from the original on September 7, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013. playbill.com, September 3, 2013
  13. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Injured Craig Bierko Officially Departs Broadways Matilda the Musical" Archived 2013-11-27 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, November 19, 2013
  14. ^ Gans, Andrew (April 29, 2022). "Girl From the North Country Returns to Broadway April 29". Playbill.
  15. ^ Kristine McKenna (May 29, 1997). "She's Living on Fast Track Reserved for the Beautiful". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  16. ^ "Who Has Charlize Theron Dated? A Look At The 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Star's Dating History". Bustle. February 28, 2016. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
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