Ed Begley, Jr.

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For his father, see Ed Begley.
Ed Begley, Jr.

Begley Jr. and Penny Marshall on the red carpet at the 40th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, August 28, 1988
Born Edward James Begley, Jr.
September 16, 1949 (1949-09-16) (age 60)
Los Angeles, California,
United States
Occupation Actor
Years active 1967–present
Spouse(s) Ingrid Taylor (1976-1989)
Rachelle Carson (2000-present)
Official website

Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. (born September 16, 1949) is an American actor, game show panelist and environmentalist. Begley is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Craig's intern, Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series St. Elsewhere, for which he received six consecutive Emmy Award nominations. He currently has a reality show about green living called Living With Ed on Planet Green with his wife, actress Rachelle Carson.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Personal life

Begley, Jr. was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Allene Jeanne Sanders and Academy Award winner Ed Begley, both actors (although at the time, Ed Begley was married to Amanda Huff).[1][2] He grew up on Merrick, Long Island, New York where he attended Stella Niagara Education Park Cadet school in Lewiston, New York. In 1962 the family moved back to California where he graduated from Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, California and Los Angeles Valley College in North Hollywood, California.[3]

He married his first wife, Ingrid Taylor, on October 31, 1976 and together had a daughter, Amanda Begley (born on October 3, 1977), and a son, Nicholas Taylor Begley (born on January 4, 1979). Ed and Ingrid divorced in October 1989. He then married Rachelle Carson on August 23, 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Together they had a daughter named Hayden.

[edit] Acting career

Begley, Jr. at the 81st Academy Awards in February 2009

Begley, Jr.'s numerous works in television and film include one of his earliest appearances as a guest actor on Maude. He had recurring roles on Mary Hartman, 7th Heaven, Arrested Development and Six Feet Under, and starring roles in Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital, St. Elsewhere, and Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central). He has played significant roles in the mockumentary films Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration. Additionally, Begley played Viper pilot Greenbean on the original Battlestar Galactica TV series, Boba Fett in the radio adaptation of Return of the Jedi and Seth Gillette, a fictional Democratic U.S. senator from North Dakota in the television drama The West Wing. Since 2000, he has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

He has guest-starred on shows such as Scrubs, Boston Legal and Star Trek: Voyager, (Future's End, parts I and II). He had a recurring guest role in season three of Veronica Mars. Most recently, he appeared in the 2008 HBO film Recount, which profiled the 2000 Presidential Election and its aftermath, which was decided by the state of Florida's electoral votes. Begley, Jr. also made an appearance on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Season 3, episode 3 as a spokesman for Cinco.

In 2003, Begley wrote and directed the musical, Cesar and Ruben, at the El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles. The play was revived in 2007.

Begley's latest acting endeavor is on the new CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried. Begley plays Dr. Walter Krandall, the protagonist's former marriage counselor and fiancee of his ex-wife.

Since 2008 he has appeared in a series of DirecTV commercials as a "Cable Corp." executive. [4]

[edit] Environmental activism

Since 1970, he has been an environmentalist beginning with his first electric vehicle, a Taylor-Dunn[5] golf cart style vehicle, recycling, and becoming a vegan.[6] He promotes eco-friendly products like the Toyota Prius and Begley's Best Household Cleaner.

The Begley home is a modest 1,585 square feet (147.3 m2) in size utilizing solar power and also uses wind power via a PacWind vertical-axis wind turbine; an air conditioning unit made by Greenway Design Group, LLC.; an electricity generating bicycle used to toast bread, and he pays around $300 a year in electric bills.[7] Though he is noted for riding bicycles and using public transportation, he owns a 2003 Toyota RAV4 EV electric powered vehicle.

His hybrid electric bicycle was often featured on his television show, Living With Ed. Begley also spoofed his own environmentalist beliefs on an episode of The Simpsons by showing himself using a nonpolluting go-cart that is powered by his "own sense of self-satisfaction", and on an episode of Dharma and Greg.

Begley and friend Bill Nye, a fellow environmental activist, are in a competition to see who can have the lowest carbon footprint.

In November 2008, Begley sacrificed spending Thanksgiving with his family to travel through 5 cities in 5 days as part of a campaign to generate awareness of simple ways to save on energy bills. The campaign was backed by Hunter Fan Company and promoted use of simple appliances like ceiling fans and programmable thermostats to save on energy bills. Ed was greeted by fans of all ages along the route including a mob of fans in D.C. that went on a morning bike ride with him.

Begley also appeared in the Earth Day edition of The Price is Right. He announced the final showcase, which included an electric bicycle, a solar powered golf cart, and a Toyota Prius.

Begley is featured during The Jay Leno Show's Green Car Challenge. Various celebrities drive an electric Ford Focus and try to set records on an outdoor track outside Jay's studio. During the second lap, cutouts of Begley and Al Gore pop out and if the celebrity hits either of them, one second is added to their time.

Begley is the author of Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life, published in 2008. [8]

[edit] Environmental affiliations

As of 2007, Begley and his wife Rachelle Carson star in their own reality television series, Living With Ed, on HGTV and Discovery's Planet Green channel.[12] He received the prestigious "Thomas Alva Edison Award" for Energy Independence from the American Jewish Congress, the first of this award to be presented. Begley has been a leader in this field and was recognized November 2007 for his lifelong work in environmentalism.

[edit] Political activism

[edit] 2004 Racism Watch

Begley was also on the advisory committee for the group 2004 Racism Watch, founded by fellow actor Ed Asner. The group was formed to respond to activities of the George W. Bush/Dick Cheney presidential campaign that they saw as encouraging racism.[13]

[edit] Selected filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ed Begley, Jr. Biography (1949-)
  2. ^ Rooted to the Cause; Ed Begley Jr. shines in a world in which some stars are environmentalists only when the cameras are on. He lives what he preaches
  3. ^ Hollywood.com, Ed Begley, Jr.
  4. ^ New York Daily News October 13, 2008 Actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. talks the talk and drives the drive
  5. ^ The Free Library: Ed Begley, Jr.
  6. ^ "Ed Begley Jr.: Actor and Environmentalist". VegFamily. http://www.vegfamily.com/interviews/ed-begley-jr.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-19. 
  7. ^ The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, April 25, 2008
  8. ^ RandomHouse.com - Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life
  9. ^ EMA - Environmental Media Association
  10. ^ Oceana – Protecting the World’s Oceans: International Protection and Restoration
  11. ^ Green Wish | Seeding the Future | Getting Green Going Non-profit Charity
  12. ^ "Living With Ed". HGTV.com. http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/pac_ctnt_988/text/0,,HGTV_22056_56190,00.html. Retrieved 2006-12-27. 
  13. ^ "2004 Racism Watch Calls On Bush-Cheney Campaign to Change or Pull Offensive Ad". Common Dreams. http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0331-04.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-04. 

[edit] External links

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