Craig Bierko

Craig Philip Bierko (born August 18, 1964) is an American actor and singer.

Craig Bierko
Born
Craig Philip Bierko

(1964-08-18) August 18, 1964
Rye Brook, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor, singer
Years active1987–present

Early life

Bierko was born in Rye Brook, New York, the son of Pat (Distillator) and Rex Bierko, who ran a local community theatre.[1][2] Bierko's mother was a Jewish-born convert to Roman Catholicism. Bierko has said he is "very connected" to his Jewish heritage.[3] His surname is Polish.[4] He attended Blind Brook High School and then went on to Boston University intending to study broadcast journalism at the School of Public Communications but graduated from Northwestern University in 1986 with a BS in theater arts from the School of Speech.[5][6]

Career

Television and film

Bierko got his break in 1990 when he was cast opposite Valerie Bertinelli and Matthew Perry in the CBS sitcom Sydney; however, the production lasted just 13 episodes. He went on to make steady appearances in various television shows including Amen, The Powers That Be, Wings and Ally McBeal. Bierko may be best known for his role as Timothy in the 1996 action film The Long Kiss Goodnight (a role he credits as the beginning of his penchant for "darker" roles),[7] as Max Baer in the film Cinderella Man, as Tom Ryan in Scary Movie 4 (spoofing Tom Cruise throughout the film) and on the Broadway stage as Harold Hill in The Music Man, or as the lead in The Thirteenth Floor. He was also the original choice for the character of Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends but turned it down.[8] He had a small role as a jazz musician love interest for Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) in the fourth season of Sex and the City. He had another small role as attorney Jeffrey Coho during the third season of the ABC television series Boston Legal and as a lead in the short-lived Unhitched. He was also cast as Dave Lister in the pilot for the American TV version of Red Dwarf, which was not picked up as a series. He appeared in 2001's Kate & Leopold in an uncredited role, and in TV's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Andy Eckerson, a United States Deputy Marshal who is working with the SVU (and ex-flame Det. Olivia Benson) to recapture an escaped convict.[9]

Bierko also appeared in the Lifetime dramedy series UnREAL as Chet, the "eccentric and drug-using" creator of a reality dating show.[10]

Theater roles

Bierko was slated to appear on Broadway in the Manhattan Theatre Club production of To Be or Not to Be but withdrew from the production August 29, 2008, for unspecified reasons.[11] He starred as Sky Masterson in the Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls which began performances at the Nederlander Theatre on February 5, 2009, and officially opened on March 1, 2009.[12] The production closed on June 14, 2009 after 113 performances.[13] He performed the role of Peter in the 2011 New York Philharmonic production of Stephen Sondheim's Company with Neil Patrick Harris, Patti Lupone and Stephen Colbert.

Bierko was slated to replace Bertie Carvel as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical at the Shubert Theatre along with Jill Paice as Miss Honey on September 3, but did not start performances until September 17 due to a "minor injury".[14] On November 19, it was announced that Bierko will not return to the role of Miss Trunchbull due to "medical circumstances", following a shoulder injury sustained during rehearsals.[15]

Filmography and stage work

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Love Note Craig Johnson Video
1991 Victimless Crimes
1993 Danielle Steel's Star Spencer Hill Television film
1996 The Long Kiss Goodnight Timothy
1996 Johns Christmas Radio Preacher
1997 'Til There Was You Jon Hass
1998 Sour Grapes Richie Maxwell
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Lacerda
1999 The Suburbans Mitch
1999 The Thirteenth Floor Douglas Hall, John Ferguson, David
2000 The Cherry Picker Short film
2001 Kate & Leopold Actor in Advertisement Uncredited
2002 I'm With Lucy Peter
2003 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star George Finney
2003 Hench at Home Terry Hench Television film
2004 Hair High Sarge (voice)
2005 Cinderella Man Max Baer
2005 Untitled David Diamond/David Weissman Project Dylan Television film
2006 Scary Movie 4 Tom Ryan
2006 Danika Randy Merrick
2006 For Your Consideration Talk Show Host
2007 Meet Bill Sergeant Uncredited
2008 Superhero Movie Wolverine Deleted scenes
2008 A Bad Situation Richard Video
2011 Company Peter New York Philharmonic production
2011 The Change-Up Valtan
2011 Bad Seed Bert
2012 The Three Stooges Mac Mioski
2013 Louder Than Words Eddie Stolzenberg
2013 If I Had Wings Geoff Taylor
2016 Equity Benji Akers
2016 Catfight The Talk Show Host
2019 Fair Market Value Lucas

Stage
Year Title Role Notes
2000 The Music Man Harold Hill Theatre World Award
Nominee: Tony Award
Nominee: Drama Desk Award
2001 Thou Shalt Not Laurent LeClaire
2004 Modern Orthodox Ben Jacobson
2009 Guys and Dolls Sky Masterson
2011 Company Peter
2013 Matilda the Musical Agatha Trunchbull

