Desmond Harrington

Last updated

Desmond Harrington
Desmond Harrington cropped 2010.jpg
Harrington in 2010
Born (1976-10-19) October 19, 1976 (age 47)
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1999–present

Desmond Harrington (born October 19, 1976) [1] is an American actor. He made his film debut in 1999, playing Jean d'Aulon in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc . His later credits include Riding in Cars with Boys , The Hole (both 2001), Ghost Ship , We Were Soldiers (both 2002), Love Object , Wrong Turn (both 2003), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and The Neon Demon (2016).

Contents

On television, Harrington played "Joey" Quinn on Showtime's Dexter (2008–2013), Jack Bass on the CW's Gossip Girl (2009–2012), Alan Shepard in the ABC miniseries The Astronaut Wives Club (2015), Michael Rowan on CBS's Elementary (2018), and Louis Freeh on the second season of Spectrum's Manhunt (2020).

Early life

Harrington was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx, New York City. [2] He attended St. Margaret's School and Fordham Preparatory School. [2] He later attended Manhattan College, but dropped out after six weeks. [2] He worked as a waiter and bartender while taking acting classes at the HB Studio in Greenwich Village. [2]

Career

Harrington made his professional debut when he was picked from 350 hopefuls to play Jean d'Aulon, bodyguard to Joan of Arc, in Luc Besson's epic historical drama The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). [2] Following smaller parts in the comedy-dramas Riding in Cars with Boys and My First Mister (both 2001), [3] he had major roles in a succession of genre features: British psychological thriller The Hole (2001), Dark Castle's commercially successful Ghost Ship (2002), [4] rural teen slasher Wrong Turn (2003), [5] and the independent dark comedy-horror, Love Object (2003). [6] For his portrayal of Kenneth in the latter—an introvert who forms an obsessive relationship with a sex doll—Harrington was awarded Best Actor at the Málaga Fantastic Film Festival. [7] During this same time, he played the recurring role of Jesse Keys, an abductee of aliens, in the Steven Spielberg-produced science fiction miniseries Taken (2002).

Following his headline appearance as Det. Jimmy McCarron on the second season of L.A. Dragnet (2003–2004), Harrington starred on the short-lived ABC sitcom Sons & Daughters (2006), which drew attention for its use of improvisation and absence of a traditional laugh track. [8] [9] He then joined the cast of the Showtime crime thriller series Dexter in its third season, playing "Joey" Quinn, a smart-mouthed detective. During his five years on the show (2008–2013), he was nominated on four occasions—along with his co-stars—for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble. Between 2009 and 2012, Harrington played the recurring role of Jack Bass, an irresponsible businessman, on the CW's Gossip Girl . [10]

In March 2012, Harrington guest-starred in the season three premiere of the neo-Western drama series Justified , playing Fletcher "the Ice Pick" Nix. In his review of the episode for Entertainment Weekly , Ken Tucker commented, "In a very nice performance utterly unlike anything he does on Dexter, Harrington let his hair get all bed-heady and spoke in a mumble-mouth drawl as he set up his favorite sadistic game: He lays a gun on a table, and has someone count down from 10. At "1," you're invited to reach for the gun, but that's when Ice Pick earns his nickname: He pulls out an ice pick, stabs your hand to the table, picks up the gun, and shoots you." [11] Next, Harrington featured in a small but pivotal role in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (2012), [12] co-starred as Alan Shepard—the first American astronaut to travel to space—in the CBS miniseries The Astronaut Wives Club (2015), and appeared as Jack, a lecherous photographer, in Nicolas Winding Refn's critically divisive arthouse thriller, The Neon Demon (2016). [13]

On the sixth season of Elementary (2018), a contemporary spin on Sherlock Holmes, Harrington played Michael Rowan, a serial killer struggling with sobriety. [14] His next role was Louis Freeh, former head of the FBI, on the second season of Spectrum's Manhunt (2020).

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1999 The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc Aulon
2000 Boiler Room JT Marlin TraineeUncredited
2000MassholesBing
2000Drop Back TenSpanks Voley
2001 Riding in Cars with Boys Bobby
2001 The Hole Mike Steel
2001 My First Mister Randy Harris, Jr.
2002Life Makes Sense If You're FamousJay
2002 Ghost Ship Jack Ferriman
2002 We Were Soldiers Sp4. Bill Beck
2003 Wrong Turn Chris Flynn
2003 Love Object Kenneth Winslow
2004 Three Way Ralph Hagen
2006TaphephobiaMike Hollister
2006 Bottoms Up Rusty #1
2007Fort PitMike Sokeletski
2008 Exit Speed Sam Cutter
2009 Timer Dan the Man
2009 Life Is Hot in Cracktown Benny
2009 Not Since You Sam Nelson
2012 The Dark Knight Rises Uniform
2016 The Neon Demon Jack McCarther

