Dwight Ewell

Dwight Ewell
Born Dwight Edward Ewell
1968 (age 43–44)
Williamston, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1991-present

Dwight Ewell is an American actor.[1][2]

Contents

Career

Ewell was born in Williamston, North Carolina to teenage parents. His father fought in Vietnam and served six years in the United States military while Dwight's mother took care of Dwight and his younger sister. Unhappy in her marriage, at 21 years old, Dwight's mom took the children up North where she felt that she could begin pursuing her career as a singer. The three moved several times before ending up in the rough Stella Wright Housing Projects on Prince Street, in Newark, New Jersey. Dwight and his sister attended the Louise A. Spencer Elementary School in Newark in the mid-1970s. In later years, Dwight was enrolled in The Gifted and Talented Program in the same school. It was there that his interest in the arts was nurtured. At the age of 9, he began writing plays that the teachers would allow him to direct and the students to perform. At the age of 13, Dwight auditioned for and was accepted into Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey. In 1986, he graduated, and in the fall of that year attended The State University of New York's Theater Arts and Film Divisions Acting Program for four years. Dwight attended with such actors as Parker Posey, Sherry Stringfield, Terry Serpico, Seth Gilliam, Laurence Mason, Reno Wilson, Adam Trese, Curtis McClarin, Orlagh Cassidy, Stanley Tucci, Edie Falco, Wesley Snipes, Oscar-winner Melissa Leo, William Burke, and directors such as Hal Hartley and Nick Gomez, known to some in the entertainment business as The Purchase Mafia.

Ewell has worked extensively in independent and art house films. Ewell is best known for his performance in Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy starring Ben Affleck, where he plays the role of "Hooper X", an African American writer of black militant comic books, who is also homosexual but poses as a violent militant. He delivers one of the film's more famous monologues, a diatribe denouncing the Star Wars trilogy (especially Return of the Jedi) as racist.[3][4][5]

Ewell has collaborated with director Hal Hartley on short- and feature-length films; including Amateur[6] and Flirt.[7][8][9]

He has also worked with director Daisy von Scherler Mayer twice, in the films Party Girl and The Guru.

Ewell has worked with film producer Christine Vachon twice, on the films Stonewall and Kiss Me, Guido.

Filmography

References

  1. ^ "Dwight Ewell Biography". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/person/199996/Dwight-Ewell.  (content from AllRovi)
  2. ^ "Odd Couples". The Advocate: p. 54. Sep 28, 1999. http://books.google.com/books?id=pGMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=dwight+ewell. 
  3. ^ Janet Maslin (April 4, 1997). "Movie Review - Chasing Amy (1997)". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9401E4D9153DF937A35757C0A961958260. 
  4. ^ Mark J. Huisman (Apr 1, 1997). "When Opposites Attack". The Advocate. http://books.google.com/books?id=TWQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA71&lpg=PA71&dq=dwight+ewell. 
  5. ^ Roger Ebert (April 18, 1997). ""Chasing Amy" (movie review)". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19970418/REVIEWS/704180302/1023. 
  6. ^ Caryn James (September 29, 1994). "Movie Review: Amateur (1994) - FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW; The Nun, the Amnesiac, the Prostitute and the Thugs". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B01E6DC1E3AF93AA1575AC0A962958260. 
  7. ^ Stephen Holden (October 6, 1995). "Movie Review - Flirt (1995) FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW;Looking for Love in 3 Different Places". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=950CE7DD1239F935A35753C1A963958260. 
  8. ^ Kevin Thomas (August 23, 1996). "A Rich Look at Romance in Triplicate". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1996-08-23/entertainment/ca-36765_1_hal-hartley. 
  9. ^ Roger Ebert (November 8, 1996). "Movie Review - Flirt". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19961108/REVIEWS/611080301/1023. 

External links