Jon Cryer
Jon Cryer | |
|---|---|
 at the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean | |
| Born | Jonathan Niven Cryer |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, writer, film director, film producer |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Trigger (1999–2004) 1 child Lisa Joyner (2007–present) |
Jonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer. He is the son of actress/singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his motion picture debut by starring in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but gained greater fame by starring as "Duckie" in the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink. In 1998 he finished writing and producing the independent film Went to Coney Island on a Mission From God... Be Back by Five, which was well received.[1]
Even though Cryer gained some fame by starring in these movies, he had not found television success; the shows he had starred in (The Famous Teddy Z, Partners and The Trouble with Normal) all did not last very long, until, in 2003, he was cast to portray Alan Harper on the CBS hit comedy series Two and a Half Men, opposite Charlie Sheen. To date, the actor has received three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on the show.[2][3][4]
Biography
Early life
Cryer is the son of Gretchen Cryer (née Kiger), a playwright, songwriter, actress, and singer, and David Cryer, an actor, singer, and producer.[5][6] He has two sisters, Robin and Shelley.[7] When he was 12 years old he decided that he wanted to become an actor.[8] When his mother heard this she thought he should have a backup plan and joked "Plumbing is a pretty good career".[7] Cryer attended Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center for several summers as a teenager[9] and is a 1983 graduate of the Bronx High School of Science.[10]
Career
At age 19, Cryer first appeared in the 1984 romantic comedy film No Small Affair, having the lead role as Charles Cummings.[11] He went on to have small roles in films and television movies, and he made his breakthrough when he was cast to portray Phil "Duckie" Dale in the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink.[12] In an interview with the Daily News, Cryer's mother said that after Pretty in Pink, she started getting calls from teenage girls from all over the world, who would leave hysterical, giggling messages on her answering machine.[7] Thanks to Pretty in Pink, Cryer slowly became more famous. In 1987, he portrayed Superman villain Lenny Luthor in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.[7] In 1989, he got the lead role in the TV comedy series, The Famous Teddy Z. His performance gained poor reviews[13] and the show was canceled after the first season.[13]
One year later, he starred with Charlie Sheen in the Jim Abrahams comedy Hot Shots!,[8] which was received very positively.[14] Cryer is frequently linked to the Brat Pack.[15] In a March 2009 interview on Anytime with Bob Kushell, Cryer stated that he had auditioned for St. Elmo's Fire and did not get it.[16] In 1993, he was asked to audition for the role of Chandler Bing on Friends, while he was doing a play in London. His reading was videotaped by a British casting agent but the tape failed to arrive in the U.S. before the network had made its final decision.[8]
In 1995 he was cast to portray Bob in the sitcom Partners, which, like his prior show The Famous Teddy Z, was canceled after its first season. In an interview with Time Out New York he stated, "Hey, every show I'm in goes down. Think about this: George Clooney was in 28 pilots, or something. It means nothing".[7] After guest starring on shows such as Dharma & Greg and The Outer Limits, he successfully wrote and produced his first film, Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God...Be Back by Five. It debuted in 1998 at the Los Angeles Film Festival and gained positive reviews from critics.[1] Leonard Maltin from Playboy Magazine called it "A Breath of Fresh Air".[17] In 2000, he got the lead in a comedy series called Trouble With Normal. For the third time, Cryer starred in a show which got canceled after its first season.[18]
