Paul Hipp | |
---|---|
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | July 16, 1963
Years active | 1987–present |
Paul Hipp (born July 16, 1963) is an American actor, singer, songwriter and filmmaker.
Paul Hipp was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Warminster. [1] He left Pennsylvania for New York City immediately after high school, starting his career playing guitar and singing for tips on the streets of Greenwich Village while studying acting with acting coach Mira Rostova and at HB Studio with William Hickey.
Hipp found employment as a musician at various clubs. At the same time, he started landing roles on TV shows and commercials. He made his New York stage debut in the off-Broadway show Rockabilly Road at the West Bank Theater.
New York filmmaker Abel Ferrara saw one of Hipp's shows and asked him to audition for the role of Nino Valacci in his upcoming film China Girl. Hipp landed the role, and a decades-long collaboration began as he became a mainstay in Ferrara's core group of actors that includes Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel and Willem Dafoe. During the filming of China Girl, Hipp wrote his first published song, “Midnight For You”, used as the film's end credit theme song.
Hipp then co-starred in the off-Broadway show A Minor Incident with Carole King. Hipp played “Midnight For You” for King, who later credited this song for inspiring her to come out of musical retirement. The two started writing songs together, and King often sat in with Hipp at his New York gigs. The two collaborated on songs for her Capitol Records release City Streets , including the song "I Can't Stop Thinking About You", which Hipp co-wrote and plays guitar and performs backing vocals on. A tour followed the LP release which featured Hipp joining King onstage for a duet on that song. While on stage with King at London's Royal Albert Hall, the producers of a new West End musical Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story saw Hipp. They invited him to audition for the role of Buddy Holly, and he was cast in the role. Buddy opened to rave reviews on 12 October 1989, at The Victoria Palace Theatre, and Hipp was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Musical. The following year, Hipp opened as 'Buddy' at Broadway's Shubert Theater in New York. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance and won a Theater World Award. [2]
Hipp appeared in the films Fathers & Sons , with Jeff Goldblum, and as Jesus Christ opposite Harvey Keitel in Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant , [3] for which he also performed the title song, "Bad Lieutenant", with Ferrara. [4] He also appeared as Gene Vincent opposite Donal Logue (as Eddie Cochran) in the play Be-Bop-A-Lula at Hollywood's Theater-Theater before returning to the London stage for the 25th anniversary revival of Hair at the Old Vic, in the role of Berger opposite John Barrowman as Claude. After the show closed, Hipp stayed in London, living in Notting Hill, studying painting, writing songs and performing at various venues in and around London.
Subsequent feature film roles include John Woo's Face Off , Waking The Dead , More Dogs Than Bones (in which Hipp and Joe Mantegna play a pair of bungling hit men), and Joe Odom in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil . On TV, he was a series regular on NBC's Three Sisters , among other appearances. In 2000, Hipp made his feature film directorial debut with Death of a Dog, which stars Julie Kessler and Edie Falco, executive produced by Ferrara. Hipp wrote the script, soundtrack and score for the film.
In 2005 Hipp played the half-man-half-woman circus performer Bert/Bertha Hagenbach on the second season of the HBO series Carnivàle . He co-starred in Two Tickets to Paradise (2006) and appeared in South of Pico (2007). He also co-starred in the Showtime pilot Manchild . During the same decade, was a guest star on the TV shows ER , Scrubs , CSI: NY , CSI: Miami , The Closer , Without a Trace and Ugly Betty .
In 2006, for The Huffington Post , Hipp wrote a blog with videos that included satirical musical parodies like his take on Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" (with Dick Cheney singing about his hunting mishap) and The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" (a take-off of George W. Bush's "I’m the Decider" quote). [5] Some of the videos created for The Huffington Post were picked up by national news outlets.[ citation needed ]
Hipp had a recurring role in the F/X series Terriers and appeared in The Last Godfather . Ferrara directed him in 4:44 Last Day on Earth as well as 2014's Welcome to New York . Hipp contributed the opening and closing credit themes of this film. Hipp guest-starred as guitar-slinging minister Reverend Tim Tom in the ABC's comedy The Middle from 2009 until 2018. He co-starred in and co-wrote the Argentine-American film No Somos Animales.
Hipp wrote and produced several songs sung by Hilary Duff for the film War, Inc.
He wrote and recorded an album of songs culled from his work for The Huffington Post, called Blog of War. His song, We're Number 37 [6] was circulated on social media and led to an appearance on The Dylan Ratigan Show .
