Chris Kerson is an American

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, and

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

actor. He is best known for his roles as Nails in ''

True Detective ''True Detective'' is an American anthology crime drama television series created and written by Nic Pizzolatto. The series, broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States, premiered on January 12, 2014. Each season of the ...

'' and Wilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson in ''

Gotti Gotti may refer to: People with the name People with the surname * Gotti (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) People with the stagename * Irv Gotti, stage name of Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., American DJ and record prod ...

''.

Early life

Kerson was born in New York City and spent his childhood in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and

Westchester Westchester most commonly refers to Westchester County, New York, immediately north of New York City. __NOTOC__ It may also refer to: Geography Canada *Westchester Station, Nova Scotia, Canada United States *Town of Westchester, the original seat ...

. He attended the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

. During his studies, he happened into an acting class to satisfy an arts elective and discovered a passion that would become his career. Immediately following graduation, he spent time in New York City and Los Angeles for work and continued development of his craft.

Career

Film

Kerson's filmography began with a role in Paul Duran's debut feature, ''Flesh Suitcase'', which premiered at

WorldFest Houston The WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, founded in 1968, is an annual film festival held annually in April in Houston, Texas. Notable festival alumni include John Lee Hancock, who wrote and directed the Oscar-winning film '' The Blind ...

in 1995. He played the lead in ''The Ride'' by NYU filmmaker and Martin Scorsese Scholarship recipient Thomas Kim'','' which Scorsese named best short film of the year. In 2010, Kerson found critical and audience acclaim as the lead in Sean Kirkpatrick's Big Break Movie Contest feature ''Cost of a Soul.'' The gritty drama about a combat soldier who returns to violence in the streets of Philadelphia opened in fifty theaters nationwide and screened at numerous festivals. Kerson played a supporting role in Broadway's Finest, which won the Audience Award for Best Film at the 2012

Long Island International Film Expo The Long Island International Film Expo, founded in 1997 by Nassau County Film Office Director, Debra Markowitz. The festival generally receives between 400 and 450 submissions every year In 2009, 170 films from 23 countries were screened at the ...

. He followed that performance as a co-star in ''Another Zero in the System'' before working alongside Lance Henriksen in the cult sci-fi ''

Daylight's End ''Daylight's End'' is a 2016 American action horror film directed by William Kaufman and written by Chad Law. It stars Johnny Strong as a drifter in post-apocalyptic Texas who agrees to help survivors, played by Lance Henriksen, Louis Mandylor, an ...

''. Kerson won multiple awards for his co-starring role in the 2019 suspense short '' Rendezvous''. He played Paddy (son of

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has often played supporting villainous characters of unstable natures. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver B ...

's character) in the 2020 comedy ''

Last Call In a Bar (establishment), bar, a last call (last orders) is an Wiktionary:announcement, announcement made shortly before the bar closes for the night, informing patrons of their last chance to buy alcoholic beverages. There are various means to ...

''. Chris played a leading role as Detective Kevin McKenzie in ''Equal Standard'', a 2020 NYPD action and crime-thriller starring and executive-produced by Ice-T.

Television

Kerson's work in television started with a supporting role as Buck in the "Takedown" episode of ''Pacific Blue'''s first season. In 2010, he nabbed an uncredited role as the Cool Camera Guy in the "

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

" episode ( season 5, episode 6) of ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...

''. Next, Kerson played Gunnar in the Merchants of Menace episode in the 15th season of the hit show ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

''. In 2015, Kerson landed his breakout role as the recurring character Nails in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

hit ''

''. Nails is named for the scars he wears as the survivor of a nail gun attack.

Theater

Kerson has worked

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in a variety of theater roles. Early billings include Franz Xaver Kroetz' play ''The Nest'' and Stephan Morrow's ''Hurry'', which saw a sold-out show at the Blue Heron Art Center. He played Carl the Usher in the New York premiere of

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

' rediscovered play ''These Are the Stairs You Got to Watch''. Kerson also starred in Mario Fratti's ''Missionaries'' opposite theater icon Rose Gregorio.

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerson, Chris Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male television actors Iona Preparatory School alumni