Craig Bierko

American actor (born 1964)

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 active| 1987–present

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

## Early life

[edit]

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

[edit]

### Television and film

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

## Filmography and stage work

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

* Sexiest Broadway Star by People (2000)
* Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for The Music Man (nominee, 2000)
* Drama Desk Award for Outstanding 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)
* Theatre World Award (winner, 2000)
* Broadway.com Audience Awards (winner, 2000)
* 100 Most Creative People in Entertainment "It" List, 2003 Entertainment Weekly
* Shorty Award for Humor (nominee, 2014)

## References

[edit]

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.

## External links

[edit]

* Craig Bierko on Twitter
* Craig Bierko at IMDb
* Craig Bierko at the Internet Broadway Database
* Craig Bierko at the Internet Off-Broadway Database

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Israel

Other|

* IdRef
* SNAC