Geoffrey Cantor (actor)

Geoffrey Paul Cantor is an American actor and acting coach. He is primarily known for his portrayal as Mitchell Ellison on '' Daredevil'' and '' The Punisher''.

Early life and education

Cantor was born on an Air Force base in California. When his father, an Air Force captain and flight surgeon, finished his service, the family moved to Philadelphia. They moved a few more times ( Newton Center, Massachusetts and Cherry Hill, New Jersey) as his father completed his internship and residency, and settled in Bergen County and his mother is a painter. Both of them enjoyed the arts and this resulted in Cantor's appreciation as well, especially the theater. "We were sort of progressive, liberal, Jewish people. I grew up in a time when were sort of at the cutting edge of that." Cantor graduated from Pascack Hills High School.

While attending Amherst College, Cantor came to find acting the most rewarding and intriguing art form, particularly British theatre which he found the most inspirational. Cantor graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College with a degree in theater, and furthered his acting education at Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and then at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama in London, England.

Geoffrey was married to Cathleen Donnelly in August of 1992. They had two children together, Benjamin (June, 1994) and Talia (Feb, 1997). They separated in October of 2020, and were divorced in May of 2022.

Career

Acting

He made his TV acting debut in ''Night Network'' before appearing in a variety of television shows such as '' The Street'', '' The Kill Point'', ''All My Children'', ''Life on Mars'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', ''Deception'' and ''House of Cards'' He gained sudden recognition in 2015 for his role in '' Daredevil'' as Mitchell Ellison, the editor-in-chief of the ''New York Bulletin'' and boss to Ben Urich. A comic book fan, Cantor thinks his knowledge of Daredevil may have helped him get the role, even though his character does not appear in the comic book series. Despite this Cantor found his work on ''Daredevil'' the same as any other job, "Daredevil happened while I was about to do a play. For me there is no real difference between the core of the work. The real difference is the end experience." Cantor would reprise the role in season 2 of ''Daredevil'', which sees Ellison take on a mentor role towards Karen Page, and as a guest star in '' The Punisher''. He also voiced the paparazzo Beverly Felton in the 2013 video game ''Grand Theft Auto V''.

Directing

Geoffrey's short film EnSuite, an official selection at festivals like the Newport Beach Film Festival, the New York Shorts International Film Festival, the Chain NYC Film Festival, and the Garden State Film Festival, won multiple awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor. His documentary, Talking OutLOUD: Teens & Suicide Loss, A Conversation, created for Rethink The Conversation and Coping After Suicide, had its debut in November of 2023, and won Best of the Fest at the Chain Film Festival. Talking OutLOUD is available free on YouTube and Vimeo.

For the stage, his most recent project, October 7, (director and dramaturg) was created from the testimony of survivors of that horrific day. October 7 played to packed houses at the Actors Temple Theater, and is now touring colleges around the country. In 2021, he co-wrote and directed the semi-immersive New York.Circa.1909 (Soho Playhouse) for the Olami Manhattan Theater Company. Other projects include Sweet Texas Reckoning, Stripped (which also he co-wrote), James Mclure's Lone Star and Laundry & Bourbon, For Our Daughters, Prey (NYfringe 2010), My Secret Public Seder (Original, written for the Bergen County JCCY), Winterglass (Original), and Cowboys II,  by Sam Shepard.

Filmography

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantor, Geoffrey
Living people
Male actors from California
Male actors from New Jersey
Amherst College alumni
Jewish American male actors
Pascack Hills High School alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American Jews
Actors from Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Actors from Bergen County, New Jersey