Stephen Michael Kunken (born April 30, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for the roles of Ari Spyros on Showtime's Billions and Commander Putnam on Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale. His film work includes work with Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Paul Greengrass, Ang Lee, Barry Levinson, Ron Howard and others. Graduating with top honors from The Juilliard School, Kunken has an extensive and celebrated theater career appearing on Broadway in 7 different Productions and countless off-Broadway and Regional productions. He is most readily known for playing Andy Fastow in the Broadway play Enron, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Play. Other Broadway credits include Frost/Nixon and Rock 'n' Roll'.
Stephen Kunken | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 30, 1971 |
| Education | Tufts University (BA) Juilliard School (GrDip) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse |
Jenn Thompson (m. 2005) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and education
editKunken was raised on Long Island in Upper Brookville, New York. His father is a dentist and his mother is a former grade school teacher.[1] Kunken received a B.A. degree from Tufts University in 1993.[2] He is a graduate of the Juilliard School's Graduate Acting program, where as a member of the Drama Division's Group 26 (1993–1997) he was awarded both The John Houseman Prize and the Pearl and Rolands Grant. His classmates included David Denman and Alan Tudyk.[3] He is Jewish.[4]
Career
editKunken has appeared on Broadway as David Halberstam in David Auburn's The Columnist (2012);[5] opposite Kathleen Turner in High (2011);[6] Tom Stoppard’s Rock 'n' Roll (2007);[7] Frost/Nixon (2007) (for which he received Outer Critics Circle Award (Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play) and Drama League Award nominations),;[8] Festen (2006);[9] and Proof (replacement, 2002).[10] For his role as CFO Andrew Fastow in Lucy Prebble's Enron, he received a 2010 Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Play.[11]
Off-Broadway, he played Tim Andrews in the award-winning Richard Nelson cycle of Apple Plays, which includes That Hopey Changey Thing, Sweet and Sad, and Regular Singing in 2013 at The Public.[12][13]
He played the title role as Nikolai Nabakov in Lincoln Center Theater's production of Richard Nelson's Nikolai and the Others in 2013.[14] He has appeared as Dr. Phil in the critically acclaimed production of Kate Fodor's romantic comedy RX (2012, Primary Stages production);[15] as the Stage Manager in the 2009 David Cromer-directed revival of Thornton Wilder's Our Town (replacement as of January 5, 2010, Barrow Street Theatre);[16] Theresa Rebeck's Our House (2009, Playwrights Horizons);[17] Fabulation at Playwrights Horizons (2004);[18] A Very Common Procedure by Courtney Baron at Manhattan Class Company (2007)[19] (for which he received a Drama League Award nomination); Journals of Mihail Sebastian by David Auburn with the Keen Company in 2004[20] and Misalliance at the Roundabout Theatre Company (1997).[21][22]
He performed in The Story (2003),[23] Henry VIII (1997)[24] and A Dybbuk (1997) at the Public Theater.[25]
Regionally, Kunken has appeared in Quartermaine’s Terms (2009),[26] True West (2009),[27] Three Sisters as Solyony (2008) all at the Williamstown Theatre Festival;[28] and Mister Roberts as Doc at the Kennedy Center in 2005,[29] among many other credits.
His television credits include: Unforgettable, Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, Gossip Girl, The Unusuals, New Amsterdam, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: SVU, The Sopranos, Spin City, Far East (2001, TV movie), Mary and Rhoda (2000, TV movie)[30] and The Affair.[31][32]
In film, Kunken's work includes The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Still Alice (2014),[33] Café Society (2016), A Birder's Guide to Everything (2013),[34] The Bay (2012),[35] Price Check (2012),[36] Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011), All Good Things (2010), Taking Woodstock (2009), The Girl in the Park (2008),[37] Wait 'til This Year, Light and the Sufferer (2014),[38] and Bamboozled (2000).[39][40][32]
Personal life
editKunken and stage director Jenn Thompson were married in 2005[41][42][43] The couple reside in Brooklyn, New York with their daughter, Naomi,[1] whom they adopted from Ethiopia.[44]
Filmography
edit| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | Bamboozled | David | |
| 2007 | The Girl in the Park | Leo | |
| Light and the Sufferer | Douglas | ||
| 2009 | Taking Woodstock | Mel | |
| 2010 | All Good Things | Todd Fleck | |
| 2011 | Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close | Teacher | |
| 2012 | Price Check | Cartwright | |
| The Bay | Dr. Abrams | ||
| 2013 | A Birder's Guide to Everything | Ted | |
| Blumenthal | Barry | ||
| The Wolf of Wall Street | Jerry Fogel | ||
| 2014 | Still Alice | Dr. Benjamin | |
| 2015 | Bridge of Spies | William Tompkins | |
| 2016 | Custody | Mark Dooley | |
| Café Society | Leonard | ||
| Jason Bourne | Baumen | ||
| 2016-2023 | Billions | Ari Spyros | 38 episodes |
| 2019 | Otherhood | Joel Lieberman | |
| 2020 | Hillbilly Elegy | Phillip Roseman | |
| 2022 | A Spy Among Friends | James Jesus Angleton | TV series[45] |
References
edit- ^ a b Blank, Matthew (April 19, 2011). "CUE & A: High's Stephen Kunken". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2011.
