Dennis Christopher Carrelli (born December 2, 1950) is an American former actor whose film credits include Breaking Away (1979), Fade to Black (1980), Chariots of Fire (1981), It (1990), and Django Unchained (2012).
Dennis Christopher | |
|---|---|
 Christopher in 2005 | |
| Born | Dennis Christopher Carrelli December 2, 1950 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1967–2016 |
Early life
editDennis Christopher Carrelli, the youngest of four children, was born in Philadelphia on December 2, 1950,[1][2][3][4] to Vincent Albert Carrelli, an insurance salesman, and the former Anna Marie Doogan.[5][6] His parents married in 1936.[5] He had two brothers, Vincent Carrelli Jr. (a talent manager who later went by the name Vince Cannon) and Edward Carrelli, and one sister, Patricia Kratzinger Laros.[6]
Christopher graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School in 1968.[7] He attended Temple University and dropped out in 1969.[8]
Career
editIn 1967, Christopher made a guest appearance on The Time Tunnel in the episode "Merlin the Magician" (S1E27). A chance encounter with Federico Fellini, who was filming in Rome at the time, led to the director casting him as a hippie in the film Roma (1972).[9] After that, Christopher worked as an assistant to the fashion designer Halston.[10]
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Christopher's breakthrough role was as Dave Stohler in the coming-of-age classic Breaking Away (1979). His performance won him the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer and the Youth in Film Award for Best Juvenile Actor in a Motion Picture,[11] as well as garnering a Golden Globe nomination.
Christopher's other roles include American track star Charlie Paddock in Chariots of Fire (1981), as well as tragic film-buff psychopath Eric Binford in Fade to Black (1980), Damon in The Falling (1985), Nathan Flowers in A Sinful Life (1989) and Leech in Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II (1994). Television roles include "Jack of All Trades" in the Profiler TV series, Eddie Kaspbrak in Stephen King's It (1990), Desmond Floyd in Jake Speed (1986) and in the HBO series Deadwood.
Christopher guest starred in two Star Trek episodes: the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Search (Part II)" and the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Detained". He guest-starred as the demon-sorcerer Cyvus Vail in three episodes of Angel.
He reunited with his Breaking Away "father" Paul Dooley, playing Dooley's son for a third time, in a 2003 episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. The two had first played father and son in Robert Altman's A Wedding (1978). In December 2006, he played Dr. Martin Ruber in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries The Lost Room.
Christopher was cast as Leonide Moguy in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (2012). He learned through his agent that the screenplay had been re-written to accommodate him. Furthermore, Tarantino later told Christopher that he had seen every one of his films the week that they were released, even Dead Women in Lingerie (which Christopher considers his worst). Production of the film made a very positive impact on Christopher, who stated, "...a lot of my idea of happiness came from working on this film...".[12]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Blood and Lace | Pete | |
| 1971 | The Young Graduates | Pan | |
| 1972 | Roma | The Hippie | uncredited |
| 1977 | 3 Women | Soda Delivery Boy | uncredited |
| 1977 | September 30, 1955 | Eugene | |
| 1978 | A Wedding | Hughie Brenner | |
| 1979 | California Dreaming | T.T. | |
| 1979 | Breaking Away | Dave Stohler | BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Role Nominated – Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year — Actor |
| 1979 | The Last Word | Ben Travis | |
| 1980 | Fade to Black | Eric Binford | Taormina International Film Festival for Bronze Mask Award Young Artist Award for Best Juvenile Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Actor |
| 1981 | Chariots of Fire | Charles Paddock | |
| 1982 | Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder | Brian Anderson | |
| 1983 | Didn't You Hear... | Kevin | |
| 1986 | Flight of the Spruce Goose | Stan | |
| 1986 | Jake Speed | Desmond Floyd | |
| 1986 | Alien Predator | Damon | also known as "The Falling" |
| 1988 | Friends | John | |
| 1989 | A Sinful Life | Nathan Flowers | |
| 1990 | Circuitry Man | Leech | |
| 1991 | The Disco Years | Mr. Reese | Short film |
| 1991 | Dead Women in Lingerie | Lapin | |
| 1993 | Doppelganger | Doctor Heller | |
| 1993 | Necronomicon: Book of the Dead | Dale Porkel | part 2 |
| 1994 | Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II | Leech | |
| 1995 | Aurora: Operation Intercept | Victor Varenkov | |
| 1995 | Bad English I: Tales of a Song of a Brit | unknown role | |
| 1996 | It's My Party | Douglas Reedy | |
| 1996 | The Silencers | Comdor | |
| 2001 | Mind Rage | Steve | |
| 2004 | Nine Lives | Mikey | |
| 2010 | Queen of the Lot | Odin Johannessen | |
| 2012 | Django Unchained | Leonide Moguy | Nominated – Gold Derby Award for Ensemble Cast |
| 2013 | Prisoners | Mr. Jones | uncredited |
