Randy Harrison

Last updated
Randy Harrison
Randy harrison at edward II in nyc.jpg
Harrison in 2007
Born (1977-11-02) November 2, 1977 (age 46)
Education University of Cincinnati (BFA)
OccupationActor
Years active1985–present

Randolph Clarke Harrison [1] (born November 2, 1977) [1] is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Justin Taylor on the Showtime drama Queer as Folk .

Contents

Early life and college

Harrison was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, where he starting acting early. He attended Bicentennial Elementary School and starred as Peter Pan in the school play. He was also active in the Actorsingers and played Winthrop in a 1987 production of The Music Man. [2] He moved to Alpharetta, Georgia, with his family at age eleven. [3] He attended Pace Academy, a private prep school in Atlanta. [4] His father is an executive with a large paper company, while he has described his mother as a "thwarted artist." [5] His only sibling, an older brother, is a bank manager. [5]

Harrison attended the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical theatre. During his time at CCM, Harrison starred in university productions such as Hello Again, Shopping and Fucking, and Children of Eden. He also had roles in other theatrical venues across the U.S., in productions such as Violet at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, 1776 at the St. Louis Municipal Theatre and West Side Story at the Forestburg Playhouse, as well as productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream , The Real Inspector Hound and A Cheever Evening .

Career

Harrison made his television debut playing Justin Taylor, a gay teen, in 2000's American version of Queer as Folk, based on the British television series. The series ran for five seasons, ending in 2005. In 2002, Harrison played the character Sean in Bang Bang You're Dead , a made-for-television movie based on the play of the same name. Harrison stars as Brutus in cinematographer/director/writer Patrick Donelley's postmodern feature film adaptation of Julius Caesar opposite actor John Shea as the title role.

In 2002, Harrison starred in the play Deviant at the New York International Fringe Festival. In summer 2004, Harrison made his Broadway debut as Boq in the musical Wicked . His Off Broadway credits include A Letter for Ethel Kennedy (MCC Theater, 2002), the Father in Oak Tree (Perry Street Theatre, 2006), Young Spencer in Edward II (Red Bull Theatre, 2007–08), Eros in Antony and Cleopatra (Theatre for a New Audience, 2008), Laszlo Fickes/Gerhardt Zeitzler in A Singing Forest (Public Theatre, 2009), and Kevin Adams-Weller in Harbor (Primary Stages, 2013). Harrison has also done several staged readings for Red Bull Theatre and starred in their "In the Raw" workshop production of A Tyger's Heart in February 2011.

Harrison has a substantial résumé in regional theatre, most prominently as a featured player since 2005 at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. Roles with BTF include Alan Strang in Equus (2005), the title role in Amadeus (2006), Bill Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (2007), Frank Gardner in Mrs. Warren's Profession (2007), Lucky in Waiting for Godot (2008), Osvald Alving in Ghosts (2009), Nagg in Endgame (2010), and the title character in The Who's "Tommy" (2011). Other regional theatre credits include Lysander/Thisbe/Cobweb in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival production of A Midsummer Night's Dream , presented in spring 2006 by the SITI Company (where Harrison has studied extensively through Skidmore College and in Manhattan); Tom in the Guthrie Theater's production of The Glass Menagerie (2007); Andy Warhol in the Yale Repertory Theatre's production of Pop! (2009); Sebastian in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's production of Twelfth Night (2010); Tim in the Studio Theatre's production of Habit of Art ; and Ken in the George Street Playhouse's production of Red (2012).

In 2006, Harrison co-founded the Arts Bureau (tAB) , an umbrella organization encompassing theatre, film, music, and writing. In July 2007, he starred in tAB's first production, a heartwarming story, ultimately, based on the work of Anton Chekhov. In late 2007/early 2008, Harrison shot and starred in the first tAB short film, Thinking, which has been shown at several film festivals. In Summer 2008, tAB shot its first feature film Lorton Lake.

Personal life

Harrison, who is gay, dated Advertising Age columnist Simon Dumenco from 2002 to 2008; the two met when Dumenco interviewed Harrison for a New York magazine cover story. [6] [7] [8] As of December 2009, Harrison lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with his cats Ella and Aggie. [9]

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2000 – 2005 Queer as Folk (U.S. version) Justin Taylor Main cast; 83 episodes
2015 Mr. Robot HarryRecurring role [10]
2017New York is DeadClipboard Guy/...Recurring role; 5 episodes

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2002 Bang Bang You're Dead SeanTelevision film
2008Thinking..."Boy"
2010Julius Caesar Brutus
2011Lorton Lake
2012 Gayby BarmanCameo appearance
2014 Such Good People Alex Reardon
2015Sam & JuliaSam
2015Photo OPJacob