- ^ "In The Spotlight: Stephen Kunken". E-News. Tufts University. January 9, 2004. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ^ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. September 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11.
- ^ "What's up, Stephen Kunken? The Enron Tony Nominee on Playing a Devil and Coming Home to an Angel".
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "John Lithgow Is David Auburn's 'The Columnist', Beginning Broadway Previews April 4" Playbill, April 4, 2012
- ^ " 'High', Starring Kathleen Turner, Will Bow at Broadway’s Booth Theatre" broadway.com, January 21, 2011
- ^ Brantley, Ben. "Going to Prague in 1968, but Not Without His Vinyl" The New York Times, November 5, 2007
- ^ "Outer Critics Circle 2006-2007 nominations announced" newyorktheatreguide.com, April 23, 2007
- ^ Brantley, Ben. "Haunting Memories of Daddy Dearest in 'Festen' " The New York Times, April 10, 2006
- ^ " 'Proof' Replacement" ibdb.com, retrieved October 29, 2017
- ^ "'Enron' to close following Tony noms" Variety, May 5, 2010
- ^ Rickwald, Bethany. "A Look at Richard Nelson's 'That Hopey Changey Thing' at The Public" theatermania.com, October 24, 2013
- ^ That Hopey Changey Thing lortel.org, retrieved October 29, 2017
- ^ Brantley, Ben. "Famous Russian House Guests, With Plenty of Baggage" The New York Times, May 6, 2013
- ^ Stasio, Marilyn. "Review. 'RX" " Variety, February 7, 2010
- ^ "David Cromer to Return to 'Our Town'; Stephen Kunken to Follow" broadway.com, December 15, 2009
- ^ Lipton, Brian Scott. "Morena Baccarin, Stephen Kunken, Jeremy Strong, Christopher Evan Welch, et al. Set for 'Our House'" theatermania.com, April 6, 2009
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. " 'Fabulation', a Sold Out Phenom at Playwrights Horizons, Gets Added Shows to July 11" Playbill, June 18, 2004
- ^ Sommer, Elyse. "A CurtainUp Review. A Very Common Procedure" CurtainUp, February 12, 2007
- ^ Simonson, Robert. "David Auburn Examines 'The Journals of Mihail Sebastian' at Keen Company, March 6" Playbill, March 6, 2004
- ^ Misalliance lortel.org, retrieved October 29, 2017
- ^ "Kunken Off-Broadway" lortel.org, retrieved October 29, 2017
- ^ The Story lortel.org, retrieved October 29, 2017
- ^ Henry VIII lortel.org, retrieved October 29, 2017
- ^ A Dybbuk lortel.org, retrieved October 29, 2017
- ^ Guiliano, Charles. " 'Quartermaine's Terms' at Williamstown Theatre Festival" berkshirefinearts.com, August 14, 2009
- ^ Guiliano, Charles. " 'True West' at Williamstown Theatre Festival" berkshirefinearts.com, July 17, 2009
- ^ "'Three Sisters'. July 16 - July 27. Main Stage. 2008 Season" wtfestival.org, retrieved October 29, 2017
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Casting Complete for Kennedy Center 'Mister Roberts' " Playbill, February 8, 2005
- ^ "Mary And Rhoda" (TV)" paleycenter.org, retrieved October 30, 2017
- ^ "Stephen Kunken Television" tv.com, retrieved October 30, 2017
- ^ a b "Stephen Kunken Film and TV" hollywood.com, retrieved October 30, 2017
- ^ Still Alice tcm.com, retrieved October 29, 2017
- ^ "A Birder's Guide To Everything". rottentomatoes.com. 21 March 2014.
- ^ Scott, A. O. "There’s Something Bubbling Off the Shore of a Chesapeake Hamlet" The New York Times, November 1, 2012
- ^ Price Check rottentomatoes.com, retrieved October 30, 2017
- ^ The Girl in the Park rottentomatoes.com, retrieved October 30, 2017
- ^ Light and the Sufferer hollywood.com, retrieved October 29, 2017
- ^ "Stephen Kunken". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
- ^ "Stephen Kunken Films" tcm.com, retrieved October 29, 2017
- ^ "Jenn Thompson is the newest member of The Actors Company Theatre directorial team". Stage-Directions.com. June 30, 2011.
- ^ Stephen Kunken at the Internet Broadway Database
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Jenn Thompson Named Co-Artistic Director of Off-Broadway's TACT" Playbill, June 30, 2011
- ^ Onofri, Adrienne (April 27, 2010). "Interview: Stephen Kunken, One of ENRON's Corporate Baddies". BroadwayWorld.com.
- ^ White, Peter (October 6, 2021). "Damian Lewis & Guy Pearce Lead Cold War Limited Series 'A Spy Among Friends' For Spectrum Originals & BritBox UK". Deadline. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
