Steppenwolf Theatre Company
What began as a modest theatre company named Steppenwolf whether from the rock group or the Hermann Hesse's novella, it has become a phenomenon in American theatre. There have been others but nothing like Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois.
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- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Jeffrey Perry is an American actor of stage, television, and film. He is known for his role as Richard Katimski on the teen drama My So-Called Life, Thatcher Grey on the medical drama series Grey's Anatomy, Cyrus Beene on the political drama series Scandal, all for ABC, and as Inspector Harvey Leek on the CBS crime drama Nash Bridges.Co-Founder and Ensemble Player- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Terry Kinney, the stage, film and television actor, was born in Lincoln, Illinois and attended Illinois State University. While at university, his friend, the aspiring actor Jeff Perry, took Kinney to Chicago to see a production of "Grease" in which his best friend, Gary Sinise, was appearing. The like-minded trio of Sinise, Perry and Kinney opened their own Chicago theatrical troupe, the Steppenwolf Theatre, in 1973 in the basement of a church in Highland Park. The company's metamorphosis into one of the country's great regional theatrical companies began in 1976, after Kinney and Perry joined it full-time after graduating from college. The theater has, since 1976, put on a full season of ensemble works.
The founders of Steppenwolf supported the theater and themselves with odd jobs until he company began financially self-supporting in the early 1980s. Re-located in the old St. Nicholas Theater, Steppenwolf's productions began to attract a steady audience. Steppenwolf flourished artistically and financially in the '80s, and moved once again to its permanent home at 1650 N. Halsted Street in Chicago.
At the height of the company's fame, Kinney and Sinise were Steppenwolf's artistic co-directors, winning numerous awards, and even transferring some productions, such as their monumental adaptation of John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath", to Broadway. In addition to Kinney and Sinise, the company included such first rate actors as John Malkovich, Joan Allen and John Mahoney. As an actor, Kinney was nominated for a Tony Award for his appearance as the "Reverend Casy" in "Grapes."
Kinney made his movie debut in 1985, with a bit part in Seven Minutes in Heaven (1986), and has been much in demand as a supporting actor ever since. On television, he had a recurring role on Thirtysomething (1987) and appeared as a regular on the HBO prison drama Oz (1997).Co-Founder and Ensemble Player- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Gary Alan Sinise was born in Blue Island, Illinois, to Mylles S. (Alsip) and Robert L. Sinise, A.C.E., a film editor. He is of Italian (from his paternal grandfather), English, Scottish, Irish, French, German, and Swedish ancestry. His family moved to Highland Park, where he attended high school. He was something of a rebel, playing in bands but paying little attention to school.
Gary and some friends tried out for "West Side Story" as a lark, but Gary was hooked on acting for life by closing night. Gary credits his love for theatre to his drama teacher, Barbara Patterson. In 1974, Gary, Terry Kinney, and Jeff Perry founded the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Initially performing in a church basement, the company grew and gained stature in the Chicago area. In addition to acting in many plays, Gary also directed some of Steppenwolf's most notable productions, including Sam Shepard's "True West". The company made its off-Broadway debut with that production, starring Gary and John Malkovich, and its Broadway debut with "The Grapes of Wrath" at the Cort Theatre in 1990. Gary's Hollywood career also started in the director's chair with two episodes of the stylish TV series Crime Story (1986), followed in 1988 by the feature Miles from Home (1988) starring Richard Gere. Gary's first feature film as an actor was the World War II fable A Midnight Clear (1992) in 1992. That year also found Gary combining his acting and directing talents with the critically acclaimed Of Mice and Men (1992). His first real notice by the public came in 1994, however. He starred in the blockbuster miniseries The Stand (1994), rapidly followed by his bravura performance as "Lt. Dan" in Forrest Gump (1994). His portrayal of the disabled, emotionally tortured veteran earned Gary numerous awards and an Oscar nomination. Busy 1994 was followed by busy 1995, first reuniting with Tom Hanks in Apollo 13 (1995) and then starring in the HBO film Truman (1995) which earned him the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards and an Emmy nomination.
