Jon Cryer
Jon Cryer | |
---|---|
Cryer at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on September 19, 2011 | |
Born |
Jonathan Niven Cryer April 16, 1965 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Occupation | Actor, screenwriter, television director, producer, podcaster |
Years active | 1984–present |
Spouse(s) |
Sarah Trigger (1999–2004; 1 child) Lisa Joyner (2007–present; 1 child) |
Children | 2 |
Parent(s) |
Gretchen Cryer David Cryer |
Jonathan Niven Cryer (born April 16, 1965)[1] is an American actor, screenwriter, television director, and film producer. Born into a show business family, Cryer made his motion picture debut as a teenaged photographer in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair; his breakout role came in 1986, playing "Duckie" Dale in the John Hughes-written film Pretty in Pink. In 1998, he wrote and produced the independent film Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five.
Although Cryer gained fame with his early film roles, it took several years to find success on television; none of his star vehicles, including The Famous Teddy Z, Partners, and The Trouble with Normal, lasted more than 22 episodes. In 2003, Cryer was cast as Alan Harper on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009 and 2012.[2][3] Cryer received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television in 2011.
Cryer's other film appearances include Hiding Out (1987), Hot Shots (1991), Tortured (2008), Shorts (2009), and Hit by Lightning (2014). He also has a recurring role in the CBS drama series, NCIS, playing Dr. Cyril Taft.
After appearing on the podcast Crime Writers On... it was announced Cryer is joining the team at the Undisclosed podcast for their second season.
Early life
Cryer was born in New York City, New York. His mother, Gretchen Cryer (née Kiger; * 1935), is a playwright, songwriter, actress, and singer; his father, Donald David Cryer (born 1936), is an actor and singer who originally studied to be a minister.[4][5][6] Cryer's paternal grandfather, Rev. Dr. Donald W. Cryer (1909–1988), was a well-known Methodist minister. He has two sisters, Robin and Shelly.[7]
When Cryer was twelve years old, he decided that he wanted to become an actor.[8] When his mother heard this, she thought he should have a backup plan, and joked: "Plumbing is a pretty good career."[7] Cryer attended Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center for several summers as a teenager,[9] and is a 1983 graduate of the Bronx High School of Science. He was classmates with screenwriter and film director Boaz Yakin.[10] To his mother's "great disappointment", Cryer skipped college and went to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, United Kingdom.[11]
Career
Cryer's first professional acting effort was as David in the Broadway play Torch Song Trilogy, replacing Matthew Broderick, whom he "closely resembled".[12] Cryer was later an understudy and replacement for Broderick in Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs in 1989.
At age 19, Cryer appeared in the 1984 romantic comedy film No Small Affair, in the lead role as Charles Cummings, after the original production with Matthew Broderick was shut down due to a heart attack by director, Martin Ritt.[13] He went on to have small roles in films and television movies, and he made his breakthrough as Phil "Duckie" Dale in the John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink.[14] In an interview with the Daily News, Cryer's mother said that after Pretty in Pink, she started getting calls from teenage girls from all over the world, who would leave hysterical, giggling messages on her answering machine.[7] In 1989, he got the lead role in the TV comedy series, The Famous Teddy Z. His performance gained poor reviews[15] and the show was canceled after the first season.[15]
A year later, he starred with Charlie Sheen in the Jim Abrahams comedy Hot Shots!,[8] which was received very positively.[16] Cryer is frequently linked to the Brat Pack.[17] In a March 2009 interview on Anytime with Bob Kushell, Cryer stated that he had auditioned for St. Elmo's Fire but was not cast in a role.[18] In 1993, he was asked to audition for the role of Chandler Bing on Friends, while doing a play in London. His reading was videotaped by a British casting agent but the tape failed to arrive in the U.S. before the network had made its final decision.[8]
In 1995, he was cast as Bob in the sitcom Partners, which, like his prior show The Famous Teddy Z, was canceled after its first season. In an interview with Time Out New York he stated, "Hey, every show I'm in goes down. Think about this: George Clooney was in 28 pilots, or something. It means nothing".[7] After guest starring on shows such as Dharma & Greg and The Outer Limits, he successfully wrote and produced the film, Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five. It debuted in 1998 at the Los Angeles Film Festival and gained positive reviews from critics.[19] Leonard Maltin from Playboy Magazine called it "A breath of fresh air".[20] In 2000, he was cast as the lead in a comedy series called The Trouble With Normal. For the third time, Cryer starred in a show which was canceled after its first season.[21]
