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Dennis Christopher (born Dennis Carrelli; December 2, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in ''
Christopher's breakthrough role was as Dave Stohler in the coming-of-age classic ''
Dennis Christopher Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christopher, Dennis 1955 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent BAFTA Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles winners Male actors from Philadelphia
Breaking Away
''Breaking Away''
is a 1979 American coming of age comedy-drama film produced and directed by Peter Yates and written by Steve Tesich. It follows a group of four male teenagers in Bloomington, Indiana, who have recently graduated from high sc ...
'' (1979), '' Fade to Black'' (1980), ''Chariots of Fire
''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell ...
'' (1981), '' It'' (1990) and ''Django Unchained
''Django Unchained'' () is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis Ch ...
'' (2012). He has appeared in nearly 40 movies and made-for-television films since 1975.
Early life
Christopher was born Dennis Carrelli on December 2, 1955 inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, to an Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
father and an Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
mother. He graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School
Monsignor Bonner High School was an all-male Augustinian Catholic High School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It was located in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Bonner was created in 1953 as Archbishop Prendergast High School for Bo ...
in 1973.
Career
A chance encounter in 1972 with Federico Fellini, who was filming inRome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
at the time, led to the director casting Christopher in the uncredited role of " The Hippie" in his movie ''Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
''.
After that, Christopher worked as an assistant to the fashion designer Halston
Roy Halston Frowick (April 23, 1932 – March 26, 1990), known mononymously as Halston, was an American fashion designer who rose to international fame in the 1970s.
His minimalist, clean designs, often made of cashmere or ultrasuede, were ...
.
Christopher's breakthrough role was as Dave Stohler in the coming-of-age classic ''Breaking Away
''Breaking Away''
is a 1979 American coming of age comedy-drama film produced and directed by Peter Yates and written by Steve Tesich. It follows a group of four male teenagers in Bloomington, Indiana, who have recently graduated from high sc ...
'' (1979). His performance won him the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer and the Youth in Film Award for Best Juvenile Actor in a Motion Picture, as well as garnering a Golden Globe nomination.
Christopher's other roles include American track star Charlie Paddock
Charles William Paddock (August 11, 1900 – July 21, 1943) was an American athlete and two time Olympic champion.
Biography
Paddock was born in Gainesville, Texas to Charles H. and Lulu (Robinson) Paddock. His family moved to Pasadena, Califor ...
in ''Chariots of Fire
''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell ...
'' (1981), as well as tragic film-buff psychopath Eric Binford in '' Fade to Black'' (1980), Damon in '' The Falling'' (1985), Nathan Flowers in ''A Sinful Life
''A Sinful Life'' is a 1989 American comedy film directed by William Schreiner and written by Melanie Graham. The film stars Anita Morris, Dennis Christopher, Shelly Desai, Rita Gomez, David Labiosa and Rick Overton. The film was released on June ...
'' (1989) and Leech in '' Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II'' (1994). Television roles include "Jack of All Trades" in the '' Profiler'' TV series, Eddie Kaspbrak
Eddie or Eddy may refer to:
Science and technology
*Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle
*Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Linu ...
in Stephen King's ''It'' (1990), Desmond Floyd in ''Jake Speed
''Jake Speed'' is a 1986 American action adventure comedy film directed and produced by Andrew Lane, with Wayne Crawford, and William Fay. It was written by Lane and Crawford, and starred Crawford in the title role, alongside Dennis Christopher, ...
'' (1986) and in the HBO series '' Deadwood''.
Christopher has guest starred in two '' Star Trek'' episodes: the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode "The Search
''The Search'' is a 1948 American film directed by Fred Zinnemann that tells the story of a young Auschwitz survivor and his mother who search for each other across post-World War II Europe. It stars Montgomery Clift, Ivan Jandl, Jarmila Novotn ...
(Part II)" and the ''Star Trek: Enterprise
''Star Trek: Enterprise'', titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on Uni ...
'' episode " Detained". He guest-starred as the demon-sorcerer Cyvus Vail in three episodes of ''Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
''.
He reunited with his ''Breaking Away'' "father" Paul Dooley
Paul Dooley (born Paul Brown; February 22, 1928) is an American character actor, writer and comedian. He is known for his roles in '' Breaking Away'', '' Sixteen Candles'', and ''Popeye''.
Early life
Dooley was born Paul Brown on February 22, ...
, playing Dooley's son for a third time, in a 2003 episode of ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent
''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural Drama (film and television), drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, p ...
''. The two had first played father and son in Robert Altman's '' A Wedding'' (1978). In December 2006, he played Dr. Martin Ruber in the Sci Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
miniseries ''The Lost Room
''The Lost Room'' is a 2006 science fiction television miniseries that aired on the Syfy Channel in the United States. The series revolves around the titular room and some of the everyday items from that room which possess unusual powers. The sh ...
''.
Christopher was cast as Leonide Moguy in Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
's ''Django Unchained
''Django Unchained'' () is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis Ch ...
'' (2012). He learned through his agent that the screenplay had been re-written to accommodate him. Furthermore, Tarantino later told Christopher that he had seen every one of his films the week that they were released, even ''Dead Women in Lingerie'' (which Christopher considers his worst). Production of the film made a very positive impact on Christopher, who stated, "...a lot of my idea of happiness came from working on this film...".
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
References
External links
* * *Dennis Christopher Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christopher, Dennis 1955 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent BAFTA Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles winners Male actors from Philadelphia