Gary is married to Moira Sinise, an actress and original member of the Steppenwolf company. They have three children, Sophie Sinise, McCanna Anthony Sinise and Ella Sinise.Co-Founder and Ensemble Player- Moira Harris was born on April 19, 1954 in Pontiac, Illinois. She attended and graduated from Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, (also where John Malkovich attended) and met Gary Sinise during her college years. They have three children: Sophie Sinise, McCanna Anthony Sinise and Ella Sinise. She is the daughter-in-law of Robert L. Sinise. Moira converted to Roman Catholicism in 2000.Ensemble Player as Moira Harris since 1976.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
John Gavin Malkovich was born in Christopher, Illinois, to Joe Anne (Choisser), who owned a local newspaper, and Daniel Leon Malkovich, a state conservation director. His paternal grandparents were Croatian. In 1976, Malkovich joined Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, newly founded by his friend Gary Sinise. After that, it would take seven years before Malkovich would show up in New York and win an Obie in Sam Shepard's play "True West". In 1984, Malkovich would appear with Dustin Hoffman in the Broadway revival of "Death of a Salesman", which would earn him an Emmy when it was made into a made-for-TV movie the next year. His big-screen debut would be as the blind lodger in Places in the Heart (1984), which earned him an Academy Award Nomination for best supporting actor. Other films would follow, including The Killing Fields (1984) and The Glass Menagerie (1987), but he would be well remembered as Vicomte de Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons (1988). Playing against Michelle Pfeiffer and Glenn Close in a costume picture helped raise his standing in the industry. He would be cast as the psychotic political assassin in Clint Eastwood's In the Line of Fire (1993), for which he would be nominated for both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe. In 1994, Malkovich would portray the sinister Kurtz in the made-for-TV movie Heart of Darkness (1993), taking the story to Africa as it was originally written. Malkovich has periodically returned to Chicago to both act and direct.Ensemble Player since 1976.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Laurie Metcalf was born June 16, 1955 in Carbondale, Illinois, the oldest of three children of Libby (Mars), a librarian, and James Metcalf, a budget director. She was raised in Edwardsville, Illinois. Laurie attended Illinois State University, where she obtained her bachelor of arts in theater in 1977. In her class were the immeasurable talents of John Malkovich, Glenne Headly, and Joan Allen. Laurie began acting at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Her acting career in film and television began with a minor and uncredited role in Robert Altman's A Wedding (1978). In 1988, Laurie found her most memorable and successful role to date, Jacqueline "Jackie" Harris in the television series Roseanne (1988). For her performance in the series, she was nominated for two Golden Globes and won three Primetime Emmy awards.Ensemble Player since 1976.- Alan Wilder was born on 24 September 1953 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Child's Play (1988), Home Alone (1990) and Public Enemies (2009).Ensemble Player since 1976.
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Joan Allen was born on August 20, 1956 in Rochelle, Illinois, the youngest of four children. She is the daughter of homemaker Dorothea Marie (Wirth) and gas station owner James Jefferson Allen. Her mother's family was German, and her father had English, Scots-Irish, and German ancestry. She attended Rochelle Township High School where she was voted most likely to succeed. Joining Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 1977, she was one of the group's original members and starred in a number of its original productions. Her first major film credits included two critically-lauded supporting performances that showcased her versatility: a comedic turn in the suburban murder mystery Compromising Positions (1985) and a dramatic role as a blind woman befriended by a serial killer in Manhunter (1986). Around the same time, Allen was making a name for herself on the New York stage; she would eventually become one of the New York theater world's most honored actresses and a winner of every major prize for her work on Broadway and off. She received a Best Actress Tony Award in 1988 for her performance, opposite John Malkovich, in Lanford Wilson's Burn This and was Tony-nominated in the same category in 1989 for the title role in The Heidi Chronicles.
Continuing her work in film as well, Allen received her first Academy Award nomination for her role as Pat Nixon in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995), for which she also won awards from seven critics' associations, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics. Allen received her second consecutive Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Arthur Miller's The Crucible (1996). Subsequently, her work in The Ice Storm (1997), opposite Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver, and in Pleasantville (1998), opposite William H. Macy and Jeff Daniels, earned her high praise and several critics' awards; she also co-starred in the action blockbuster Face/Off (1997) opposite John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. For her starring role in The Contender (2000), Allen received Best Actress nominations at the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards, the SAG Awards, and the Independent Spirit Awards.
