Kit Culkin | |
|---|---|
 Kit Culkin in 1991 | |
| Born | Christopher Cornelius Culkin December 6, 1944 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Partner | Patricia Brentrup (1974–1995) |
| Children | 8, including Macaulay, Kieran and Rory |
| Relatives | Bonnie Bedelia (sister) |
Christopher Cornelius Culkin (born December 6, 1944) is an American former stage actor. He is the father of actors Macaulay Culkin, Rory Culkin and Kieran Culkin, and the older brother of actress Bonnie Bedelia.
Culkin was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Philip Harley Culkin (1898–1977), who was in public relations, [1] and Marian Ethel (née Wagner; 1914–1964), a writer and editor. [2] He and his sisters Candice and actress Bonnie [3] and his brother Terry were raised in New York City. [1] The family experienced financial hardship when his father's firm went bankrupt, and the family lived in a cold-water tenement flat. [4]
For middle school, Culkin attended Saint Thomas Choir School in Midtown Manhattan. He and his sister Bonnie took classes at School of American Ballet [1] (as did his son Macaulay in the late 1980s). [5]
Culkin's early career involved working on Broadway in theater productions with actors such as Richard Burton, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn. His brother Terry and sisters Bonnie and Candace also worked in theater and television. Culkin credits his mother, who was their manager, for these early successes.
Three of his sons — Macaulay, Rory, and Kieran — are professional actors whose careers he managed from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. Macaulay became popular due to his starring roles in the Home Alone films, and he was the first child in Hollywood to receive a million-dollar salary (for My Girl in 1991). From 1995 to 1997, Kit was part of a child custody trial.
Culkin has eight children; his oldest, Jennifer Adamson (1970–2000), was with Adeena VanWagoner. His other children, Shane (b. 1976), Dakota (1979–2008), Macaulay (b. 1980), Kieran (b. 1982), Quinn (b. 1984), Christian (b. 1987), and Rory (b. 1989), were with Patricia Brentrup. Culkin and Brentrup were together for 21 years from 1974 to 1995, but never married.
Kit and VanWagoner's daughter, Jennifer Adamson, died in 2000 from a drug overdose. [6] On December 9, 2008, Kit and Patricia's daughter Dakota was struck by a vehicle when she stepped off a curb into its path. She was taken to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where she died of her injuries the following afternoon, at the age of 29. [7]
Culkin resided in Grants Pass, Oregon. After his long-time friend and partner Jeanette Krylowski died, on May 31, 2017, Culkin left his Grants Pass residence. [8]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | West Side Story | Extra | Uncredited |
| 1964 | Hamlet | Player Queen |
The year 1944 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1944.
Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin is an American actor and musician. He rose to prominence as a child actor starring as Kevin McCallister in the first two films of the Home Alone film series. One of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, Culkin was placed 2nd on VH1's 2005 list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". His awards include a MTV Movie Award from three nominations, a Young Artist Award, and a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. In 2023, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Good Son is a 1993 American psychological thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was written by English novelist Ian McEwan. Its story follows a young boy named Mark who, after the death of his mother, is sent to stay with his aunt and uncle while his father is away on business trip. While there he meets his cousin Henry, who shows signs of violent and evil behavior. It stars Macaulay Culkin, Elijah Wood, Wendy Crewson, David Morse, Daniel Hugh Kelly, and Jacqueline Brookes.
Rachel Miner is an American actress. She played Michelle Bauer on the television soap opera Guiding Light (1990–95). She made her film debut in Woody Allen's Alice (1990), and later earned critical acclaim for her leading role in Bully (2001). Her other film credits include The Black Dahlia and Penny Dreadful. She is also known for her portrayal of the demon Meg on the television series Supernatural (2005–20).
Ron Leibman was an American actor. He won both the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play in 1993 for his performance as Roy Cohn in Angels in America. Leibman also won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1979 for his role as Martin 'Kaz' Kazinsky in his short-lived crime drama series Kaz.
Rory Hugh Culkin is an American actor known for his roles in Scream 4, Lords of Chaos, You Can Count on Me, Columbus, and M. Night Shyamalan's Signs. He is the youngest brother of actors Macaulay and Kieran Culkin.