Hipp released a CD of original music called The Remote Distance. Norman Lear appears in the video to "Happy Birthday to Me", the first single from the album. [7]
He also released a CD of songs from and inspired by the film No Somos Animales, called Buenos Aires, in the fall of 2015.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | China Girl | Nino | |
1988 | Sticky Fingers | Michael | |
1992 | Fathers & Sons | Doogy | |
1992 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Doctor | |
1992 | Bad Lieutenant | Jesus | |
1992 | Bad Channels | Dan O'Dare | Direct-to-video |
1996 | The Funeral | Ghouly | |
1997 | Face/Off | Fitch | |
1997 | Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil | Joe Odom | |
1997 | Vicious Circles | Dylan | |
1998 | Cleopatra's Second Husband | Robert Marrs | |
1998 | Another Day in Paradise | Richard Johnson | |
2000 | Waking the Dead | Danny Pierce | |
2000 | More Dogs Than Bones | Quinn | |
2000 | Death of a Dog | Dick | |
2006 | Two Tickets to Paradise | Jason Klein | |
2007 | South of Pico | Comma | |
2010 | The Last Godfather | Rocco | |
2011 | 4:44 Last Day on Earth | Noah | |
2013 | We Are Not Animals | Rudy Maravilla | |
2013 | Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie! | Ring-Wearing Alien | Voice |
2014 | Welcome to New York | Guy |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | The Equalizer | Jarret | Episode: "Inner View" |
1988 | Liberace: Behind the Music | Elvis Presley | Television film |
1990 | Nothing Like a Royal Show | Buddy Holly | |
1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Nick Bosch | Episode: "On a Deadman's Chest" |
1992 | Parker Lewis Can't Lose | Harry | Episode: "Love Is Hell" |
1993 | The Hat Squad | McCauley | Episode: "Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous" |
1993 | The Last Shot | Peter Tullis | Television film |
1995 | The Cosby Mysteries | Charlie Nevers | Episode: "Dial 'H' for Murder" |
1996 | Nash Bridges | Aaron Crow | Episode: "Vanishing Act" |
1997 | Pacific Blue | Lewis Abernathy | Episode: "Black Pearl" |
1997 | Men Behaving Badly | Simon | Episode: "Testing, Testing" |
1997 | Van Helsing Chronicles | Det. Ken Tugman | Television film |
1998 | Fantasy Island | Richard 'Freefall' Burns | Episode: "Pilot" |
2000 | The Chippendales Murder | Nick De Noia | Television film |
2001 | Cover Me | Lon Colomby | 2 episodes |
2001–2002 | Three Sisters | Elliot Quinn | 13 episodes |
2002 | Teenage Caveman | Shaman | Television film |
2002 | ER | Craig Turner | 2 episodes |
2005 | CSI: Miami | Vince Fisher | Episode: "Game Over" |
2005 | Carnivàle | Bert Hagenbeck | 3 episodes |
2006 | Scrubs | Marc Coleman | Episode: "My Chopped Liver" |
2006 | CSI: NY | William Mamet | Episode: "Stealing Home" |
2006 | The Closer | Dr. Woods | Episode: "Heroic Measures" |
2006 | Without a Trace | Detective Chris Pappas | Episode: "The Damage Done" |
2007 | Women's Murder Club | Miles Van Aiken | Episode: "Welcome to the Club" |
2007 | Girlfriends | Steve | Episode: "Snap Back" |
2007 | Manchild | Tom | Television film |
2008 | Ugly Betty | Phil Roth | Episode: "A Thousand Words Before Friday" |
2009 | Numbers | Gray McClaughlin | Episode: "Arrow of Time" |
2010 | Terriers | Barry | 2 episodes |
2010–2018 | The Middle | Reverend TimTom | 12 episodes |
2013 | Burn Notice | Al Sapienza | Episode: "Down Range" |
2014 | See Dad Run | Fred | Episode: "See Dad Roast the Toast" |
2020 | The Conners | Zach | 2 episodes |
Harvey Keitel is an American actor known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with director Martin Scorsese, starring in six of his films: Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967), Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and The Irishman (2019).
Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical theater writing partnership has been called the greatest of the 20th century.
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American actor. In a career spanning over five decades, he has become a prominent leading man across both stage and screen. His accolades include an Academy Award and three Tony Awards, along with nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 2003, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
Charles Sidney Grodin was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Known for his deadpan delivery and often cast as a put-upon straight man, Grodin became familiar as a supporting actor in many Hollywood comedies of the era. After a small part in Rosemary's Baby in 1968, he played the lead in Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid (1972) where he received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Nathan Lane is an American actor. Since 1975, he has been seen on stage and screen in both comedic and dramatic roles. Lane has received numerous awards, including three Tony Awards, seven Drama Desk Awards, two Obie Awards, the Olivier Award, three Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Lane received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, The New York Times hailed Lane as "the greatest stage entertainer of the decade".
Leonard Joseph Cariou is a Canadian stage actor, singer and stage director. He gained prominence for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979) alongside Angela Lansbury for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He also received Tony nominations for his roles in the Betty Comden and Adolph Green musical Applause (1970), and the Sondheim musical A Little Night Music (1973).