| 2013 | The Slippery Slope | Pastor Tomaso | Short film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The Time Tunnel | Young Merlin | Uncredited Episode: "Merlin the Magician" |
| 1976 | Bernice Bobs Her Hair | Charley | TV movie |
| 1979 | Elvis | Nick Adams | TV movie |
| 1983 | Faerie Tale Theatre | Jack | Episode: "Jack and the Beanstalk" |
| 1984 | Tales of the Unexpected | Killer | Episode: "Number Eight" |
| 1984 | Trapper John, M.D. | Daryl Kirby | Episode: "Promises...Promises" |
| 1985 | Moonlighting | Benjamin Wylie | Episode: "The Lady in the Iron Mask" |
| 1986 | Cagney & Lacey | Dr. Stanley | Episode: "A Safe Place" |
| 1986 | The Equalizer | Father Nicholas Kostmayer | Episode: "The Cup" |
| 1987 | Stingray | Joshua Williams | Episode: "The Second Finest Man Who Ever Lived" |
| 1987 | The Law & Harry McGraw | Jacob Hossler | Episode: "Murder by Landslide" |
| 1987 | Hooperman | Danny Welles | Episode: "Blues for Danny Welles" |
| 1988 | Christabel | U.S. Airmen | Miniseries Episode: "#1.3" |
| 1989 | Matlock | Noel Bishop | Episode: "The Star" |
| 1990 | It | Eddie Kaspbrak | Miniseries |
| 1990–93 | Murder, She Wrote | Dr. Henry Carlson / Lyman Tagart | Episodes: "Shear Madness", "Final Curtain" |
| 1991 | Monsters | Laurence Bauer | Episode: "Hostile Takeover" |
| 1991 | False Arrest | Wally Roberts | TV movie |
| 1992 | Civil Wars | Jamie Berne | Episode: "Oceans White with Phone" |
| 1992 | Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story | Randy | TV movie |
| 1993 | Curacao | Friedrich | uncredited TV Movie |
| 1994 | Winnetka Road | Sam Franklin | Episode: "Women in Love" |
| 1994 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Borath | Episode: "The Search: Part II" |
| 1994 | The Cosby Mysteries | Eric Humbold | Episode: "Mirror, Mirror" |
| 1995 | The Watcher | Sascha | Episode: "Heartburned" |
| 1995 | Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare | Pruitt Taylor Beachaump | TV movie |
| 1996 | SeaQuest 2032 | Ambassador Dillington | Episode: "Reunion" |
| 1996 | The Sentinel | Dr. Anthony Bates | Episode: "Cypher" |
| 1996 | Pacific Blue | Dr. Mortimer T. Anton | Episode: "The Phoenix" |
| 1996 | Tarzan: The Epic Adventures | Philip D'Arnot | Episode: "Tarzan's Return: Part I" |
| 1996 | The Burning Zone | Dr. Balfour | Episode: "Lethal Injection" |
| 1996–99 | Profiler | Jack of All Trades / Albert Newquay / Sheriff Ed Post | recurring role (45 episodes) |
| 1997 | Skeletons | Jim Norton | TV movie |
| 1998 | New York Undercover | Dr. Royce | Episode: "Spare Parts" |
| 2000–01 | FreakyLinks | Vince Elsing | series regular (13 episodes) |
| 2001 | The Ballad of Lucy Whipple | Joshua 'Carrots' Beale | TV movie |
| 2001 | Roswell | Bobby Dupree | Episodes: "Disturbing Behavior", "How the Other Half Lives" |
| 2001 | Kate Brasher | Jesus | Episodes: "Jeff", "Georgia" |
| 2001 | 18 Wheels of Justice | Vin Malfi | Episode: "The Game" |
| 2002 | Star Trek: Enterprise | Danik | Episode: "Detained" |
| 2002 | Crossing Jordan | Charles Rutledge | Episode: "One Twelve" |
| 2003 | Six Feet Under | Kevin Lamb | Episode: "Nobody Sleeps" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Roger Coffman | Episode: "Cherry Red" |
| 2004 | Angel | Cyvus Vail | Episodes: "Origin", "Power Play", "Not Fade Away" |
| 2004 | NYPD Blue | Gerard Prosser | Episode: "The Vision Thing" |
| 2006 | Deadwood | Bellegarde | recurring role (5 episodes) |
| 2006 | The Lost Room | Dr. Martin Ruber | Miniseries 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Trapped! | Adrien | TV movie |
| 2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Richard Dorsey / Homeless Guy | Episodes: "Cockroaches", "Lying Down with Dogs" |
| 2008 | Criminal Minds | Abner Merriman | Episode: "Damaged" |
| 2013 | Unforgettable | Lukas Emminger | Episode: "Line Up or Shut Up" |
| 2014 | Perception | Fred Gorman | Episode: "Cobra" |
| 2016 | Graves | Martin Treadwell | recurring role (4 episodes) |
Theatre
edit| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Little Foxes | Leo Hubbard | Martin Beck Theatre | 126 performances |
| 1983 | Brothers | Tommy | Music Box Theatre | 1 performance |
References
edit- ^ "Dennis Christopher". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Christopher, Dennis (1950–)". snaccooperative.org.
- ^ "Dennis Christopher". aveleyman.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023.
- ^ "Actors and Actresses Born in December 1950". onthisday.com.
- ^ a b "In Memoriam". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 20, 1966.
- ^ a b "Death Notices". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 3, 1981.
- ^ 1968 Bon-Aire (Yearbook). Monsignor Bonner High School, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. p. 144.
- ^ Swift, Pamela (April 22, 1979). "Keeping Up...With Youth". The Morning Call.
Christopher, who left Temple University 10 years ago to try his luck in Hollywood, plays an 18-year-old townie who convinces a sorority girl that he is an Italian.
- ^ "'Breaking Away' was this actor's breakout role. Fans say it changed their lives, too". PBS. November 22, 2019.
- ^ https://www.huffpost.com/us/entry/3698096/amp [dead link]
- ^ "1st Annual Youth In Film Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org.
- ^ Riley, Jenelle (December 14, 2012). "Dennis Christopher on Tarantino, DiCaprio, and 'Django Unchained'". Backstage.