Cryer's long run of unsuccessful TV projects finally ended three years later. Against the wishes of CBS executives (who were aware of his past failures) and due to a friendship with Charlie Sheen, he was cast in 2003 to portray Alan Harper on the hit comedy series Two and a Half Men. He has earned seven Primetime Emmy Award[22] nominations and two wins[2] for his acting work on the show.[3] In a comment on the show's high ratings, he said: "When you’re on a show that's fighting for survival every week, you stop trusting your instincts, because you think, ‘My instincts haven't worked so far.’ But when people clearly like the show and are watching it in great numbers, it takes a huge amount of pressure off you. It allows you to trust your instincts and go with what has worked for you before."[8] After former co-star Charlie Sheen's departure from the series, Cryer's character became the show's main protagonist (with Ashton Kutcher being cast as the co-lead]]) throughout the final four seasons, mainly due to the show's retooled plot. At the end of the series of Two and a Half Men, Cryer is the only actor to have appeared in every episode of the series, since Sheen was fired in March 2011 and his on-screen son Angus T. Jones left the series at the end of season 10, after expressing the show as "filth" and that Jones is a "paid hypocrite".[23] All appeared to be forgiven, however, as Jones, contrary to Charlie Sheen, appeared to great applause in the finale. Before being cast for Two and a Half Men, Cryer auditioned for the role of Gaius Baltar on the Sci-Fi Channel's reimagined Battlestar Galactica, but the role went to James Callis.[24] In 2008, Cryer appeared with Laurence Fishburne and James Cromwell in the film Tortured,[25] and in 2009 co-starred with James Spader in the film Shorts.[26]
Cryer made a guest appearance on the sitcom series Husbands in its second season.[27] He was initially cast to voice the lead character in DisneyToon Studios' animated film Planes, a spin-off of Pixar's Cars franchise,[28] but later dropped out and was replaced by Dane Cook.[29][30] Cryer did however receive a credit on the film for "additional story material."[31]
In 2015, Cryer released a book titled So That Happened, a breezy, often comic tale chronicling Cryer's 30-year career on stage, film and television.
Cryer currently appears in the highly popular CBS drama series, NCIS where he currently plays Navy Dr. Cyril Taft who treats NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). Cryer had expressed a desire to appear in NCIS since it premiered on September 23, 2003.
Pursuing a passion for criminal justice Cryer joined the team of the popular podcast Undisclosed where he will be voicing the weekly addendum episode for the second season.
Personal life
Cryer married British actress Sarah Trigger in 1999, with whom he has a son, Charlie Austin.[7] The pair divorced in 2004. In February 2007, on an episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he announced that he would marry entertainment reporter Lisa Joyner; the couple married in Mexico[7] in June 2007.[32][33] On September 29, 2009, Jon and Lisa announced that they adopted a baby girl, whom they named Daisy.[34][35]
When Pretty in Pink co-star Molly Ringwald told Out magazine in 2012 that she believed Cryer's character was gay, Cryer defended Duckie and other "slightly effeminate dorks," and said he has had to live with others' "faulty" gaydar.[36] Also in 2012, Joyner told Jeff Probst that when she and Cryer started dating, she wondered if he might be gay because "he never kissed me."[37] Cryer was asked in 2014 if he was "mistaken for gay"; he again called himself "an effeminate heterosexual dork" and cracked a joke about never being propositioned: "Fellas, you're dropping the ball."[38]
Prior to the 2008 presidential election, Cryer attended a fundraiser hosted by the McCain campaign and, according to news reports, endorsed Senator John McCain.[39][40] When Cryer did not make a public endorsement for the 2012 race, his spokeswoman said that the 2008 report aligning him with the Republican Party was a "mistake" and that Cryer is "not really political." He had attended events for both Republicans and Democrats "because he wanted to hear what both sides had to say."[41]