Gerome Ragni was an American actor, singer, and songwriter, best known as one of the stars and co-writers of the 1967 musical Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. On June 18, 2009, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Annie Golden is an American actress and singer. She first came to prominence as the lead singer of the punk band the Shirts from 1975 to 1981 with whom she recorded three albums. She began her acting career as Mother in the 1977 Broadway revival of Hair; later taking on the role of Jeannie Ryan in the 1979 film version of the musical. Other notable film credits include Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Baby Boom (1987), Longtime Companion (1989), Strictly Business (1991), Prelude to a Kiss (1992), 12 Monkeys (1995), The American Astronaut (2001), It Runs in the Family (2003), Adventures of Power (2008), and I Love You Phillip Morris (2009).
Hinton Govorn Battle Jr. was an American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer. He won three Tony Awards, all in the category of Featured Actor in a Musical. He was the first to portray the Scarecrow in the stage version of The Wiz.
David Patrick Kelly is an American actor, musician and lyricist who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is best known for his role as the main antagonist Luther in the cult film The Warriors (1979). Kelly is also known for his collaborations with Spike Lee, in the films Malcolm X (1992), Crooklyn (1994), and Chi-Raq (2015), and with David Lynch, appearing in Wild at Heart (1990) as well as Twin Peaks (1990–91) and its 2017 revival.
Vicki Lewis is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Beth in the NBC sitcom NewsRadio. She is also well known for her roles as Deb and Flo in Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, April Smuntz in Mouse Hunt, and Dr. Elsie Chapman in Godzilla. Additionally, she starred as Headmistress Knightslinger in Upside-Down Magic on Disney Channel.
Paul Calderón is a Puerto Rican actor, writer, director and producer. He is a founding member of the Touchstone Theatre, the American Folk Theatre and the LAByrinth Theater Company. He is also a member of the Actors Studio, auditioning and accepted as a member in 1984 alongside Melissa Leo and two other actors. He is best known for portraying Raymond Cruz in the 1998 crime comedy film Out of Sight and the 2023 neo-Western crime drama miniseries Justified: City Primeval.
André Robin De Shields is an American actor, singer, dancer, director, and choreographer. He has received numerous accolades including an Emmy Award, Grammy Award, and Tony Award.
Sebastian Arcelus is an American actor, best known for his roles as Lucas Goodwin on the Netflix thriller series House of Cards (2013–2016) and Jay Whitman on the CBS political drama series Madam Secretary (2014–2019). Arcelus began his acting career in the early 2000s and spent the first decade of his career on Broadway, having played Roger in Rent, Fiyero in Wicked, Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys, and Buddy in Elf, among other roles. He returned to Broadway with the 2022 revival of Into the Woods and its subsequent national tour.
Paul Frederick Jabara, was an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He was born to a Lebanese family in Brooklyn, New York. He wrote Donna Summer's Oscar-winning "Last Dance" from Thank God It's Friday (1978), as well as "No More Tears ", Summer's international hit duet with Barbra Streisand. He also co-wrote the Weather Girls' iconic hit "It's Raining Men" with Paul Shaffer.
Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story is a musical in two acts written by Alan Janes, and featuring the music of Buddy Holly. It opened at the Plymouth Theatre Royal in September 1989 before It transferred to the Victoria Palace Theatre on 12 October 1989. An early example of the jukebox musical, Buddy ran in London's West End for over 12 years, playing 5,140 performances. Janes took over the producing of the show himself in 2004, and Buddy has been on tour extensively in the UK since then, having played Broadway, five U.S. National Tours and numerous other productions around the world. The show was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Musical.
Elf is a musical based on the motion picture of the same name, with a score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. The book is adapted by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan from the 2003 film. The musical ran on Broadway in the Christmas seasons of 2010–11 and 2012–13, in the West End in the 2015–16 season, and has also toured extensively, often during the Christmas holiday season.
Jim Walton is an American actor, most notable for his leading performance in the original production of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along as Franklin Shephard.
Brandon Victor Dixon is an American actor, singer and theatrical producer. As a musical theatre actor, he is known for Tony Award-nominated Broadway performances as Harpo in the 2005 musical The Color Purple and Eubie Blake in Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed (2016). He originated both roles, as well as the leading role of Berry Gordy Jr. in Motown: The Musical (2013) on Broadway, which earned a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. In 2016, Dixon assumed the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway company of Hamilton. Off-Broadway as well as in London's West End, Dixon played the role of Hayward Patterson in The Scottsboro Boys and was nominated for a 2014 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.
Christopher Neal Jackson is an American actor and singer. He began his career in 1995 starring in the Off-Broadway musical Time and the Wind by composer Galt MacDermot at the age of 20. He made his Broadway debut in 1997 as an ensemble member in the original Broadway cast of Disney's The Lion King. He remained with the show for several years, ultimately taking over the role of Simba. He went on to perform leading roles in several more Broadway musicals and plays, including After Midnight, Bronx Bombers, Holler If Ya Hear Me, and Memphis. He drew critical acclaim in several projects with Lin-Manuel Miranda: originating the roles of Benny in In the Heights and George Washington in the smash hit Hamilton. For the latter role he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He also collaborated with Miranda on the Disney film Moana in which he provides the singing voice of Chief Tui. His other film work includes secondary roles in After.Life and Tracers.