Aidan Quinn is an American actor who made his film debut in Reckless (1984). He has starred in over 80 feature films, including Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), The Mission (1986), Stakeout (1987), Avalon (1990), Benny & Joon (1993), Legends of the Fall (1994), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), Michael Collins (1996), Practical Magic (1998), Song for a Raggy Boy (2003), Wild Child (2008) and Unknown (2011).
Igby Goes Down is a 2002 American comedy-drama film that follows the life of Igby Slocumb, a rebellious and sardonic teenager who attempts to break free of his familial ties and wealthy, overbearing mother. The film was written and directed by Burr Steers, and stars Kieran Culkin, Claire Danes, Jeff Goldblum, Susan Sarandon, Amanda Peet, Ryan Phillippe, Bill Pullman and Jared Harris. It was given a limited theatrical release through United Artists on September 13, 2002, in the United States, and received generally positive reviews from critics.
Kieran Kyle Culkin is an American actor. Culkin starred as Roman Roy in the HBO television series Succession from 2018 to 2023, for which he won a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit, college preparatory school geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades six through twelve. The school was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an academic education to young people working on the New York stage, in Vaudeville, or "on the road".
Bonnie Bedelia is an American actress. After beginning her career in theatre in the 1960s, Bedelia starred in the CBS daytime soap opera Love of Life and made her film debut in The Gypsy Moths. Bedelia subsequently appeared in the films They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Lovers and Other Strangers, Heart Like a Wheel, The Prince of Pennsylvania, Die Hard, Presumed Innocent, and Needful Things.
Hettinger High School is a public high school located in Hettinger, North Dakota, United States. It currently serves 118 students and is a part of the Hettinger School District. The athletic teams are known as the Night Hawks.
This Is Our Youth is a play by American dramatist and screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan. It premiered Off-Broadway in 1996 and since been produced all over the world, including the West End, Broadway Sydney and Toronto.
Culkin is an Irish surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Only the Lonely is a 1991 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Chris Columbus, produced by John Hughes, and stars John Candy, Maureen O'Hara, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Quinn, and James Belushi. The film is a comedic take on the premise established in the 1953 television play Marty and the 1955 film Marty, while the title comes from the song "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison. The story follows a bachelor police officer who is looking to settle down and start a family with a mortuary beautician, while coping with his controlling mother who wants him all to herself.
Abigail Breslin is an American actress. She rose to prominence with the comedy-drama film Little Miss Sunshine (2006), for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 10. Breslin went on to establish herself as a mainstream actress with roles in the films No Reservations (2007), Nim's Island (2008), Definitely, Maybe (2008), My Sister's Keeper (2009), Zombieland (2009), Rango (2011), The Call (2013), August: Osage County (2013), Maggie (2015), Freak Show (2017), Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), and Stillwater (2021). Between 2015 and 2016, she had a starring role in the horror-comedy series Scream Queens on Fox, her first regular role in a television series.
Lymelife is a 2008 American comedy-drama film written by brothers Derick Martini and Steven Martini, and directed by Derick Martini, depicting aspects of their life in 1970s Long Island from a teenager's perspective. It stars Alec Baldwin, Rory Culkin, Kieran Culkin and Emma Roberts. Martin Scorsese served as an executive producer. The film debuted at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2008, and won the International Federation of Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI). After its theatrical release in 2009, writer director Derick Martini was nominated for a Gotham Award for Breakthrough Director.
Steven Martini is a writer, actor, composer, editor, and singer/songwriter. His first break as an actor was as Cadet Alex J. Stone in Major Payne. He and his brother Derick Martini wrote the films Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire and Lymelife. Based on experiences from the Martinis' childhood, Lymelife won the FIPRESCI award at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, and premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Martini is also known for being the singer/songwriter for the Los Angeles–based band The Spaceship Martini.
The Nutcracker, also known as George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, is a 1993 American Christmas ballet film based on Peter Martins's stage production and directed by Emile Ardolino. It stars Darci Kistler, Damian Woetzel, Kyra Nichols, Bart Robinson Cook, Macaulay Culkin, Jessica Lynn Cohen, Wendy Whelan, Margaret Tracey, Gen Horiuchi, Tom Gold, and the New York City Ballet.
Brett Davis is an American comedian, actor and voice actor. He hosted a television show called The Special Without Brett Davis in the New York City metro area. He has also hosted The Podcast for Laundry and The Macaulay Culkin Show. In 2015, he won the Andy Kaufman Award. In 2019, he joined the cast of the National Lampoon Radio Hour.
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