Throughout the early 2000s Allen worked in both film and television, with roles in three of the Bourne films - The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), and The Bourne Legacy (2012) - as well as The Notebook (2004), The Upside of Anger (2005), and Death Race (2008). Allen also received Emmy nominations for The Mists of Avalon (2001) and for the title role in the biopic Georgia O'Keeffe (2009), for which she was also executive producer. She was also recently seen in HBO's drama series Luck (2011).
Allen married actor Peter Friedman in 1990, and the two divorced in 2002; Allen's daughter Sadie was born in 1994.Ensemble Player since 1980.- Francis Guinan was born on 17 November 1951 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for Constantine (2005), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) and The Last Airbender (2010).Ensemble Player since 1980.
- For fourteen years, she said that family was the most important thing to her and she set most of her time aside to be a "present" mother to her son. Movies, plays and television were chosen, for the most part, when they occurred in town or on a school break. She took one year to homeschool her son for his seventh grade. But it wasn't always this way. She was raised in New York City and wanted to be an actress from the time she was a child, graduating with acting honors from the High School of Performing Arts. She chose to opt out of studying acting in college and attended a small college in Europe, majoring in art history and literature, knowing that acting would take up a great deal of her life and that her college years would be her only real time to learn about something else. Upon graduation, she returned to New York City but a chance trip to Chicago inspired her to move there and become a part of its budding theatre community. It was in a production of "Curse of The Starving Class", directed by Robert Falls and co-starring John Malkovich, that she was first seen by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and, subsequently, asked to join their troupe. She did and learned what it really was to be an actress on her feet, performing in all kinds of roles in both comedy and drama. During this time, she won four Joseph Jefferson awards for best supporting actress.
With a return move to New York, she received a Theatre World Award for "best newcomer" for her role in "the Philanthropist" at the Manhattan Theatre Club and appeared in "Extremities" with Susan Sarandon. This was followed by her appearance in the very successful Steppenwolf production in New York of "Balm in Gilead". She then starred on Broadway opposite Kevin Kline and Raul Julia in "Arms & the Man", directed by John Malkovich, her husband at the time. She was cast in several smaller films including Nadine (1987), Making Mr. Right (1987) and Paperhouse (1988) as well as Lonesome Dove (1989) for television for which she received her first of two Emmy nominations for best supporting actress. But her breakout film performance was in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), in which she played the cunning "victim", who gets the best of con artists Michael Caine and Steve Martin. This led to her being cast in the blockbuster comic strip parody, Dick Tracy (1990), in which she portrayed the girlfriend, "Tess Trueheart", to Warren Beatty's lead.
She went on to appear in the films Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) opposite Richard Dreyfuss, Mortal Thoughts (1991) opposite Demi Moore, 2 Days in the Valley (1996), What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001), Breakfast of Champions (1999), Around the Bend (2004) and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004).
On television, she had a recurring part on ER (1994) and Monk (2002) and was in the short-lived sit-com Encore! Encore! (1998) with Nathan Lane and Joan Plowright. She was in the live theatrical presentation of "On Golden Pond" as the troubled daughter of Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews and also appeared in the telefilms Women vs. Men (2002), My Own Country (1998) and Pronto (1997), among others. She received her second Emmy nomination for best supporting actress for Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), directed by Anjelica Huston.
Some of her later appearances were in the films The Amateurs (2005) (aka "The Amateurs"), The Namesake (2006), Comeback Season (2006), Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) and The Joneses (2009).Ensemble Player since 1980. - A native of Illinois, Tom Irwin attended Illinois State University. After graduation, he joined the prestigious Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago. The renowned ensemble of artists - among them Laurie Metcalf, John Malkovich, Gary Sinise and Joan Allen - still work together as often as possible. Irwin has been involved in over 50 Steppenwolf productions as an actor or director. Highlights include: "The Grapes of Wrath", also Royal National Theatre; "Balm in Gilead", also Off-Broadway; "My Thing of Love", also Broadway; "Frank's Wild Years", with Tom Waits; "Space", also Off-Broadway. In the summer of 2002 he co-starred with Madonna in "Up for Grabs" at the Wyndam's Theatre in London. He has been on the faculty of The Goodman School of Drama at Depaul University and Columbia College in Chicago.