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2002 Taken Jesse Keys – Adult3 episodes
2003–2004 L.A. Dragnet Det. Jimmy McCarron / Det. Dexter McCarronMain cast (Season 2)
2006 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Tim RaineyEpisode: "Vacancy"
2006 Kidnapped Kenneth CantrellEpisode: "Special Delivery"
2006–2007 Sons & Daughters Wylie Blake9 episodes
2007 Rescue Me Troy VollieRecurring (season 4)
2008–2013 Dexter Det. Joseph QuinnRecurring (season 3); main cast (seasons 4–8)
2009–2012 Gossip Girl Jack BassRecurring (seasons 2–3, 5); guest (seasons 4, 6)
2012 Justified Fletcher 'The Ice Pick' NixEpisode: "The Gunfighter"
2014 Those Who Kill Det. Nico Bronte3 episodes
2015 The Astronaut Wives Club Alan Shepard 10 episodes
2015 Limitless Agent Casey Rooks3 episodes
2016–2017 Shooter Lon ScottRecurring (season 1)
2017–2018 Sneaky Pete JoeRecurring (seasons 1–2)
2017 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Officer MaldackEpisode: "Moo Moo"
2018 Elementary Michael RowanMain cast (season 6)
2020 Manhunt FBI Head Louis Freeh Recurring (season 2)

Awards

YearAssociationCategoryNominated workResult


2004 Málaga Fantastic Film Festival Best Actor Love Object Won
2005 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Actor Love ObjectNominated
2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Dexter Nominated
2010 Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesDexterNominated
2011 Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesDexterNominated
2012 Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesDexterNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Giamatti</span> American actor (born 1967)

Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti is an American actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globes, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Browder</span> American actor, writer and film director

Robert Benedict Browder is an American actor, writer and film director, known for his roles as John Crichton in Farscape and Cameron Mitchell in Stargate SG-1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael C. Hall</span> American actor

Michael Carlyle Hall is an American actor and singer best known for his roles as Dexter Morgan, the titular character in the Showtime series Dexter, and David Fisher in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under. These two roles collectively earned Hall a Golden Globe Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also acted in Broadway shows and narrated audiobooks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Harrington</span> American football player (born 1978)

John Joseph Harrington Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Detroit Lions. He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, earning Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. Harrington was selected third overall by the Lions in the 2002 NFL Draft. Unable to duplicate his collegiate success, he left the Lions after four seasons. He spent his final three seasons as the primary starter for the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons and a backup with the New Orleans Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Goldwyn</span> American actor and director (born 1960)

Anthony Howard Goldwyn is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986), and had his breakthrough for starring as Carl Bruner in the fantasy thriller film Ghost (1990), which earned him a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. He went on to star as Harold Nixon in the biographical film Nixon (1995), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and as Neil Armstrong in the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon (1998).

<i>The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc</i> 1999 film by Luc Besson

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc is a 1999 English-language French epic historical drama film directed by Luc Besson and starring Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway and Dustin Hoffman. The screenplay was written by Besson and Andrew Birkin, and the original score was composed by Éric Serra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Martinez</span> Musician, composer, drummer

Cliff Robert Martinez is an American musician and composer. Early in his career, Martinez was known as a drummer notably with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Captain Beefheart. Since the 1990s, he has worked primarily as a film score composer, writing music for Spring Breakers, The Foreigner, and multiple films by Steven Soderbergh and Nicolas Winding Refn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Weller</span> American actor (born 1947)

Peter Francis Weller is an American actor and television director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elle Fanning</span> American actress (born 1998)

Mary Elle Fanning is an American actress. She made her film debut as a child as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film I Am Sam and in the miniseries Taken (2002). She appeared in several other films as a child actress, including Daddy Day Care (2003), Babel (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Phoebe in Wonderland, and the miniseries The Lost Room (2006). She then had leading roles in Sofia Coppola's drama Somewhere (2010) and J. J. Abrams' science fiction film Super 8 (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Settle</span> American actor

Jeffrey Matthew Settle is an American actor. He is known for playing Captain Ronald Speirs on the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and Rufus Humphrey on the CW teen drama series Gossip Girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Gilliland</span> American actor (1950–2021)

Richard Gilliland was an American television and movie actor, best known as JD Shackleford in Designing Women (1986–1992).

