Chris Klein (actor)

Frederick Christopher Klein[2] (born March 14, 1979) is an American actor who is best known for playing Paul Metzler in Election, Chris 'Oz' Ostreicher in the American Pie comedy teen films, the serial killer Cicada on The Flash and most recently as Bill Townsend in the Netflix series Sweet Magnolias.

Chris Klein
Klein in March 2012
Born	Frederick Christopher Klein March 14, 1979[1] Hinsdale, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1999–present
Known for	The American Pie films (1999–2012)
Spouse(s)	Laina Rose Thyfault ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	2

Early life

Klein was raised in Brookfield, Illinois. He is of German, Irish, and English descent. His mother, Terese (née Bergen), is a kindergarten teacher, and his father, Fred Klein, is an engineer.[3][4] Klein was the second of three children. His older sister, Debbie, was born in 1978 and his younger brother, Timothy, was born in 1982. As a child, Klein had his first on stage experience by singing This Little Light of Mine in a community theater at the Sheraton Convention Center in Chicago. He lived in the town for thirteen years before his family moved to Omaha, Nebraska. At Millard West High School in Omaha, Klein acted in his high school's performance of West Side Story, played cornerback and linebacker for the football team, and swam on the Millard West Swim Team. In his senior year, Klein was offered his first professional acting job by director Alexander Payne, who was scouting Omaha, his hometown, as a potential filming location for the film Election. He attended Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas.

Career

Klein at an American Pie reunion

After auditioning for Election, Payne chose Klein and they began filming. The film was released in April 1999 to positive reviews. Soon after, Klein found steady work in the film industry while briefly attending TCU, where he studied theater and was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He was next seen in American Pie, acting as Christopher Russell Ostreicher, which opened on July 9, 1999, and was a box office success. The following year Klein starred in Here on Earth alongside LeeLee Sobieski and Josh Hartnett (2000). Klein reprised his role in American Pie 2 (2001) and American Reunion (2012), but was not in American Wedding reportedly due to scheduling conflicts. In 2002, Klein had a role in the Mel Gibson Vietnam War film We Were Soldiers. Klein starred in the 2002 remake of the film Rollerball, but the film was a massive critical and financial failure.[5] Klein has also appeared in several teen movies, including Just Friends (2005) and American Dreamz (2006).

In 2014, Klein was cast as an American pilot in the Damien Lay film The Uberkanone.[6] He co-starred in the 2014 comedy indie film Authors Anonymous with Kaley Cuoco.[7] In 2018, Klein was cast as Cicada, the main villain of the fifth season of superhero television series The Flash.[8][9]

Personal life

In January 2000, Klein and actress Katie Holmes began dating. The couple became engaged around Christmas of 2003. The couple called off the engagement and ended their relationship in March 2005.[10]

Klein met Laina Rose Thyfault, a travel agent, in 2011 at a mutual friend's wedding. They got engaged in December 2014 after three years of dating and married eight months later on August 9, 2015, in Montana.[11][12] In March 2016, Klein announced in a tweet that he and his wife were expecting their first child together.[13] Their son was born in 2016.[14] The couple also have a daughter, who was born in 2018.

Klein was arrested for drunk driving on February 5, 2005, in San Diego County[15] and again in Los Angeles on June 16, 2010.[16] On June 21, 2010, it was announced that Klein had checked into the Cirque Lodge to begin a 30-day alcohol addiction program. Klein's publicist explained that "after recent events, Chris was forced to take a clear look at a problem he has been trying to deal with himself for years. He understands now that he cannot beat this disease alone."[17]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Election	Paul Metzler
1999	American Pie	Chris 'Oz' Ostreicher
2000	Here on Earth	Kelvin 'Kelley' Morse
2001	Say It Isn't So	Gilbert Noble
2001	American Pie 2	Chris 'Oz' Ostreicher
2002	Rollerball	Jonathan Cross
2002	We Were Soldiers	2nd Lt. Jack Geoghegan
2003	The United States of Leland	Allen Harris
2005	Tilt-A-Whirl	Customer #2	Short film
2005	Just Friends	Dusty Dinkleman
2005	The Long Weekend	Cooper Waxman
2006	American Dreamz	William Williams
2006	Lenexa, 1 Mile	Andy Lausier
2007	The Good Life	Tad Tokas
2007	Day Zero	George Rifkin
2007	New York City Serenade	Ray
2008	Hank and Mike	Conrad Hubriss
2009	Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li	Charlie Nash
2009	The Six Wives of Henry Lefay	Stevie
2009	Play Dead	Ronnie Reno	Direct-to-video
2010	Caught in the Crossfire	Briggs
2012	American Reunion	Chris 'Oz' Ostreicher
2014	Authors Anonymous	Henry Obert
2016	Game of Aces	Jackson Cove
2018	The Competition	Calvin Chesney
2019	Benchwarmers 2	Ben McGrath