In addition to his filmography credits, he has starred in many telefilms and was a series regular on My Life and Times (1991) and My So-Called Life (1994). Tom makes his home in Los Angeles.Ensemble Player since 1980. - Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
John Mahoney was an award-winning American actor. He was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, the seventh of eight children of Margaret and Reg, a baker. His family was evacuated to the sea-side resort to avoid the Nazi bombing of their native Manchester. The Mancunian Mahoneys eventually returned to Manchester during the war. Visiting the States to see his older sister, a "war bride" who had married an American, the young Mahoney decided to emigrate and was sponsored by his sister. John eventually won his citizenship by serving in the U.S. Army.
Long interested in acting, Mahoney didn't make the transition to his craft until he was almost forty years old. Mahoney took acting classes at the St. Nicholas Theater and finally built up the courage to quit his day job and pursue acting full time. John Malkovich, one of the founders of the Second City's distinguished Steppenwolf Theatre, encouraged Mahoney to join Steppenwolf, and in 1986, Mahoney won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves (1987).
Mahoney made his feature film debut in 1980, but he was best known for playing the role of the father of the eponymous character Frasier (1993) from 1993 until 2004. He later concentrated on stage work back in Chicago, and appeared on Broadway in 2007 in a revival of Prelude to a Kiss (1992).
John died on February 4, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois.Ensemble Player since 1980.- Rondi Reed was born on 26 October 1952 in Dixon, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for The Astronaut's Wife (1999), Mo' Money (1992) and Jungle 2 Jungle (1997).Ensemble Player since 1980.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Kevin Anderson can be seen as ne'er do well hit man Lonnie in the upcoming "Justified City Primeval" on Netflix/FX this coming summer. Before that, he starred as Father Frollo in iconic Styx rock star Dennis DeYoung's brilliant musical production of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Recently, Kevin has tackled a myriad of challenging and varied roles onstage including Lee in "True West" and Jeeter in "Last of the Boys" at Seattle Rep, and John Adams in the musical "1776". A Steppenwolf ensemble member for 40 years, he created and originated the role of Mr. Breeding in their production of Tracy Letts' scathing political satire "The Minutes" in 2017.
Kevin has enjoyed an enduring, distinguished career which spans the breadth of over four decades. An actor's actor and respected by his peers, Kevin is recognized for starring opposite some of the entertainment industry's most accomplished and established actors including Julia Roberts, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Naomi Watts, Angela Basset, Michelle Pfeiffer, Patti LuPone, Jessica Chastain, Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, Vanessa Redgrave, and Richard Gere to name a few. He has also worked with some of the most iconic film and stage directors of our time including Alan J. Pakula, Norman Jewison, Mike Figgis, Phillip Kaufman, Sir Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn, Gary Sinise, Robert Falls, and the indomitable composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Anderson made his feature film debut in the Warner Brothers hit "Risky Business" with Tom Cruise yet first big break came with Steppenwolf Theatre's "Orphans" (Joseph Jefferson Award). Kevin gained national critical acclaim for his riveting performance in which he played the show-stopping, frenetic, simian younger brother Phillip who lived on Star Kist tuna and Hellman's mayonnaise. This production took him all over the world from New York City's Broadway (Theatre World Award) to London's West End with Albert Finney to the Hollywood movie starring Finney and Mathew Modine and directed by the late great Alan J. Pakula. From that point on, Kevin's career continued to gather speed. He starred as Richard Gere's brother in the rural family drama "Miles From Home" directed by Gary Sinise, followed by Norman Jewison's "In Country" with Bruce Willis. The hit film "Sleeping With the Enemy" in which Anderson starred opposite Julia Roberts established him as one of Hollywood's most promising young leading men.
