Todd Graff (born October 22, 1959) is an American actor, writer and director, best known for his 2003 independent film '' Camp'' and his role as Alan "Hippy" Carnes in the 1989 science fiction film ''

The Abyss ''The Abyss'' is a 1989 American science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. When an American submarine sinks in the Caribbean, a US search and recovery tea ...

''.

Early life

Graff was born in New York City, the son of Judith Clarice (née Oxhorn), a piano teacher and choirmaster, and Jerome Lawrence Graff, a musician. His sister is actress Ilene Graff.

Career

Graff is an alumnus both as a camper and counselor of the Stagedoor Manor performing arts

summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

. He sang on the original-cast albums of ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

'' (1970) and the follow-up ''Sesame Street 2'' (1971). He garnered fame in 1975 when he joined the cast of the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

children's television series ''

The Electric Company ''The Electric Company'' is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as Sesame Workshop). It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. The ...

''. Playing the role of Jesse, a member of the Short Circus, he remained with the show to the end of its production in 1977 (replacing Stephen Gustafson). Graff's writing credits include '' Camp'', '' Used People'', '' The Vanishing'', and '' The Beautician and the Beast''. Graff acted in several films including '' Death to Smoochy'', ''

Dominick and Eugene ''Dominick and Eugene'' is a 1988 American drama film directed by Robert M. Young about twin brothers, Dominick and Eugene. Dominick has an intellectual disability due to an accident in his youth. The film stars Ray Liotta, Tom Hulce and Jamie L ...

'', '' Strange Days'', '' Not Quite Paradise'', and ''

''. He was nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for his portrayal of Danny in Broadway's ''

Baby An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

'' in 1984. He starred in the 1987 Off-Broadway musical ''

Birds of Paradise The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. The family has 44 species in 17 genera. The members of ...

'' as Homer. In 2006, Graff directed the stage musical ''13'' 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 Dan Elish at the Mark Taper Forum.Mark Taper Forum website
accessed August 2014. In 2009, he co-wrote and directed the film ''

Bandslam ''Bandslam'' is a 2009 American musical romantic comedy drama film directed by Todd Graff who co-wrote the screenplay with Josh A. Cagan. The film stars Aly Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Porter, Ryan Donowho, an ...

''. In 2012 he wrote and directed the film '' Joyful Noise''.

Filmography

Movies

TV series

Award nominations

*1984

nominee as Featured Actor in a Musical for ''

'' *1984 Won

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

for '' Baby (musical)'' *2003 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize nominee for ''Camp''

TV

* '' Made in Hollywood: Teen Edition'' (2012) * ''Made in Hollywood'' (2011) * ''Hollywood Singing & Dancing: A Musical History – 1980s, 1990s and 2000s'' (2009) * ''Hollywood Singing & Dancing: A Musical History – 1970's'' (2009) * ''Under Pressure: Making 'The Abyss'' (1993)

Writer/Director

* '' Used People'' (1992; writer only) * ' (1993; writer only) * '' The Vanishing'' (1993; writer only) * '' Angie'' (1994; writer only) * '' The Beautician and the Beast'' (1997; writer only) * '' Camp'' (2003; director) * ''

'' (2009; director) * '' Joyful Noise'' (2012; director)

References

External links

Todd Graff infosite (in Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graff, Todd 1959 births Male actors from New York City American male child actors American male film actors Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) Living people