Cryer's unsuccessful track record with TV finally came to a halt three years later. Against the wishes of CBS executives (who were aware of his past failures), he was cast in 2003 to portray Alan Harper on the hit comedy series Two and a Half Men. To date, he has earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his acting work on the show.[2][3][4] In a comment on the show's high ratings, he said, "When you’re on a show that's fighting for survival every week, you stop trusting your instincts, because you think, ‘My instincts haven't worked so far.’ But when people clearly like the show and are watching it in great numbers, it takes a huge amount of pressure off you. It allows you to trust your instincts and go with what has worked for you before".[8] Before being cast for Two and a Half Men, Jon Cryer ran for the role of Gaius Baltar on the Sci-Fi Channel's reimagined Battlestar Galactica. In the end the role went to James Callis. [19] In 2008, Cryer appeared with Laurence Fishburne and James Cromwell in the film Tortured,[20] and in 2009 he will appear with James Spader in the film Shorts.[21]
Personal life
Cryer married British-born actress Sarah Trigger in 1999, by whom he has a son, Charlie Austin,[7] but the pair divorced in 2004. In February 2007, on an episode of The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, he announced that he was going to marry entertainment reporter Lisa Joyner; the couple married in Mexico[7] in June 2007.[22][23]
Cryer is often mistaken for Matthew Broderick,[7] in an interview with Time Out New York he stated:
Even when I was an usher (at the Equity Library Theater), people were already mistaking me for Matthew Broderick. It was very strange. I would hand them programs and show them to their seats and they'd say: 'We loved you in the Torch Song Trilogy'. And I'd be like, 'I'm here giving you programs. Like I left my lucrative career Off Broadway in a great show to come hand you programs'. At the time, I was confused by it--until I saw him. We do look shockingly similar. In fact, we live in the same neighborhood now, and we still get mistaken for each other.
— Jon Cryer, interview in Time Out New York[7]
As a joke, he twice claimed to be Broderick in an episode of Two and a Half Men, first in an attempt to get into a club as a celebrity (though the bouncer didn't know who Broderick was) and later to get a doctor to treat his brother's chest pains; the doctor later asked him why there was no sequel to Ferris Bueller's Day Off.[24]
Filmography
Film Work
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | No Small Affair | Charles Cummings | Debut |
| 1985 | Noon Wine | Teenage Herbert | Made for Television Film |
| O.C. and Stiggs | Randall Schwab Jr. | ||
| 1986 | Pretty in Pink | Phil 'Duckie' Dale | |
| 1987 | Morgan Stewart's Coming Home | Morgan Stewart | |
| Superman IV: The Quest for Peace | Lenny Luthor | ||
| Dudes | Grant | ||
| Hiding Out | Andrew Morenski/Max Hauser | ||
| 1988 | Rap Master Ronnie: A Report Card | direct-to-video | |
| 1989 | Penn & Teller Get Killed | 3rd Frat Boy | |
| 1991 | Hot Shots! | Jim 'Wash Out' Pfaffenbach | |
| 1993 | The Waiter | Tommy Kazdan | |
| Hot Shots! Part Deux | Jim 'Wash Out' Pfaffenbach | ||
| Heads | Guy Franklin | TV Movie | |
| 1996 | The Pompatus of Love | Mark | also as writer |
| Cannes Man | Himself | Cameo appearance | |
| 1997 | Plan B | Stuart Winer | |
| 1998 | Went to Coney Island on a Mission From God... Be Back by Five | Daniel | also as writer and producer |
| Holy Man | Barry | ||
| 2000 | Clayton | ||
| 2001 | Glam | Jimmy Pells | |
| 2003 | The Metro Chase | Mr. Stamm | TV Movie |
| 2008 | Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby | Richard Pig | Voice role |
| Tortured | Brian | ||
| 2009 | Weather Girl | Charles | completed |
| Shorts | Dad Thompson | ||
| Stay Cool | Javier | post-production |
Television work
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Amazing Stories | Phil | Episode: Miscalculation |
| 1989 - 1990 | The Famous Teddy Z | Teddy Zakalokis | |
| 1995 - 1996 | Partners | Bob | also as producer |
| 1996 | The Outer Limits | Trevor McPhee | Episode: Vanishing Act |
| 1997 | It's Good to Be King | Mort | |
| Dharma & Greg | Brian | Episode: Shower the People You Love with Love | |
| 1998 | Getting Personal | Sam Wagner | Episode: Sam I am Cryer also produced the series |
| Hercules: The Animated Series | The Winged Wolves (voice) | Episode: Hercules and the Underworld Takeover | |
