Graham Phillips (actor)
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Graham David Phillips (born April 14, 1993) is an American actor, filmmaker and singer. Beginning his acting career at the age of nine, Phillips is known for a variety of film, stage and television roles; as Evan Goldman in the Broadway musical '' 13'', Ben Tennyson in the film '' Ben 10: Race Against Time'', Zach Florrick on the
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television series ''
The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in l ...
'', as well as other leading roles in independent films like ''
Staten Island Summer ''Staten Island Summer'' is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Rhys Thomas, written by Colin Jost and starring Graham Phillips, Zack Pearlman, John DeLuca, Bobby Moynihan, Will Forte, Fred Armisen, Cecily Strong, Owen Benjamin and Ashley ...
''. More recently, he has appeared in films like '' Blockers'' and '' XOXO'' and in the recurring television roles of Nick St. Clair in '' Riverdale'' and Nate in ''
Atypical ''Atypical'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Robia Rashid for Netflix. It focuses on the life of 18-year-old Sam Gardner ( Keir Gilchrist), who is on the autism spectrum. The first season was released on August 11, 201 ...
''. He made his feature film directorial debut in 2019 with ''The Bygone''.


Personal life

Phillips was born on April 14, 1993, in
Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...
. His father is Layn R. Phillips, an attorney and former U.S. district court judge. He was raised Episcopalian, and during his K-12 school years, attended St. Margaret's Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, California. He dated singer Ariana Grande from 2008 to 2011. Phillips entered
Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
in the fall of 2012, majoring in history while maintaining his acting career. His undergraduate
thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
was on indigenous marginalization and resistance in the U.S. He graduated in 2017.


Career


Stage and music

Phillips starred as Evan Goldman in the musical comedy '' 13'' on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre which opened October 5, 2008 and closed January 4, 2009. It was directed by
Jeremy Sams Jeremy Sams (born 12 January 1957) is a British theatre director, writer, translator, orchestrator, musical director, film composer, and lyricist. Early life and education Sams is the son of the late Shakespearean scholar and musicologist Eri ...
, choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, and its music and lyrics were by
Jason Robert Brown Jason Robert Brown (born June 20, 1970) is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics. He is the recipient of three Tony Awards for his work on ''Parad ...
and book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn. Prior to his role in ''13'', Phillips played the title role in ''The Little Prince'' with the
New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...
at
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...
. The ''
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'' critic called Phillips' performance in the title role "smashing." From there Phillips went directly into the world premiere of ''
An American Tragedy ''An American Tragedy'' is a 1925 novel by American writer Theodore Dreiser. He began the manuscript in the summer of 1920, but a year later abandoned most of that text. It was based on the notorious murder of Grace Brown in 1906 and the trial of ...
'' at the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...
where he played the part of Young Clyde, both opening and closing the opera with a solo. Phillips' other professional stage credits include '' A Christmas Carol: The Musical'' on Broadway performed at Madison Square Garden where he sang the role of Tiny Tim to
Jim Dale Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...
's Scrooge; '' The Ten Commandments: The Musical'' with
Val Kilmer Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with ''Top Secret!'' (1984) and ''Real Genius'' (1985), as well as the military action film ...
at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Phillips, at ten years old, was the second youngest person to sing the National Anthem to open a
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
baseball game (behind 9-year-old Jessica Tivens in 1990). He has also debuted original songs composed by
Martin Charnin Martin Charnin (November 24, 1934 – July 6, 2019) was an American lyricist, writer, and theatre director. Charnin's best-known work is as conceiver, director, and lyricist of the musical '' Annie.'' Life and career Charnin was born in New York ...
and
John Kander John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''Cab ...
in New York. He appeared twice on ''
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'' as a soloist. Phillips recorded a solo composed by Alan Menken and
Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin'' (1972), and ''Wicked'' (20 ...
for the film '' Noel'' starring
Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
and
Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...
. He also was a soloist on
Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...
's 2006 album '' Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose''."It's Evening in America". '' Vanity Fair''. May 2012. p. 158.