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Roomies Dale Episode: "The Ditch"
1987 Our House Douglas Episode: "The Children's Crusade"
1987 ABC Afterschool Specials Carl Warner Episode: "The Day My Kid Went Punk"
1988 Amen Bellman Episode: "A Sight Case of Murder (2)"
1988 Eisenhower and Lutz Waiter Episode: "Don't Change a Hair for Me"
1989 The Young and the Restless Greg
1989 Newhart Dirk 2 episodes
1989 Guns of Paradise Johnny Ryan 2 episodes
1990 Sydney Matt Keating 13 episodes
1990 Wings Matt Sargent Episode: "The Puppet Master"
1990 Murphy Brown Alex Episode: "Rootless People"
1991 Empty Nest Fred Episode: "The Man That Got Away"
1991 Baby Talk Bill Noonan Episode: "A Star Is Born"
1992 The Powers That Be Joe Bowman 4 episodes
1992 Red Dwarf Dave Lister Unaired television pilot
1993 Bodies of Evidence Thomas Wilkes Episode: "Trial by Fire"
1994–1995 Madman of the People B.J. Cooper 16 episodes
1995 Pride & Joy Greg Sherman 6 episodes
1998 Mad About You Gardner Mulloy Episode: "Weekend in L.A."
2000 Ally McBeal Dennis Martin Episode: "In Search of Pygmies"
2001 Sex and the City Ray King 2 episodes
2002 The Court Harlan Brandt
2003, 2016 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Deputy Marshal Andy Eckerson, Bobby D'Amico 2 episodes
2006 The Great Malones Episode: "Pilot"
2006–2007 Boston Legal Jeffrey Coho 14 episodes
2007 Nip/Tuck Bob Easton Episode: "Carly Summers"
2008 Unhitched Jack "Gator" Gately 6 episodes
2009 Head Case Episode: "The Big Book"
2010 The Good Wife Duke Roscoe Episode: "Infamy"
2010 Damages Terry Brooke 4 episodes
2010 The League Craig O'Connor Episode: "Bro-Lo El Cuñado"
2010–2011 The Temp Life Eddie Chiapetta 3 episodes
2011 Suite 7 Alan Episode: "Superman"
2011–2012 Leap Year Andy Corvell 5 episodes
2011 Necessary Roughness Ray Santino 2 episodes
2011 Easy to Assemble Jebedehia Bateman 8 episodes
2011 The Mentalist Doc Dugan Episode: "The Redshirt"
2012 6 passi nel giallo Harry Chase Episode: "Visions of Murder"
2012, 2014 Hot in Cleveland Donald 2 episodes
2012 Elementary Jim Fowkes Episode: "The Rat Race"
2013 Body of Proof Dr. Derrick Malcolm Episode: "Committed"
2013–2014 The Michael J. Fox Show Bill 2 episodes
2013 Unforgettable Marco Lantini Episode: "A Moveable Feast"
2015–2018 UnREAL Chet Wilton 38 episodes
2017 Kevin Can Wait Peter Episode: "The Back Out"
2017 Tin Star Dermot O'Hanrahan Episode: "Jack"
2018 Blue Bloods Ray Cross Episode: “Meet the new boss”

Awards and recognition

References
  1. "Craig Bierko Biography (1965?-)". Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  2. "Births". The New York Times. August 23, 1964. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  3. Lipton, Brian Scott (December 2, 2004). "MODERN MAN". TheaterMania. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2006.
    "My mother is Jewish, though she converted to Catholicism," Bierko says, "so we ended up being Christmas tree Jews. I grew up in Westchester with a lot of Jewish friends, and I feel very connected to that part of my heritage. I never married because I have carried a torch for my long lost love Susan Freeman who I lost to a better man, Rich Elkin.
    When I read the play, it was the first time I'd seen that part of myself addressed."
  4. "Craig Bierko on Twitter". Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  5. "The Acting Cycle". Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  6. Craig Bierko biography
  7. LevinEpstein, Amy (March 19, 2018). "Craig Bierko On His 30-Year Acting Career - Serendipity". Serendipity. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  8. "With Friends Like These" Archived January 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Craig Bierko". Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  10. Andreeva, Nellie (July 22, 2014). "Craig Bierko To Star In New Lifetime Series 'Un-Real', Michael Irby Joins 'The Lottery'". Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  11. "Bierko Withdraws from To Be or Not To Be" Playbill
  12. "Luck Be a Lady": Guys and Dolls Returns to Broadway Feb. 5 Archived 2009-02-22 at the Wayback Machine
  13. Adelaide's New Lament: Broadway's Guys and Dolls to Close June 14 Archived June 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  14. Hetrick, Adam. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 7, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) playbill.com, September 3, 2013
  15. Hetrick, Adam. "Injured Craig Bierko Officially Departs Broadways Matilda the Musical" Archived 2013-11-27 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, November 19, 2013
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