Franklin Shea Whigham Jr. (born January 5, 1969) is an American actor best known for portraying Elias "Eli" Thompson in the drama series ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920 ...

''. He also appeared in the first season of ''

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 the third season of '' Fargo'' and in numerous films, including '' Take Shelter'', ''

Silver Linings Playbook ''Silver Linings Playbook'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by David O. Russell. The film was based on Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel '' The Silver Linings Playbook''. It stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Law ...

'', ''

American Hustle ''American Hustle'' is a 2013 American historical black comedy crime film directed by David O. Russell. It was written by Eric Warren Singer and Russell, inspired by the FBI Abscam operation of the late 1970s and early 1980s. It stars Christia ...

'', '' The Wolf of Wall Street'', '' Kong: Skull Island'', '' First Man'', ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

'', and '' Joker''. He has appeared as Agent Michael Stasiak in ''

Fast & Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...

'', ''

Fast & Furious 6 ''Fast & Furious 6'' (titled on-screen as ''Furious 6'') is a 2013 American action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to '' Fast Five'' (2011) and is the sixth installment in the ''Fast & Furious'' franc ...

'', and '' F9''.

Early life

Whigham was born in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...

, the son of attorney Frank and school librarian Beth. The family moved to

Lake Mary, Florida Lake Mary is a suburban city that is located in the Greater Orlando metropolitan area in Seminole County, Florida, United States, and is located in Central Florida. The population was 13,822 at the 2010 census. History Lake Mary was named after ...

, when Whigham was five years old. He attended Tyler Junior College in

Tyler, Texas Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the 33rd most populous city in Texas and 2 ...

, and then transferred to the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by ...

Purchase, New York Purchase is a hamlet in the town and village of Harrison, in Westchester County, New York, United States. One myth explains that its name is derived from Harrison's purchase, where John Harrison was to be granted as much land as he could ride i ...

, where he was part of a small acting program with only 31 students and a graduating class of eight seniors. After graduating, he co-founded the theatre troupe the Rorschach Group with his college roommate

Kirk Acevedo Kirk M. Acevedo (born November 27, 1971) is an American actor. He is primarily known for his work on television for the portrayals of Miguel Alvarez in the HBO series '' Oz'', Joe Toye in '' Band of Brothers'', and FBI Agent Charlie Francis ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and served as an actor and artistic director with the troupe for three years.

Career

Whigham appeared in one 1997 episode of the television series ''

Ghost Stories A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature''. ...

'' before he received a starring role in the 2000 film '' Tigerland''. He went on to appear in the television films ''Submerged'', ''R.U.S./H.'', and ''Paradise'' before acting in the 2003 film ''

All the Real Girls ''All the Real Girls'' is a 2003 American romantic drama film written and directed by David Gordon Green and starring Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, Shea Whigham and Patricia Clarkson. It is about the romance between a young, small-town womani ...

''. Between 2004 and 2006, he appeared in the Japanese film ''Out of This World'', the drama television series '' Medical Investigation'', and the films ''Water'', '' Man of the House'', '' Faith of My Fathers'', ''

Lords of Dogtown ''Lords of Dogtown'' is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Stacy Peralta. The film follows a group of young skateboarders in Santa Monica, California during the 70s. This is the first (and so ...

'', ''Psychic Driving'', and ''South of Heaven''. Whigham appeared in '' Pride and Glory'' and co-starred in the horror film ''

Splinter A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...

'', the thriller '' Creek'', and the science fiction film ''

Radio Free Albemuth ''Radio Free Albemuth'' is a dystopian novel by Philip K. Dick, written in 1976 and published posthumously in 1985. Originally titled ''VALISystem A'', it was his first attempt to deal in fiction with his experiences of early 1974. When his p ...

''. He had a regular leading role on the HBO series ''

'' as Elias "Eli" Thompson, sheriff of

Atlantic County, New Jersey Atlantic County is a county located along the southern coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 274,534.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 ...

'' as the disillusioned former minister Joel Theriot. He appeared in two episodes of FX's '' Justified'' in 2015. Between 2012 and 2017 he had several movie roles, such as '' The Wolf of Wall Street'', ''

'', ''

Term Life ''Term Life'' is a 2016 American action drama film based on the graphic novel of the same name. It is directed by Peter Billingsley from a screenplay by A.J. Lieberman. The film stars Vince Vaughn, who also produces the film, Hailee Steinfeld, ...

'', and '' Kong: Skull Island''. In 2018, he appeared in the films '' Sicario: Day of the Soldado'', '' First Man'', and ''

Bad Times at the El Royale ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' is a 2018 American neo-noir thriller film written, directed, and produced by Drew Goddard. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pull ...

''. In 2019 he appeared in the Warner Bros./DC Comics psychological thriller '' Joker'' as GCPD Detective Burke. He also appeared in both seasons of HBO's ''

Vice Principals ''Vice Principals'' is an American dark comedy television series starring Danny McBride, Walton Goggins, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Dale Dickey, Georgia King, Sheaun McKinney, Busy Philipps and Shea Whigham. The co-creators were Danny McBride ...

'' as Ray Liptrapp; appeared in ''Fargo'' and the miniseries ''

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...

;'' and he starred in the television series ''Homecoming'' alongside

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and th ...

for which he was nominated for a

Critics' Choice Television Award The Critics' Choice Television Awards are accolades that are presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fourt ...

for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 2020 he was cast as Pete Strickland on HBO's reimagining of ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'', a role for which he received attention for his moustache. He has appeared in several projects alongside actors

Michael Shannon Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor, producer, musician, and theater director. He is an off beat actor known for his on-screen versatility, performing in both comedies and dramas. He became known for his frequent ...

and

Paul Sparks Paul Sparks (born October 16, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as gangster Mickey Doyle in the HBO period drama series ''Boardwalk Empire'', writer Thomas Yates in the Netflix political drama series '' House of Cards'', m ...

, both of whom starred on ''Boardwalk Empire'' and ''Waco''. Shannon and Whigham also appeared together in ''The Quarry'', '' Take Shelter'', '' Tigerland'' and '' Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans''.

Personal life

Whigham has four children, including actress

Giorgia Whigham Giorgia Whigham is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Kat in the first season of '' 13 Reasons Why'', Amy Bendix in the second season of '' The Punisher'', and Beth in the third season of '' Scream''. Life and career Whig ...

, with his wife Christine Whigham.https://mofopolitics.com/2016/12/06/giorgina-whigham-voted/

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whigham, Shea 1969 births Living people American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Tallahassee, Florida State University of New York at Purchase alumni 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from Lake Mary, Florida