Kevin has always been drawn to compelling characters and powerful dramas. Throughout his career, he has shown exceptional range and performed in an eclectic array of material ranging from "Liebestraum" with director Mike Figgis, "Hoffa" portraying Bobby Kennedy opposite Jack Nicholson in the title role, "Rising Sun" with Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes, to the romantic comedy "The Night We Never Met" with Mathew Broderick and Annabella Sciorra. He has gone from musicals like "Sunset Boulevard" opposite Patti Lupone in London's West End, to Tony nominated American classics on Broadway like "Death of a Salesman" opposite Brian Dennehy, "Orpheus Descending" opposite Vanessa Redgrave, and "Come Back Little Sheba" opposite Epatha S. Merkersen, or the "Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" with Olympia Dukakis. He has performed in independent films at Sundance, and then on to both cable and network television. Other notable film work includes the Miramax release "Firelight" opposite French actress Sophie Marceau, the drama "Eye of God" by actor/writer/director Tim Blake Nelson, and "A Thousand Acres" opposite Michelle Pfeiffer. Some other favorite feature films include "Doe Boy", "When Strangers Appear" with Radha Mitchell, "Charlotte's Web" in which he plays Dakota Fanning's father, and "Ruby's Bucket of Blood", in which he starred as a white blues singer who falls in love with an African American nightclub owner (Angela Basset).
Kevin is perhaps best known for his performance of Father Ray, the maverick Catholic priest in ABC's ground-breaking television series "Nothing Sacred" for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1998. He also received Best Actor nominations from the Viewers for Quality Television, the Online Film and Television Association, the Television Critics Association, and a Peabody Award for the creators and production. Other forays into television include the critically acclaimed but short-lived Jerry Bruckheimer series "Skin" opposite Olivia Wilde. Other favorite television films include "Power and Beauty" opposite the stunning Natasha Henstridge and directed by Susan Seidelman, "Monday Night Mayhem" with John Turturro and directed by Ernest Dickerson, and "Hunt for the Unicorn Killer" (Best Actor Nomination - Online Film and Television Association) opposite Naomi Watts.
Subsequent returns to the stage have been as varying as they were lauded, from the world premiere of "Sunset Boulevard" in London as the original musical Joe Gillis opposite Patti LuPone, to "Death of a Salesman" (Tony nomination, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award), to a heartbreaking turn in "I Never Sang for My Father" with John Mahoney at Steppenwolf Theatre, to the cult hit "Brooklyn the Musical" on Broadway with Karen Olivo, to "Come Back Little Sheba" (Outer Critics Circle Award nomination) on Broadway with "Law and Order's" S. Epatha Merkersen and Zoe Kazan, to a hit stage production of the Stephen King epic "The Shawshank Redemption" in the starring role of Andy Dufresne in Dublin and London's West End. He starred as John the Baptist opposite Jessica Chastain and Al Pacino in the stage production of Oscar Wilde's "Salome" which was made into a documentary entitled "Wilde Salome" directed by Pacino. Other notable Off-Broadway, London, and Chicago productions include "Pal Joey" in the title role, "Moonchildren" (Cynthia Nixon), "Brilliant Traces" (Joan Cusack), "The Red Address", "Speaking in Tongues" (Karen Allen), "Summer and Smoke" (Amanda Plummer), "Dinner With Friends (Samantha Bond, Elizabeth McGovern), and "Earthly Possessions" (Joan Allen) and "Detroit" (Laurie Metcalfe) at Steppenwolf.
Kevin is a graduate of Chicago's Goodman School of Drama and hails from Gurnee, Illinois, a small farming community bordering Wisconsin in the heart of the Midwest - a true blue cow town. Kevin's goals and ideals remain as steadfast today as they were as when he first started acting. Acting has never been about fame and fortune for Kevin. His only desire has been to be the best actor that he can possibly be. To achieve this, he realized early on that to be successful, he had to strive to work with the best material, on the most interesting, challenging new roles, and to seek to work with the most talented and inspiring directors and actors that he could possibly find. These same goals remain as constant and true today, and he is truly honored to have worked with such amazing and creative powerhouses throughout his career.Ensemble Player since 1985.- Randall Arney was born on 23 June 1956 in Effingham, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Chain Reaction (1996), Mystery, Alaska (1999) and The Color of Money (1986).Ensemble Player since 1985.
