Josh Charles

Last updated

Josh Charles
Josh Charles (17272036905).jpg
Charles at Toronto International Film Festival 2014
Born
Joshua Aaron Charles

(1971-09-15) September 15, 1971 (age 53)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active1988–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2013)​
Children2

Joshua Aaron Charles (born September 15, 1971) is an American film, television, and theater actor. He is best known for the roles of Dan Rydell on Sports Night, Will Gardner on The Good Wife , which earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and his early work as Knox Overstreet in Dead Poets Society and Bryan from Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead .

Contents

Early life

Charles is the son of Allan Charles, an advertising executive. [1] [2] [3] He is Jewish on his father's side, and he has described himself as Jewish. [4] [5] He began his career performing comedy at the age of 9. As a teenager, he spent several summers at Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Center in New York. [6] He attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he was a classmate of Jada Pinkett and Tupac Shakur. [7]

Career

Charles' film debut was in fellow Baltimore native John Waters' Hairspray in 1988. The following year, he starred alongside Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke in Dead Poets Society . Other film roles have included Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead , Threesome , Pie in the Sky , Muppets from Space , S.W.A.T , Four Brothers , After.Life , Crossing the Bridge and Brief Interviews with Hideous Men .

On television, Charles played sports anchor Dan Rydell in Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night , which ran for two years (1998–2000) and earned Charles a Screen Actors Guild nomination. [8] In 2008, Charles played the role of Jake in season one of HBO's In Treatment . [9] [10] [11] In 2009, he returned to network television in the drama The Good Wife . For his work on the series, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2014.

Also in 2011, Charles narrated the debut episode for NFL Network's A Football Life on New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. [12]

In 2022, Charles starred in We Own This City , an HBO limited series. [13] The series was noteworthy because it was set in Baltimore, Charles' hometown. His first film, Hairspray, was set in Baltimore and over three decades later, We Own This City was his only other role to-date with ties to the city. [14]

In theater, Charles headlined a production of Jonathan Marc Sherman's Confrontation in 1986. In 2004, he appeared on stage in New York in a revival of Neil LaBute's The Distance from Here, which received a Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble Cast. In January 2006, he appeared in the world premiere of Richard Greenberg's The Well-Appointed Room for the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, and he followed this with a run at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, portraying the cloned brothers in Caryl Churchill's A Number . In 2007, he appeared in Adam Bock's The Receptionist at the Manhattan Theatre Club.

He appeared off-Broadway in Annie Baker's The Antipodes at the Signature Theatre in 2017. [15] He made his Broadway debut in Straight White Men by Young Jean Lee at the Hayes Theater in 2018. [16] [17]

Personal life

In September 2013, Charles married ballet dancer and author Sophie Flack. [18] [19] On December 9, 2014, Flack gave birth to the couple's first child, a son. [20] On August 23, 2018, Charles revealed on his Instagram that Flack gave birth to their second child, a daughter. [21]

Charles was born, raised and educated in Baltimore, he got his first big acting break in a John Waters film, and his family still lives in the city. As a result, Charles is known for his deep ties to Baltimore and he returns frequently for visits. Charles is famously a big fan of the Ravens and Orioles, [22] and follows city politics closely. [23]

He supported Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016. [24] In 1999, the office of then New York Senate candidate Hillary Clinton had requested a copy of a Sports Night episode in which Charles' character Dan Rydell talks about his admiration for Clinton and recounts attending a fundraiser for her off-screen. [25] [26] [27]

In August 2014, he signed an open letter from members of the Hollywood community condemning Hamas rocket attacks on Israel during the 2014 Gaza War. [28] [29] In October 2023, he was one of many Hollywood signatories of a letter calling on President Biden to work toward the release of all Israeli hostages after the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel. [30] [31]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1988 Hairspray Iggy
1989 Dead Poets Society Knox Overstreet
1991 Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead Bryan
1992 Crossing the Bridge Mort Golden
1994 Threesome Eddy
1995 Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead Bruceuncredited
1995 Coldblooded Randy
1996 The Grave Tyn
1996 Crossworlds Joe Talbot
1996 Pie in the Sky Charlie Dunlap
1997Cyclops, BabyBrush Brody
1997 Little City Adam
1999 Muppets from Space Agent Barker
2000 Meeting Daddy Peter Silverblatt
2003 S.W.A.T. T. J. McCabe
2004 Seeing Other People Lou
2005 Four Brothers Detective Fowler
2006 The Darwin Awards Paramedic
2006 The Ex Forrest Mead
2009 After.Life Tom Peterson
2009 Brief Interviews with Hideous Men Subject No. 2
2014 Bird People Gary Newman
2014 Adult Beginners Phil
2015 I Smile Back Bruce Brooks
2015 Freeheld Bryan Kelder
2016 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Chris
2016 Norman Arthur Taub
2016 The Drowning Tom Seymour
2018 Amateur Coach Gaines
2019 Framing John DeLorean Bill Collins [32]
2023 Memory Isaac
2024 Mothers' Instinct Damian Jennings

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1990 Murder in Mississippi Andrew Goodman Television film
1993 Cooperstown JodyTelevision film
1996 Norma Jean & Marilyn Eddie JordanTelevision film
1997The UnderworldEhrlichTelevision film
1998–2000 Sports Night Dan Rydell45 episodes
2002 Our America Dave IsayTelevision film
2005 Stella Jeremyepisode: "Meeting Girls"
2007 Six Degrees Ray Jones4 episodes
2008 In Treatment Jake8 episodes
2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Sean Kelleyepisode: "Confession"
2009–2016 The Good Wife Will Gardner 107 episodes, also director (3 episodes)
2014–2016 Inside Amy Schumer Various4 episodes
2015 Masters of Sex Dan Logan10 episodes
2015 Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp Blake6 episodes
2016–2017 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Duke Snyder5 episodes
2016–2019 Drunk History Various3 episodes
2017 Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later Blake6 episodes
2017 Law & Order True Crime Dr. Jerome Oziel7 episodes
2017 Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Forensic Scientistepisode: "Forensic Science"
2019 The Loudest Voice Casey Close 3 episodes
2020 Away Matt Logan10 episodes
2021 Law & Order: Organized Crime Vince Baldiepisode: "Forget it, Jake; It's Chinatown"
2022 We Own This City Daniel Herslminiseries, main cast
2023 The Power Daniel Dandonrecurring role
2024 The Veil Max Peterson4 episodes