Theater

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985OliverChild ChorusActorsingers, Nashua, NH
1987Music ManWinthropActorsingers, Nashua, NH
Hello AgainYoung ThingUniversity of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)
Shopping and Fucking RobbieUniversity of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)
Children of EdenAbelUniversity of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)
The Hot MikadoGentleman from JapanUniversity of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)
RagsUniversity of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)
1999VioletBilly DeanEnsemble Theater of Cincinnati
1999 1776 The CourierSt. Louis Municipal Theater
GreaseSt. Louis Municipal Theater
Anything GoesSt. Louis Municipal Theater
West Side Story ActionForestburg Playhouse
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatBenjaminForestburg Playhouse
Babes in ArmsLee CalhounForestburg Playhouse
CabaretForestburg Playhouse
The Real Inspector Hound
A Cheever Evening
2002Deviant
2004 Wicked BoqBroadway
2005 Equus Alan Strang Berkshire Theatre Festival
2006 A Midsummer Night's Dream Lysander/Thisbe/Cobweb
2006 Amadeus Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Berkshire Theatre Festival
2006 An Oak Tree The father
A Letter From Ethel Kennedy
2007 The Glass Menagerie Young Tom Guthrie Theater
2007 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Billy BibbitBerkshire Theatre Festival
2007 Mrs. Warren's Profession Frank GardnerBerkshire Theatre Festival
2007/2008 Edward the Second Young Spencer
2008 Antony and Cleopatra ErosApril/May
2008 Waiting for Godot LuckySummer
Berkshire Theatre Festival
2009The Singing ForestLaszlo Fickes/Gerhardt ZeitzlerApril/May
The Public Theater
2009 Ghosts OswaldSummer
Berkshire Theatre Festival
2009POP!Andy WarholFall
Yale Repertory Theatre
2010 Caligula by Albert CamusScipioJanuary
Red Bull Theatre Revelations Reading
2010 Endgame NaggSummer
Berkshire Theatre Festival
2011 The Who's Tommy TommySummer
Berkshire Theatre Festival
2011 The Habit of Art TimFall
The Studio Theatre
2012 Red KenJanuary 31 - February 26 at George Street Playhouse
March 23 - April 4 at Allen Theatre, Cleveland
2012 Silence! The Musical Dr. ChiltonJuly 18 - September 9 at Elektra Theater, NYC
2013HarborKevinJuly 23 - September 8
by Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters, NYC
2014Atomic MusicalPaul Tibbets and Edward Teller [11] June 26 - August 16
The Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row [12]
2014AmadeusWolfgang Amadeus MozartOctober 9–26 Ensemble Theater Co. at The New Vic, Santa Barbara, CA
2016 Cabaret [13] EmceeJanuary 26, 2016 - February 19, 2017 Roundabout Theater Co. Nat'l Tour
2017 Sunday in the Park with George GeorgeJune 17 - August 20, 2017 Guthrie Theater
2017 Rocky Horror Show Frank-N-Furter13–29 October 2017 Bucks County Playhouse
2018 Angels in America Prior WalterApril 17 - July 22, 2018
Berkeley Rep
2018Christmas on the Rocks [14] [15] Tiny Tim,
Charlie Brown,
Ralphie, Hermie
27 Nov- 23 Dec,2018
Theater Works Hartford [16]
2019Cabaret [17] Emcee17 Jul - 10 Aug, 2019

Ogunquit Playhouse

2021 Cock [18] JohnStudio Theatre
2022...what the end will be [19] CharlesMay 12 - July 10, 2022

Laura Pels Theatre

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References

  1. 1 2 "Randy Harrison - Biography". IMDb, Inc. Amazon. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  2. "The Music Man (1987)". The Actorsingers. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  3. "Randy Harrison's biography". Showtime. Archived from the original on February 19, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  4. "SPEED READS", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution , April 12, 2001. Accessed November 9, 2007. " Harrison, a 1996 graduate of Pace Academy in Buckhead, stars in Showtime's "Queer as Folk," which depicts the lives and loves of a group of gay men and lesbians."
  5. 1 2 "Windy City Times interview". Archived from the original on 2007-10-15.
  6. "NY Mirror". The Village Voice . 30 March 2004.
  7. "Simon Dumenco - I Want Media". I Want Media. 28 April 2004.
  8. "Gay Celebrity Boyfriends". AfterElton.
  9. Gates, Anita (2009-12-13). "A Musical's Star Plays, and Admires, Warhol". The New York Times.
  10. Mitovich, Matt Webb (May 1, 2015). "USA Network's Mr. Robot Adds Shield, Queer as Folk and Smash Alums". TV Line. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  11. Mandell, Jonathan (June 13, 2014). "Randy Harrison's Manhattan Project". New York Theater. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  12. "Randy Harrison Replaces Preston Sadleir in New Off-Broadway Musical ATOMIC". Broadway World. May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  13. "Cabaret the Musical - Tony Award Winner Best Musical Revival". Cabaret the Musical. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  14. "Randy Harrison Joins The Cast Of CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS". Broadway World. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  15. Rizzo, Frank. "Randy Harrison Taps Into His Loopy Side for Holiday Show". Zip06.com. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  16. "CHRISTMAS ON THE ROCKS". theaterworkshartford.org. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  17. Marois, Dan. "BWW Review: CABARET at Ogunquit Playhouse". Broadway World. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  18. "Randy Harrison isn't taking any chances with his career". Metro Weekly. 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  19. "...what the end will be". www.roundabouttheatre.org. Retrieved 2022-05-27.