With regards to presumptive 2016 GOP nominee Donald Trump, Cryer shared his feelings on the May 5, 2016, episode of the podcast Never Not Funny. Cryer stated, "I have been pointing out, and I have been screaming to the rooftops, that Donald Trump is the Charlie Sheen of politics. [...] I have to tell you, I love Charlie Sheen, I loved working with him when he was sober, but he was, he's full of shit. He has been full of shit, you know, he has serious addiction. You know, his addiction is obviously serious, drugs, and, but, Trump is just addicted to feeling important. You know, and I think if anybody is under the delusion that he cares about, uh, uh, anybody in America besides himself, they are, they are stoned and need to rethink their priorities, 'cause he's, you know, 'cause it's just ridiculous that's he's gotten as far as he has."[42]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | No Small Affair | Charles Cummings | |
1985 | Noon Wine | Teenage Herbert | |
1985 | O.C. and Stiggs | Randall Schwab Jr. | |
1986 | Pretty in Pink | Phil "Duckie" Dale | |
1987 | Morgan Stewart's Coming Home | Morgan Stewart | |
1987 | Superman IV: The Quest for Peace | Lenny Luthor | |
1987 | Dudes | Grant | |
1987 | Hiding Out | Andrew Morenski Max Hauser |
|
1988 | Rap Master Ronnie: A Report Card | ||
1989 | Penn & Teller Get Killed | Frat boy | |
1991 | Hot Shots! | Jim "Wash Out" Pfaffenbach | |
1993 | The Waiter | Tommy Kazdan | |
1993 | Heads | Guy Franklin | |
1996 | The Pompatus of Love | Mark | Writer |
1996 | Cannes Man | Himself | |
1997 | Plan B | Stuart Winer | |
1998 | Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five | Daniel | Writer and producer |
1998 | Holy Man | Barry | |
2000 | Clayton | ||
2001 | Glam | Jimmy Pells | |
2003 | The Metro Chase | Mr. Stamm | |
2008 | Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby | Richard Pig | Voice |
2008 | Tortured | Brian | |
2009 | Weather Girl | Charles | |
2009 | Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock | Dad Thompson | |
2009 | Stay Cool | Javier | |
2010 | Due Date | Alan Harper | Cameo |
2013 | Ass Backwards | Dean Morris | |
2014 | Hit by Lightning | Ricky Miller |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Amazing Stories | Phil | Episode: "Miscalculation" |
1989–90 | The Famous Teddy Z | Teddy Zakalokis | |
1995–96 | Partners | Bob | Producer |
1996 | The Outer Limits | Trevor McPhee | Episode: "Vanishing Act" |
1997 | It's Good to Be King | Mort | |
1997 | Dharma & Greg | Brian | Episode: "Shower the People You Love with Love" |
1998 | Getting Personal | Sam Wagner | Producer Episode: "Sam I Am" |
1998 | Hercules: The Animated Series | The Winged Wolves | Voice Episode: "Hercules and the Underworld Takeover" |
1998 | Mr. Show with Bob & David | Duckie | Episode: "It's Perfectly Understandishable" |
1998 | Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place | Justin | Episode: "Two Guys, a Girl and a Thanksgiving" |
2000 | Family Guy | Kevin Swanson | Voice Episode: "A Hero Sits Next Door" |
2000–01 | The Trouble With Normal | Zack Mango | |
2002 | Andy Richter Controls the Universe | Lemuel Praeger | Episode: "Gimme a C" |
2002 | Practice, TheThe Practice | Terry Pender | Episode: "Of Thee I Sing" |
2003 | Becker | Roger | Episode: "Chris' Ex" |
2003 | Hey Joel | Joel Stein | Voice |
2003 | Stripperella | Voice | |
2003–15 | Two and a Half Men | Alan Harper | 262 episodes; (Season 1–12) Lead role; Directed three episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2009) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (2012) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (2011) |
2005 | Danny Phantom | Freakshow | Voice Episode: "Control Freaks" |
2006 | American Dad! | Quacky | Voice Episode: "It's Good to Be The Queen" |
2006 | Danny Phantom | Freakshow | Voice Episode: "Reality Trip" |
2008 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Himself | Uncredited Cameo |
2010–11 | Hannah Montana | Kenneth Truscott | Episodes: "The Wheel Near My Bed (Keeps on Turnin')" "I Am Mamaw, Hear Me Roar!" |
2012 | Husbands | Vic Del Rey | Episodes: "The Straightening" "A Better Movie of What We’re Like" |
2013, 2016 | Mom | Customer | Episode: "Pilot"; also director of 2 episodes: "Corned Beef and Handcuffs" and "Xanax and a Baby Duck" |
2015–16 | NCIS | Dr. Cyril Taft (Navy Surgeon) | 3 episodes |
2016 | The Ranch | Banker | Episode: "Till It's Gone" |
2016 | Lady Dynamite | Himself | Episode: "Pilot" |
2017 | Justice League Action | Felix Faust | Episode: Hat Trick |
References
- ↑ "Jon Cryer: Biography". bio.com. A&E. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
- 1 2 Silverman, Stephen M. (September 20, 2009). "Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Cryer Are Emmy Night's First Winners". People. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
- 1 2 "Jon Cryer Wins Emmy". Two and a Half Men Fan Site. September 21, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
- ↑ "Jon Cryer Biography (1965-)". Filmreference. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
- ↑ Thompson, Donald Eugene (1981). Indiana authors and their books, 1967–1980. Wabash College. p. 90. ISBN 99904-4-038-7.