Screen acting

Phillips had a co-starring role as Jordan Baxter, the middle son, in the feature film ''
Evan Almighty ''Evan Almighty'' is a 2007 American comedy film, and a spin-off of ''Bruce Almighty'' (2003). The film was directed by Tom Shadyac, written by Steve Oedekerk, based on the characters created by Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe from the original fi ...
'', starring
Steve Carell Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in ''The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where Ca ...
, Morgan Freeman and Lauren Graham, which premiered June 22, 2007. In the fall of 2007 he completed working on the feature film '' Stolen Lives'' starring
Josh Lucas Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer (born June 20, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in various films, including '' American Psycho'' (2000), '' You Can Count on Me'' (2000), '' The Deep End'' (2001), '' A Beautiful Mind'' (2 ...
. Phillips also played the lead role in '' Ben 10: Race Against Time''. His television credits include ''
The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in l ...
'', ''
Crossing Jordan ''Crossing Jordan'' is an American crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its dete ...
'', '' Judging Amy'', ''
The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show ...
'', '' White Collar'', and the Hallmark film '' Love's Long Journey''. Phillips, along with the rest of the cast of ''
The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in l ...
'', has received three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. He has also received three
Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
nominations; Best Performance By a Leading Young Actor in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special for his role in '' Ben 10: Race Against Time'', Best Performance by a Supporting Young Actor in a Feature Film for his role in ''
Evan Almighty ''Evan Almighty'' is a 2007 American comedy film, and a spin-off of ''Bruce Almighty'' (2003). The film was directed by Tom Shadyac, written by Steve Oedekerk, based on the characters created by Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe from the original fi ...
'', and Best Supporting Young Actor in a TV Series for his role in ''
The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in l ...
''. He also plays Roger in the go90.com series ''Guidance''. Phillips played Austin in the 2018 film "Blockers." He started alongside Kathryn Newton. Phillips played Nick St. Clair in the second season of the teen drama television series '' Riverdale''. In 2019, Phillips played
Prince Eric This article lists information of animated original characters from Disney's ''The Little Mermaid'' franchise, covering the 1989 film, its prequel , its direct-to-video sequel and prequel films, and the stage musical adaptation. ''The Little ...
in
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
's '' The Little Mermaid Live!''


Directing and production

In 2014, Phillips co-founded a small production company Grind Arts Co. with choreographer-actor Eamon Foley. Foley, who co-starred with Phillips in ''13'', also was attending Princeton. With Grind, Phillips produced and acted in experimental adaptions of ''
Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...
'' and ''
The Last Five Years ''The Last Five Years'' is a musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States an ...
'', and directed a short film titled ''Color + Light''. Phillips also directed a Princeton production of the musical '' Once'' in 2016. Since 2014, Phillips has run the independent film production studi
Phillips Pictures
with his brother Parker Phillips. As a
writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
-
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
team – billed as Graham & Parker Phillips – they have worked on a number of projects together. They released the original short film ''The Mediator'' in 2014. In 2019, the Phillips brothers made their feature filmmaking debut with ''The Bygone''. The film was distributed by
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
. The brothers are currently signed to direct ''Rumble Through The Dark'', a film based on ''The Fighter'' by
Michael Farris Smith Michael Farris Smith is an American writer from Mississippi. As of 2021, Smith has published six novels: ''The Hands of Strangers'' (2011), ''Rivers'' (2013), ''Desperation Road'' (2017), ''The Fighter'' (2018), ''Blackwood'' (2020), and '' Nick' ...
.


Filmography


Film


Television


Theater


Discography


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Graham 1993 births 21st-century American male actors American male child actors American male film actors Place of birth missing (living people) American male musical theatre actors American male television actors Living people Male actors from California People from Laguna Beach, California Princeton University alumni