Christian Clemenson | |
---|---|
Born | Christian Dayton Clemenson March 17, 1958 Humboldt, Iowa, U.S. |
Education | Harvard University (BA) Yale University (MFA) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1985–present |
Christian Dayton Clemenson [1] (born March 17, 1958) [2] [3] [4] is an American film and television actor. He is well known for his portrayal of Jerry "Hands" Espenson in the television series Boston Legal , for which he was nominated for three Emmy Awards and won the 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. [5] He has appeared in a number of highly acclaimed films, including Hannah and Her Sisters , Broadcast News , Apollo 13 and The Big Lebowski , and portrayed Tom Burnett in Paul Greengrass' United 93 . He starred in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story as prosecutor William Hodgman.
Clemenson was born and raised in Humboldt, Iowa, the son of drug store owners Ruth Alzora (Dayton) and Ernest Arnold Clemenson. [1] In his early teens, he delivered the Des Moines Register , which had a long tradition of awarding scholarships to top east-coast preparatory schools to a select few "paper boys." [6] Clemenson, a straight-A junior high school student, won a Register scholarship to Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. [7] He participated in many theatrical productions at Phillips Academy. In 1973, while Clemenson was enrolled at Phillips, his father died at age 58. [8]
Upon graduation from Phillips in 1976, he entered Harvard College. From his freshman year onward he received important roles in campus stage productions. When Clemenson starred in a Harvard Lampoon sketch comedy show, a Harvard Crimson theater critic described Clemenson as "hugely talented actor who can trigger hysteria with any of a dozen subtle expressions or inflections." [9] Other Crimson critics described his performances in Shakespeare plays as "a tour de force of sheer talent and intelligence" (in The Winter's Tale ) [10] and "a very fine and subtle performance" (in Measure for Measure ). [11] He displayed early on his remarkable range when he undertook with inimitable flair and hilarious effect the hugely solemn role of Erde "the green-faced torso", goddess of the Earth, in Peter Sellars's Loeb Drama Center puppet production of Wagner's Ring cycle (1979).[ citation needed ] [12]
During many summers he would return to Humboldt to star in, and later direct, local community theater plays at Humboldt's Castle Theatre. [2]
After graduating from Harvard College in 1980 and the Yale School of Drama in 1984, he moved to Los Angeles. [2]
Clemenson began his career in a number of character roles in film and television. He was a law student in the television version of The Paper Chase , Alex Keaton's English teacher in the television show Family Ties , a security salesman on The Golden Girls , a suspect in season 10, episode 14 of NYPD Blue , a bailiff in the Ivan Reitman movie Legal Eagles , a flight surgeon in the movie Apollo 13 , a cop in The Big Lebowski , a killer in The Fisher King , and Dr. Dale Lawrence in the movie And the Band Played On . He had a regular role as Socrates Poole, a lawyer in the Old West, in the Fox series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
In 1999, Clemenson appeared in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Bad Girls" as a grotesquely obese demon named Balthazar. He wore a large padded suit and extensive make-up for the role, and the character's repulsive, villainous nature contradicted many of his earlier roles.
Clemenson became well-known for his role as Jerry "Hands" Espenson on the television series Boston Legal . For playing Espenson, he won an Emmy Award for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2006 and was nominated for the same award in 2007. [5] He remained with the series through to its finale in 2008.
Clemenson starred in the film United 93 as Tom Burnett, one of the victims of the 9/11 hijacking of the flight that crashed in rural Pennsylvania after a passenger revolt. He also had a recurring role on Veronica Mars as Abel Koontz. In total, Clemenson appeared in three episodes of the show: "Like a Virgin", "Mars vs. Mars", and "Rat Saw God". Clemenson also has appeared in a season 6 episode of NCIS , "Dead Reckoning". He also appeared in two season 2 episodes of The Mentalist . He also played Jimmy Masterson on the 3rd episode of Memphis Beat , "Love Me Tender".
In 2009, Clemenson joined CSI: Miami as the new medical examiner, Dr. Tom Loman. He appeared throughout the show's eighth, ninth, and tenth seasons as a recurring character. In 2013, he appeared as a guest star in Harry's Law .
In 2016, he played Deputy District Attorney William Hodgman in American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson .