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	The Electric Playground		Episode: "Episode #8.5"
2006	American Dad!	Gary/Rick (voice)	Episode: "With Friends Like Steve's"
2007	The Valley of Light	Noah	Television movie
2008	Welcome to The Captain	Marty Tanner	5 episodes
2010	The Good Guys	Dep. Chief George Jenkins	Episode: "Partners"
2011–2014	Wilfred	Drew	Recurring role, 15 episodes
2012	Franklin & Bash	Tommy Dale	Episode: "650 to SLC"
2012	Raising Hope	Brad	Episode: "What Up, Bro?"
2012	TRON: Uprising	Dash (voice)	3 episodes
2015	Motive	Brad Calgrove	Episode: "Pilot Error"
2015	Damaged	Sam Luck	Lifetime television movie
2016	Idiotsitter	Himself/DJ Doghead	Episode: "Fumigation"
2016	The Grinder	Benji	Episode: "Genesis"
2018–2019	The Flash	Orlin Dwyer / Cicada	Main role (season 5), 16 episodes
2020–Present	Sweet Magnolias	Bill Townsend	Main role, Netflix

Awards and nominations

Chicago Film Critics Association

• 2000: Nominated, "Most Promising Actor" – American Pie

Teen Choice Awards

• 2000: Nominated, "Choice Breakout Performance" – American Pie

Young Hollywood Awards

• 2001: Won, "Male Superstar of Tomorrow"

References

1. "'American Pie's' Chris Klein, wife Laina are expecting their first child". Los Angeles Times. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
2. "'American Pie' star Klein to be arraigned". Usatoday.Com. 2005-04-14. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
3. "Chris Klein Biography (1979-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
4. "Bergen". Chicago Tribune. 2001-08-01. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
5. "Rollerball (2002)". Box Office Mojo.
6. Jeff Sneider (7 January 2014). "Chris Klein, Victoria Summer to Star in WWI Thriller 'The Uberkanone' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
7. Jerrica Tisdale (15 February 2014). "Kaley Cuoco Plays Author in New Romantic Comedy with Chris Klein". Web Pro News. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
8. Romano, Nick (21 July 2018). "The Flash season 5 casts American Pie's Chris Klein as the next big bad". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
9. Hipes, Patrick (22 July 2018). "'The Flash' Casts Chris Klein As Season 5 Villain Cicada – Comic-Con". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
10. "Katie Holmes and Chris Klein Split Up". People.com. 2005-03-03. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
11. "American Pie Star Chris Klein Weds Laina Rose Thyfault in Montana". People. August 9, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
12. Marquina, Sierra. "Chris Klein, Wife Laina Rose Thyfault Welcome First Child — See the Adorable Photos!". Us Weekly. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
13. Harrison, Lily (March 15, 2016). "Chris Klein Is Expecting His First Child With Wife Laina Rose Thyfault". E! Online. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
14. "Chris Klein Welcomes Son". E! Online. July 27, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
15. "Chris Klein Faces Drunk-Driving Charge". PEOPLE.com. 13 April 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
16. "'American Pie' Actor Chris Klein Arrested on DUI Charge." Los Angeles Times. June 16, 2010.
17. Garcia, Jennifer (21 June 2010). "Chris Klein Checks Into Rehab". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 20 June 2020.

External links

• Chris Klein at IMDb