Music videos

YearTitleArtistRef.
2024"Fortnight" Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone [33]

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryNominated workResult
2000 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Sports Night Nominated
2000 Viewers for Quality Television Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series Nominated
2010 Satellite Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama The Good Wife Nominated
2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2011 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2012 Monte-Carlo Television Festival Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2014 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2014 Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated
2014 People's Choice Awards Favorite Dramatic Television Actor Won
2014 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2015 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series Inside Amy Schumer Nominated

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References

  1. ↑ Sandler, Gilbert (July 16, 1996). "Baltimore Glimpses: the Hollywood trail". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved September 8, 2013. Josh Charles is the son of Laura and Allen Charles
  2. ↑ Josh Charles [@MrJoshCharles] (October 12, 2012). "My grandpa, Wilbur Heckscher" (Tweet). Retrieved September 8, 2013– via Twitter.
  3. ↑ Desmon, Stephanie (February 17, 2008). "Lillian 'Libby' Charles". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 13, 2015. her son Allan Charles, founding partner of Trahan Burden Charles ... grandson is actor Josh Charles
  4. ↑ Feinberg, Scott (June 21, 2012). "Emmys 2012: Josh Charles on Falling in Love with 'The Good Wife' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Charles Gets Married". Jewz in the Newz. The American Israelite. October 2, 2013. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013. Charles' Jewish father was a prominent Baltimore advertising exec )
  6. ↑ "kritiken/Abrahams". web.archive.org. June 29, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Josh Charles - Trivia". IMDb. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Neyer: Mr. Baltimore". ESPN.com. January 28, 2003. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Josh Charles interview: 'In Treatment' (HBO), 2007/2008". sportsnightlink.livejournal.com. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  10. ↑ "HBO: In Treatment: Jake & Amy". web.archive.org. May 10, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  11. ↑ "'Night Talk' interview with Josh Charles: 01/02/08". sportsnightlink.livejournal.com. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  12. ↑ Forsberg, Chris. "Belichick documentary set for NFL Network – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston". Espn.go.com. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  13. ↑ Petski, Denise (May 19, 2021). "Jon Bernthal, Josh Charles, Jamie Hector To Star In 'We Own This City' HBO Limited Series From 'The Wire' Team". Deadline Hollywood.
  14. ↑ "Native Baltimorean Josh Charles on Returning to his Hometown to Play Daniel Hersl in 'We Own This City'". Awardsdaily. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  15. ↑ "First Look at Josh Charles and Josh Hamilton in The Antipodes". Playbill. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  16. ↑ "See Straight White Men's Armie Hammer, Josh Charles, Kate Bornstein, and More Meet the Press". Playbill. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  17. ↑ Evans, Greg (April 5, 2018). "Josh Charles To Make Broadway Debut In 'Straight White Men' With Armie Hammer". Deadline. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  18. ↑ Goldstein, Meredith (October 10, 2011). "A novel life: A former dancer's new career takes shape – Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  19. ↑ Webber, Stephanie (September 7, 2013). "Josh Charles Wedding: Good Wife Star Marries Girlfriend Sophie Flack!". Us Weekly. Retrieved September 8, 2013. Josh Charles ... married longtime girlfriend Sophie Flack on Friday, Sept. 6
  20. ↑ Marquina, Sierra (December 12, 2014). "Josh Charles, Wife Sophie Flack Welcome Their First Child Together – a Baby Boy!". Us Weekly. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  21. ↑ Josh Charles Reveals The Birth of His Daughter, Instagram, 2018, archived from the original on December 26, 2021, retrieved August 23, 2018
  22. ↑ "Josh Charles - Trivia". IMDb. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Native Baltimorean Josh Charles on Returning to his Hometown to Play Daniel Hersl in 'We Own This City'". Awardsdaily. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  24. ↑ Hillary Clinton (October 17, 2016). Josh Charles on the HFA Victory Counsel | Hillary Clinton . Retrieved January 28, 2025– via YouTube.
  25. ↑ Starr, Michael (October 12, 1999). "'SPORTS' FAN HILLARY AWAITS 'NIGHT' GUY" . Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  26. ↑ Archerd, Army (October 12, 1999). "'Sports' features Hillary-inspired story". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Sports Night: "Special Powers"/"When Something Wicked This Way Comes"". AV Club. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  28. ↑ Staff, T. H. R. (August 23, 2014). "More Than 190 Hollywood Notables Sign Pro-Israel Statement Criticizing Hamas". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Creative Community For Peace - Commitment to Peace & Justice". web.archive.org. August 25, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  30. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (October 23, 2023). "Hollywood Stars and Executives Thank President Biden for Leadership, Call for Release of All Hamas Hostages". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  31. ↑ "NoHostageLeftBehind". web.archive.org. October 24, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  32. ↑ Evans, Greg (March 6, 2019), 'Framing John DeLorean' Trailer: Alec Baldwin Stars Alongside Real DeLorean In New Hybrid Film
  33. ↑ Saunders, Angel (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Enlists Dead Poets Society Actors Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles for 'Fortnight' Music Video". People. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
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