Damian O'Hare is an Irish actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Gillette in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

<i>Dexter</i> (TV series) American crime drama TV series (2006–2013)

Dexter is an American crime drama television series that aired on Showtime from October 1, 2006, to September 22, 2013. Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician specializing in bloodstain pattern analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers who have not been adequately punished by the justice system due to corruption or legal technicalities. The show's first season was derived from the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004), the first in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay. It was adapted for television by James Manos Jr., who wrote the first episode. Subsequent seasons evolved independently of Lindsay's works while using many of the same characters and concepts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Lindsay</span> American playwright and crime novelist (born 1952)

Jeffry P. Freundlich, primarily known by his pen name Jeff Lindsay, is an American playwright and crime novelist best known for his novels about sociopathic Miami Police Department forensic analyst and serial killer-killing vigilante Dexter Morgan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumen Pierce</span> Fictional character from the television series Dexter

Lumen Ann Pierce is a fictional character portrayed by Julia Stiles in the Showtime television series Dexter, season 5. Lumen is introduced in the third episode as a survivor of rapist-serial killer Boyd Fowler. She remains for the rest of the season, and leaves following the season 5 finale, "The Big One".

Adam John Harrington is a Canadian-American actor and producer. He is known for his role as Roy Earle in the 2011 video game L.A. Noire. He has also appeared on Supernatural, The Secret Circle, Queer as Folk, Dexter and Bosch. He is also known for portraying Sindri in the 2018 video game God of War and its 2022 sequel God of War Ragnarök, for which he received a nomination for the British Academy Games Award for Performer in a Supporting Role.

<i>Dexter</i> (season 7) Drama series

The seventh season of Dexter premiered on September 30, 2012. The season follows Dexter's tangles with a Ukrainian mob boss and introduces the character Hannah McKay, a mysterious widow with a green thumb and a checkered past. The season seven story arc is continued over the course of the eighth season, which premiered on June 30, 2013.

"New York, I Love You XOXO" is the series finale of the American teen drama television series Gossip Girl. The episode serves as the tenth episode of the sixth season and the show's 121st episode overall. Written by Stephanie Savage, and directed by Mark Piznarski, the episode originally aired on The CW in the United States on December 17, 2012.

<i>The Astronaut Wives Club</i> American TV series or program

The Astronaut Wives Club is a 2015 American period drama television series developed by Stephanie Savage for ABC. It is based on Lily Koppel's 2013 book of the same name. The series tells the story of the wives of the Mercury Seven—America's first group of astronauts—who together formed the Astronaut Wives Club. Actresses Dominique McElligott, Yvonne Strahovski, JoAnna Garcia, Erin Cummings, Azure Parsons, Zoe Boyle, and Odette Annable play the roles of the astronauts' wives.

<i>The Neon Demon</i> 2016 film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

The Neon Demon is a 2016 psychological horror film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, co-written by Mary Laws, Polly Stenham, and Refn, and starring Elle Fanning. The plot follows an aspiring model in Los Angeles whose beauty and youth generate intense fascination and envy within the fashion industry. Supporting roles are played by Karl Glusman, Jena Malone, Bella Heathcote, Abbey Lee, Desmond Harrington, Christina Hendricks, and Keanu Reeves.

References

  1. ↑ "Desmond Harrington". TV Insider. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 New York Daily News Staff (November 14, 1999). "From St. Margaret's to St. Joan, Bronx Actor Gets His Big Break in 'The Messenger'". New York Daily News . Archived from the original on November 13, 2023.
  3. ↑ Vice, Jeff (October 26, 2001). "Film review: My First Mister". Deseret News . Retrieved March 25, 2024. (That's not meant to slight veteran comic character actors Kane, Michael McKean, Mary Kay Place and John Goodman, as well as newcomer Desmond Harrington, all of whom lend able support.)
  4. ↑ "Ghost Ship (2002)". The Numbers . Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Wrong Turn review". Total Film . June 27, 2003. Retrieved March 25, 2024. And while there's a smattering of bad dialogue and the obligatory emphasis on pert breasts straining in tiny tops, the two leads (Desmond Harrington and Eliza Dushku) emerge as intelligent, capable characters, consistently exhibiting resourcefulness to outwit their pursuers.
  6. ↑ Gingold, Michael (February 17, 2003). "Review: Love Object". Fangoria . Retrieved March 25, 2024. Most crucially, he and Harrington maintain a level of empathy for Kenneth; for all his social awkwardness, he's a likable guy at first, and the understanding the director and actor build for him keep the audience rooting for his and Lisa's relationship to work out.
  7. ↑ "Love Object". Pressman Film. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Improvisation is the key to 'Sons & Daughters'". Today.com. February 27, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Improv sparks 'Sons & Daughters,' a family sitcom easy to adopt". SFGate . March 7, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Gossip Girl brings back 'Jack'". TVLine.com. January 12, 2012. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  11. ↑ Tucker, Ken (January 17, 2012). "'Justified' season premiere review". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  12. ↑ "'Dark Knight Rises' Cast: Who 'Was' That Guy". MTV.com. July 22, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  13. ↑ "The Neon Demon". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  14. ↑ Saclao, Christian (May 2, 2018). "'Elementary' EP On What Makes Desmond Harrington's Michael A Unique Villain". International Business Times . Retrieved March 26, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.