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1986 | Hannah and Her Sisters | Larry |
Legal Eagles | Clerk | |
Heartburn | Sidney | |
1987 | Black Widow | Artie |
Making Mr. Right | Bruce | |
Surrender | Dream Lawyer | |
Broadcast News | Bobby | |
1988 | Daddy's Boys | Otis |
1990 | Bad Influence | Pismo Boll |
1991 | The Fisher King | Edwin |
1992 | Hero | Conklin |
1993 | Josh and S.A.M. | Policeman |
1995 | Apollo 13 | Charles Berry |
1998 | The Big Lebowski | Younger Cop |
Almost Heroes | Father Girard | |
Armageddon | Droning Guy | |
Mighty Joe Young | Jack | |
1999 | Lost & Found | Ray |
2006 | United 93 | Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. |
2010 | Ashley's Ashes | Father Tim |
2011 | J. Edgar | Inspector Schell |
2014 | Not Safe for Work | Alan Z. Emmerich |
2016 | Live by Night | Ritz Investor |
2021 | No Man of God | James Dobson |
Malignant | Dr. Victor Fields | |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | Fame | Alan Stewart | Episode: "Selling Out" |
The Golden Girls | The Salesman | Episode: "Break In" | |
Mary | Tim Flowers | Episode: "From Pillar to Post" | |
1986 | The Paper Chase | Episode: "Graduation" | |
L.A. Law | Pomerantz | Episode: "The Princess and the Wiener King" | |
1987 | Head of the Class | Dave Nash | Episode: "Past Imperfect" |
Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Jack Colman | Episode: "Rumors of My Death" | |
Cagney & Lacey | Dr. Weinberg | Episode: "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" | |
The Slap Maxwell Story | Marty's Friend | Episode #1.1 | |
Beauty and the Beast | Jonathan Gould | Episode: "Nor Iron Bars a Cage" | |
It's Garry Shandling's Show | The Amazing Al | 2 episodes | |
1988 | Family Ties | Mr. Flaherty | 2 episodes |
21 Jump Street | Charles Greening | Episode: "Raising Marijuana" | |
Disaster at Silo 7 | Col. Brandon | Television film | |
1989 | Hard Time on Planet Earth | Herb Leavitt | Episode: "Losing Control" |
The Robert Guillaume Show | David | Episode: "You Win Some, You Lose Some" | |
1989–1991 | Matlock | Cyril Henning / Dr. Tim Crider | 2 episodes |
1990 | Capital News | Todd Lunden | 13 episodes |
1991 | Designing Women | Jack Henry | Episode: "Last Tango in Atlanta" |
1992 | Civil Wars | Leo Hood | Episode: "Dirty Pool" |
1993 | Hearts Afire | Martin Smithers | Episode: "While the Thomasons Slept in the Lincoln Bedroom" |
And the Band Played On | Dr. Dale Lawrence | Television film | |
1993–1994 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Socrates Poole | 27 episodes |
1995 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Rollie Vale | 2 episodes |
Cybill | Ed Philo | Episode: "The Odd Couples" | |
1996 | Murder One | Donald Losey | Episode: "Chapter Thirteen" |
1997 | Mad About You | Jared | 2 episodes; uncredited |
1998 | The Practice | Barry Wall | Episode: "Duty Bound" |
Vengeance Unlimited | Agent Stuart Brownsteen | Episode: "Victim of Circumstance" | |
1999 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Balthazar | Episode: "Bad Girls" |
2001 | Bette | Mr. McNally | Episode: "The Invisible Mom" |
Ladies Man | Dog Consultant | Episode: "A Quiet Evening at Home" | |
The District | Cliff / Bob | Episode: "Night Shift" | |
The West Wing | Evan Woodkirk, Smithsonian Curator | Episode: "The Women of Qumar" | |
2002 | Ally McBeal | Mr. Hookland | Episode: "Homecoming" |
2003 | NYPD Blue | Timothy Bosham | Episode: "Laughlin All the Way to the Clink" |
The Division | Capt. Leo Spivey | 2 episodes | |
2004 | Method & Red | Donald | 3 episodes |
2004–2005 | Veronica Mars | Abel Koontz | 4 episodes |
2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Charles Pellew | Episode: "Committed" |
Numbers | Henry Korfelt | Episode: "Assassin" | |
2005–2008 | Boston Legal | Jerry Espenson | 44 episodes |
2006 | Crossing Jordan | Fr. Edward Klausner | Episode: "Mysterious Ways" |
2009 | ER | Dr. Kurtag | Episode: "Old Times" |
NCIS | Perry Sterling | Episode: "Dead Reckoning" | |
The Mentalist | Dr. Roy Carmen | 2 episodes | |
Raising the Bar | Tom | Episode: "Maybe, Baby" | |
2009–2012 | CSI: Miami | Dr. Tom Loman | 52 episodes |
2010 | Memphis Beat | Jimmy Masterson | Episode: "Love Her Tender" |
Grey's Anatomy | Ivan Fink | Episode: "Can't Fight Biology" | |
2011 | The Glades | Ed Vickers | Episode: "Iron Pipeline" |
2012 | Harry's Law | Sam Berman | 5 episodes |
2013 | Shameless | Christopher Collier | 2 episodes |
Mike & Molly | Mr. O'Donnell | Episode: "Poker in the Front, Looker in the Back" | |
2014 | Dallas | Howard Rieder | Episode: "Trust Me" |
Californication | Couples Counsellor | Episode: "Faith, Hope, Love" | |
Manhattan | Niels Bohr | Episode: "Last Reasoning of Kings" | |
Legends | Mr. Porter | 3 episodes | |
2014–2017 | Turn: Washington's Spies | Martin De Young | 7 episodes |
2015 | Masters of Sex | Leslie Riordan | Episode: "Undue Influence" |
2016 | The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story | Bill Hodgman | 5 episodes |
2017 | Colony | Dan Bennett | 10 episodes |
Lifeline | Dugan Morris | Episode: "There's a Chip in Her Arm" | |
2019 | 9-1-1 | Franklin Prentiss | Episode: "Ocean's 9-1-1" |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Forreston Graham | Episode: "The Burden of Our Choices" | |
2021 | The Good Doctor | Dr. Silas Chambers | Episode: "Teeny Blue Eyes" |
2022–2023 | Julia | James Beard | 2 episodes |
2024 | A Man in Full | Stroock | 5 episodes |
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Clemenson, 52