| Mr. Show with Bob & David | Duckie | Episode: It's Perfectly Understandishable | |
| Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place | Justin | Episode: Two Guys, a Girl and a Thanksgiving | |
| 2000 | Family Guy | Kevin Swanson | Episode: There's Something About Paulie |
| 2000 - 2001 | The Trouble with Normal | Zack Mango | |
| 2002 | Andy Richter Controls the Universe | Lemuel Praeger | Episode: Gimme a C |
| The Practice | Terry Pender | Episode: Of Thee I Sing | |
| 2003 | Becker | Roger | Episode: Chris' Ex |
| Hey Joel | Joel Stein (voice) | ||
| Stripperella | (voice) | ||
| 2003-present | Two and a Half Men | Alan Harper | main cast member |
| 2005 2006 |
Danny Phantom | Freakshow | Episode: Reality Trip Episode: Control Freaks |
| 2006 | American Dad! | Quacky | Episode: It's Good to Be Queen |
References
- ^ a b "Went to Coney Island on a Mission From God... Be Back By Five (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 22 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - ^ a b "Complete 2008 Nominations List". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2008-07-17. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmy Awards Nominees are..." Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "The 58th Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmys Nominations". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Jon Cryer Biography (1965-)". Filmreference. Retrieved July 16 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - ^ "Gretchen Cryer Biography (1935-)". Filmreference. Retrieved July 16 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i "Jon Cryer - Profile, Latest News and Related Articles". Notes. E! Online. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ^ a b c d Juba, Scott (2006-03-26). "Interview: Jon Cryer: Failed Friend Who Became a Man". The Trades. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
- ^ "Stagedoor Manor, Performing Arts Training Center". Stagedoor Alumni. Stagedoor Manor Official Website. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
- ^ "Jon Cryer". Education. Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (1984-11-09). "No Small Affair (1984)". Jon Cryer In "No Small Affair". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
- ^ Bierly, Mandi (2006-08-23). "Don't You Forget About Duckie". To mark a new special-edition DVD of "Pretty in Pink", Emmy nominee Jon Cryer chats with Mandi Bierly about the movie's original ending, "Try a Little Tenderness", and more. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
- ^ a b Tucker, Ken (1990-05-25). "TV Review - The Famous Teddy Z". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Hot Shots! (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
- ^ Lurie, Karen (2002). "Brat Pack". St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Gale Group. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
- ^ "Anytime with Bob Kushell feat. Jon Cryer". Anytime with Bob Kushell. Season 2. Episode 1. 2009-03-17.
- ^ "The Cover of Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five". HD Magazine. Retrieved June 22 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - ^ Coleridge, Daniel R. (2003-07-23). "Sheen and Cryer: Sitcom Survivors". TV Guide. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Vary, Adam B. "Battlestar Galactica: The Beginning of the End." Entertainment Weekly 20 Mar. 2009: 42.
- ^ Holmes, Matt (2007-05-15). "Jon Cryer and James Denton to get Tortured". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (2008-05-30). "Cryer, Spader join Rodriguez's 'Shorts'". Digital Spy. Retrieved June 22 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - ^ "Jon Cryer marries Lisa Joyner". Monstersand Critics. Retrieved June 3 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - ^ Wang, Cynthia (2007-04-13). "Jon Cryer of Two and a Half Men to Wed in Summer". People.com. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Lorre, Chuck; Aronsohn, Lee; Roberts, Mark; Gorodetsky, Eddie (2007-02-19). "Young People Have Phlegm Too". Two and a Half Men. Season 4. Episode 16. CBS.
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External links
- Jon Cryer Bio at CBS - Two and a Half Men
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- Jon Cryer interview on AOL
- TonyAwards.com Interview with Jon Cryer
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