- Robert, originally from New Haven Connecticut, is a Chicago based actor. From his first professional role at Joe Papp's New York Public Theatre where he played Kress in David Rabe's "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel", to Sidney Greenstreet in "Ten Chimneys" at Milwaukee Rep and Frank in "Detroit" at Steppenwolf, he has played over one hundred roles, including Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", Moe in "Riverview" and Dean Strauss in "Spinning Into Butter" both at the Goodman Theatre. Bob is a member of the Steppenwolf acting ensemble where he has performed in some 40 roles over 30 years. Some favorites: Botvinnic in "A Walk in the Woods" by Lee Blessing, Father Lux in "Our Lady of 121st Street", Pa Joad in the "Grapes of Wrath", Charlie "Blackie" Blackwell in John Olive's "Killers" which he also directed at Mary Arrchie Theatre. He has performed at Northlight, Drury Lane Water Tower, Profiles Theatre in Chicago. He has worked at the Dallas Theatre Center, the Players at U of North Carolina, Saint Louis Rep, Great Lakes Shakespeare, the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
One of his favorite roles was with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra where he played The Devil in Stravinsky's "The Soldier's Tale". On Broadway he has been in "The Grapes of Wrath", "The Song of Jacob Zulu", "Carousel" and "Death of a Salesman". He is a recipient of the William and Eva Fox Fellowship Grant. Many Jeff nominations and won win for his performance of the Russian negotiator in Steppenwolf's "A Walk in the Woods". He has written seven plays and many 10-minute radio plays and was a member of The Playwrights Center in Minneapolis for two years. He is also a member of Actor's Equity, SAG-AFTRA and The Dramatist's Guild.Ensemble Player since 1985. - Actor
- Additional Crew
Gary Michael Cole is an American television, film and voice actor. Cole began his professional acting career on stage at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. On television, he has had starring roles in the TV series Midnight Caller, American Gothic, The West Wing, Crusade, The Good Wife, The Good Fight, Veep, Chicago Fire, and Mixed. In film, he has appeared in The Brady Bunch Movie, One Hour Photo, Office Space, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Breach, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. He is also known for voicing the title character on the Adult Swim series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Principal Shepherd on Family Guy, and James Timothy Possible on Kim Possible. As of season 19, Cole joined NCIS, taking over from Mark Harmon, who left the show, as FBI Special Agent, and new head of Gibbs' team, Alden Parker.Ensemble Player since 1985.- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Frank Galati was born on 29 November 1943 in Highland Park, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Accidental Tourist (1988), American Playhouse (1980) and The Party Animal (1984). He was married to Peter Amster . He died on 2 January 2023 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.Ensemble Player since 1985.- Ensemble Player since 1985.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Actor Austin Pendleton was born March 27, 1940 in Warren, Ohio to Frances and Thorn Pendleton. He graduated from Yale University. He later became an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, and acted in several of the theater's productions. His first film appearance was in Petulia (1968), a minor and uncredited role. Since, he has made over 100 appearances in television and film.Ensemble Player since 1985.- Molly Regan is known for Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), Pollock (2000) and Bullets Over Broadway (1994).Ensemble Player since 1985.
- Rick Snyder was born on 27 January 1951 in Elmhurst, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for U.S. Marshals (1998), The Net (1995) and The Human Stain (2003). He has been married to Susan Tyra since 1981. They have two children.Ensemble Player since 1985.
- True-Frost graduated from New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. He has been an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago since 1989. Prior to that, he was a member of Remains Theater, co-founded by actor William L. Petersen (To Live and Die in L.A., CSI: Crime Scene Investigation). True-Frost appeared in the film Off the Map with fellow Steppenwolf ensemble member Joan Allen, directed by Singles co-star Campbell Scott. He has performed on Broadway and as far away as Sierra Leone.Ensemble Player since 1985 as Jim True.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Kathryn Erbe was born on 5 July 1965 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress, known for Stir of Echoes (1999), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) and What About Bob? (1991). She was previously married to Terry Kinney.Ensemble Player since 1990.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
K. Todd Freeman was born on 9 July 1965 in Houston, Texas, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and The Cider House Rules (1999).Ensemble Player since 1990.- Director
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Tina Landau is known for The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage! (2019), Old Hats (2016) and Stars and the Moon: Betty Buckley Live at the Donmar (2002). She was previously married to Niki Cunningham.Ensemble Player since 1990.- Martha Lavey was born in 1957, daughter of a CIA agent. She graduated from Northwestern in 1979 and later returned for a graduate theater degree. Most of her acting has been on the stage and she is today director of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater, where her colleagues have included John Malkovich and others later famous for their movie roles. Lavey has only the one screen credit.Ensemble Player since 1990. Artistic Director.