- ↑ Conn, Suzy (February 20, 2005). "More on Gretchen Cryer". Blogway Baby. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Jon Cryer: Profile, Latest News and Related Articles". Notes. E! Online. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
- 1 2 3 4 Juba, Scott (March 26, 2006). "Interview: Jon Cryer: Failed Friend Who Became a Man". The Trades. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
- ↑ "Alumni". Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ↑ "5th Annual Report on Black/Jewish Relations in the United States" (PDF). Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 11, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ↑ "In Step With: Jon Cryer". Parade. April 18, 2004. Archived from the original on August 7, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ↑ Alan Was Matthew BBroderick's Character. David was the Adopted Son Jon Cryer: Bibliography
- ↑ Maslin, Janet (November 9, 1984). "Jon Cryer In 'No Small Affair'". The New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
- ↑ Bierly, Mandi (August 23, 2006). "Don't You Forget About Duckie". Entertainment Weekly. ew.com. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
To mark a new special-edition DVD of "Pretty in Pink", Emmy nominee Jon Cryer chats with Mandi Bierly about the movie's original ending, 'Try a Little Tenderness', and more
- 1 2 Tucker, Ken (May 25, 1990). "TV Review: 'The Famous Teddy Z'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
- ↑ "Hot Shots! (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
- ↑ Lurie, Karen (2002). "Brat Pack". St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Gale Group. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
- ↑ "Anytime with Bob Kushell feat. Jon Cryer". Anytime with Bob Kushell. Season 2. Episode 1. March 17, 2009.
- ↑ "Went to Coney Island on a Mission From God... Be Back By Five (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
- ↑ "The Cover of 'Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five'". HD Magazine. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
- ↑ Coleridge, Daniel R. (July 23, 2003). "Sheen and Cryer: Sitcom Survivors". TV Guide. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
- ↑ "Jon Cryer Emmy Award Nominee". emmys.com. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ Cowell, Maria (November 27, 2012). "How 'Two and a Half Men' Star Became a 'Paid Hypocrite.'". Christianity Today.
- ↑ Vary, Adam B. (March 20, 2009). "The Beginning of the End: A 'Battlestar Galactica' Oral History". Entertainment Weekly. ew.com. p. 42. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (May 15, 2007). "Cryer, Denton 'Tortured' by thriller". The Hollywood Reporter. Reuters. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ↑ Hilton, Beth (May 30, 2008). "Cryer, Spader join Rodriguez's 'Shorts'". Digital Spy. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
- ↑ "Hollywood Stars Drop in on Male Newylweds in ‘Husbands’". Tubefilter.com. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
- ↑ DeMott, Rick (August 23, 2011). "Jon Cryer Leads Voice Cast For DisneyToon's Planes". DisneyToon Studio. Retrieved November 5, 2011 – via Animation World Network.
- ↑ "Disney Sets Theatrical Release Date For 'Planes'". Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Dane Cook Leads the Voice Cast for Disney's Planes". Retrieved February 28, 2013.
- ↑ "Planes Review". Screendaily.com. August 7, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
- ↑ April MacIntyre (June 17, 2007). "Jon Cryer marries Lisa Joyner". Monstersand Critics. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ↑ Wang, Cynthia (April 13, 2007). "Jon Cryer of Two and a Half Men to Wed in Summer". People. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
- ↑ Everett, Cristina (September 29, 2009). "'Two and a Half Men' star Jon Cryer and wife Lisa Joyner adopt baby girl". Daily News. New York. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ "Two and a Half Men star Jon Cryer wants his ex-wife left homeless, lawyer claims". News Limited. May 8, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ James, Diego (May 23, 2012). "Jon Cryer: Duckie Wasn't Gay". Out. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
- ↑ The Jeff Probst Show. xfinitytv.comcast.net. September 27, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
- ↑ Wong, Curtis M. "Jon Cryer On His Sexuality: I'm Just an 'Effeminate Heterosexual Dork'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
- ↑ Dinan, Stephen & Hallow, Ralph Z. (August 22, 2008). "Hollywood conservatives to rally for McCain". The Washington Times. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ↑ "Celebrity endorsements in the 2012 presidential campaign". The Hill. November 17, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ↑ Goodin, Emily (November 17, 2011). "Conservative celebs mostly not yet committed for 2012 presidential race". The Hill. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ↑ Pardo, Jimmy (May 5, 2016). "Jon Cryer, NEVER NOT FUNNY #1812". Never Not Funny. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Jon Cryer Bio at CBS - Two and a Half Men
- Jon Cryer on IMDb
- Jon Cryer at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jon Cryer at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Jon Cryer at AllMovie
- Jon Cryer at Emmys.com