- Mariann Mayberry was born on 25 May 1965 in Springfield, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for War of the Worlds (2005), Dogman (2012) and No God, No Master (2013). She was married to Scott Jaeck. She died on 1 August 2017 in Simsbury, Connecticut, USA.Ensemble Player since 1990.
- Amy Morton was born on 3 April 1959 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Up in the Air (2009), 8MM (1999) and Rookie of the Year (1993). She is married to Rob Millburn.Ensemble Player since 1990.
- Sally Murphy was born on 12 October 1962 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Fearless (1993), Scent of a Woman (1992) and Pollock (2000).Ensemble Player since 1990.
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
She has show biz in her blood. Martha Plimpton was born November 16, 1970, in New York City to two actors: Keith Carradine and Shelley Plimpton. Martha began her career at age 8, when her mom had a friend of hers, composer Elizabeth Swados, enroll her in an actors' workshop. At age 10, she got a small part in Rollover (1981), and also made a series of Calvin Klein commercials.
Her first substantial film role was as a tomboy in The River Rat (1984); the following year, Steven Spielberg cast her in The Goonies (1985). Martha met River Phoenix while they were both filming The Mosquito Coast (1986), but since she was only 15 at the time, she did not go out with him. Even though she had a small part in the movie, it established her as a serious actress. Martha appeared in movies such as the screwball comedy Stars and Bars (1988) and, that same year, she was paired again with Phoenix in Running on Empty (1988). They dated for a while and then broke up. For a while, she was engaged to actor Jon Patrick Walker.
As if making movies didn't keep her busy enough, Martha frequently worked at theaters and made her Chicago debut with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company Ensemble in "The Libertine" in 1996. As a member of that ensemble, she received a National Medal of Arts award in the autumn of 1998. As for movies, Colin Fitz Lives! (1997) and Eye of God (1997) in which she plays the starring role, have been run at the Sundance Film Festival. Although some recent movies have had low box office (Pecker (1998) $2.1 million, and 200 Cigarettes (1999) $6.8 million), Martha's performances shine and she often rises above her material.
Perhaps recalling how important acting lessons were to her as a child, she donates her time and efforts to the "52nd Street Project" which is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to matching the inner-city children with professional theater artists to create original theater, by writing, directing and performing their own plays. Perhaps one of the inner-city kids she is coaching will be the next famous actress in Hollywood.Ensemble Player since 1990.- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Eric Simonson is an ensemble member of the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre Company, a position he maintains while working as a writer and director for film, television, theatre and opera. Films include the documentary, "Studs Terkel: Listening to America" (Emmy nomination); "A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin", which won the Oscar for Documentary Short and received a nomination from the International Documentary Association (IDA) for Distinguished Achievement; "On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom" (Oscar nomination, IDA Award, Emmy nomination). All three films subsequently aired on HBO/Cinemax. Other films include "Hamlet" (co-directed with Campbell Scott) for Hallmark Entertainment, "Killing Reagan" for NatGeo (Critic's Choice Award nomination), and the independent feature, "Topa Topa Bluffs". Simonson has also written and developed multiple television series for HBO, FX, Starz, TNT, and USA networks. Television and Producer writing credits include "The Man in the High Castle" and "Homecoming" (with Julia Roberts; WGA nomination), both for Amazon, and "Swagger" for Apple TV+.
Broadway writing credits include the hit play "Lombardi", "Magic/Bird", and "Bronx Bombers", which he also directed. Simonson's other directing and writing credits in theatre include work at Steppenwolf Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Primary Stages in NY, The Huntington Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Kansas City Rep, The Kennedy Center, Pasadena Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Arizona Theatre, San Jose Rep and Court Theatre in Chicago. His work at Steppenwolf includes the premiere productions of his plays "Fake", "Honest", "Carter's Way", his adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five", the critically acclaimed and nationally produced "Nomathemba" (co-written with Ntozake Shange and Joseph Shabalala), and "The Song of Jacob Zulu", which was invited to the Perth International Arts Festival, ran on Broadway, and received six Tony nominations including Best Director. Other plays include published works "Bang the Drum Slowly" and "Work Song" (co-written with Jeffrey Hatcher), which premiered at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre.
Opera directing credits include the North American premiere of "The Handmaid's Tale" at Minnesota Opera, and world premiere productions of "The Grapes of Wrath", "The Shining", "The Fix", "Edward Tulane" and "Silent Night" (Pulitzer Prize). He most recently collaborated with The Violent Femmes frontman Gordon Gano on the smash hit musical "Run Bambi Run"
Simonson has been honored with the Princess Grace Foundation's Statuette Award for Sustained Artistic Achievement, the Frankel Award for new play development, and several Edgerton Foundation grants for new play development.Ensemble Player since 1990.- Lois Smith was born on 3 November 1930 in Topeka, Kansas, USA. She is an actress, known for Minority Report (2002), Lady Bird (2017) and Twister (1996). She was previously married to Wesley Dale Smith.Ensemble Player since 1990.
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Tracy Letts is the son of actor Dennis Letts and best-selling author Billie Letts, of "Where The Heart Is" and "The Honk And Holler Opening Soon" fame. Tracy is also the author of the stage play "Killer Joe", which ran off-Broadway in 1998 for nine months and starred Scott Glenn, Amanda Plummer, Michael Shannon, Sarah Paulson and Marc Nelson.- Shannon was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She had extensive theatre work in Chicago, including the world premiere of "Picasso at the Lapin Agile", a play by Steve Martin. She received a Joseph Jefferson Award for her role as "Gladys Bump" in "Pal Joey", at the Goodman Theatre.
- Yasen Peyankov was born in Varna, Bulgaria and went to the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia. He arrived in the United States in 1990 and very quickly found his place as an actor in the vibrant off-Loop theatre scene in Chicago. In 1992 he co-founded the European Repertory Company with Dale Goulding where for the next 10 years he produced, directed or acted in over 20 productions.
His first break was landing a part in Time to Burn at Steppenwolf Theatre in 1997. He was invited to join the legendary ensemble in 2002. He has appeared in 18 productions at Steppenwolf. Some of his notable appearances at Steppenwolf include: Penelope; Pillowman; Three Sisters; Superior Donuts; The Tempest; Cherry Orchard; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; The Time of Your Life (also Seattle, San Francisco); Lost Land; Hysteria; Morning Star (Jeff Award for Best Supporting Actor). On stage he has also appeared in productions at Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, European Repertory, Next Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and made his Broadway debut in Superior Donuts in 2009.
His Steppenwolf directing credits include The Fundamentals, Between Riverside and Crazy (Jeff Nomination for Best Production), Grand Concourse, Russian Transport, Hushabye for First Look and The Glass Menagerie for Steppenwolf for Young Adults. He also translated and directed the Bulgarian premiere of August: Osage County at the National Theatre in Sofia in 2011.
Some of his many film and television appearances include Captive State, Chasing Gold, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, Contagion, Transformers 3, Crime Fiction, The Company, The Mob Doctor, The Beast, Gifted Hands, Karen Sisco, Alias, The Practice, The Unit, Numb3rs. Since 2016 he has a recurring role on Madam Secretary.
He has also translated and adapted Russian plays by Anton Chekhov, Mikhail Bulgakov, Nikolai Kolyada, Alexander Galin and Vassily Sigarev, all of which developed into productions. He is the recipient of a Jeff Award and two Jeff Nominations, Fox Fellowship and is the Head of Theatre at the School of Theatre and Music at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he teaches acting and directs plays. - William Petersen was born on 21 February 1953 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Manhunter (1986) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). He has been married to Gina Cirone since 14 June 2003. They have two children. He was previously married to Joanne Brady.