Joshua Aaron Charles (born September 15, 1971) is an American film, television, and theater actor. He is best known for the roles of Dan Rydell on Sports Night, Will Gardner on The Good Wife, which earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and his early work as Knox Overstreet in Dead Poets Society and Bryan from Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.
Josh Charles | |
|---|---|
 Charles at Toronto International Film Festival 2014 | |
| Born | Joshua Aaron Charles September 15, 1971 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editCharles is the son of Allan Charles, an advertising executive.[1][2][3] He is Jewish on his father's side, and he has described himself as Jewish.[4][5] He began his career performing comedy at the age of 9. As a teenager, he spent several summers at Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Center in New York, and he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts.
Career
editCharles' film debut was in fellow Baltimore native John Waters' Hairspray in 1988. The following year, he starred alongside Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke in Dead Poets Society. Other film roles have included Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Threesome, Pie in the Sky, Muppets from Space, S.W.A.T, Four Brothers, After.Life, Crossing the Bridge and Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.
On television, Charles played sports anchor Dan Rydell in Sports Night, which ran for two years (1998–2000) and earned Charles a Screen Actors Guild nomination. In 2008, Charles played the role of Jake in season one of HBO's In Treatment. In 2009, he returned to network television in the drama The Good Wife. For his work on the series, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2014.
Also in 2011, Charles narrated the debut episode for NFL Network's A Football Life on New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.[6] In 2022, Charles starred in We Own This City, an HBO limited series.[7]
In theater, Charles headlined a production of Jonathan Marc Sherman's Confrontation in 1986. In 2004, he appeared on stage in New York in a revival of Neil LaBute's The Distance from Here, which received a Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble Cast. In January 2006, he appeared in the world premiere of Richard Greenberg's The Well-Appointed Room for the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, and he followed this with a run at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, portraying the cloned brothers in Caryl Churchill's A Number. In 2007, he appeared in Adam Bock's The Receptionist at the Manhattan Theatre Club.
Personal life
editIn September 2013, Charles married ballet dancer and author Sophie Flack.[8][9] On December 9, 2014, Flack gave birth to the couple's first child, a son.[10] On August 23, 2018, Charles revealed on his Instagram that Flack gave birth to their second child, a daughter.[11]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Hairspray | Iggy | |
| 1989 | Dead Poets Society | Knox Overstreet | |
| 1991 | Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead | Bryan | |
| 1992 | Crossing the Bridge | Mort Golden | |
| 1994 | Threesome | Eddy | |
| 1995 | Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead | Bruce | uncredited |
| 1995 | Coldblooded | Randy | |
| 1996 | The Grave | Tyn | |
| 1996 | Crossworlds | Joe Talbot | |
| 1996 | Pie in the Sky | Charlie Dunlap | |
| 1997 | Cyclops, Baby | Brush Brody | |
| 1997 | Little City | Adam | |
| 1999 | Muppets from Space | Agent Barker | |
| 2000 | Meeting Daddy | Peter Silverblatt | |
| 2003 | S.W.A.T. | T. J. McCabe | |
| 2004 | Seeing Other People | Lou | |
| 2005 | Four Brothers | Detective Fowler | |
| 2006 | The Darwin Awards | Paramedic | |
| 2006 | The Ex | Forrest Mead | |
| 2009 | After.Life | Tom Peterson | |
| 2009 | Brief Interviews with Hideous Men | Subject No. 2 | |
| 2014 | Bird People | Gary Newman | |
| 2014 | Adult Beginners | Phil | |
| 2015 | I Smile Back | Bruce Brooks | |
| 2015 | Freeheld | Bryan Kelder | |
| 2016 | Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | Chris | |
| 2016 | Norman | Arthur Taub | |
| 2016 | The Drowning | Tom Seymour | |
| 2018 | Amateur | Coach Gaines | |
| 2019 | Framing John DeLorean | Bill Collins | [12] |
| 2023 | Memory | Isaac | |
| 2024 | Mothers' Instinct | Damian Jennings |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Murder in Mississippi | Andrew Goodman | Television film |
| 1993 | Cooperstown | Jody | Television film |
| 1996 | Norma Jean & Marilyn | Eddie Jordan | Television film |
| 1997 | The Underworld | Ehrlich | Television film |
| 1998–2000 | Sports Night | Dan Rydell | 45 episodes |
| 2002 | Our America | Dave Isay | Television film |
| 2005 | Stella | Jeremy | episode: "Meeting Girls" |
| 2007 | Six Degrees | Ray Jones | 4 episodes |
| 2008 | In Treatment | Jake | 8 episodes |
| 2008 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Sean Kelley | episode: "Confession" |
| 2009–2016 | The Good Wife | Will Gardner | 107 episodes, also director (3 episodes) |
| 2014–2016 | Inside Amy Schumer | Various | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Masters of Sex | Dan Logan | 10 episodes |
| 2015 | Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp | Blake | 6 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Duke Snyder | 5 episodes |
| 2016–2019 | Drunk History | Various | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later | Blake | 6 episodes |
| 2017 | Law & Order True Crime | Dr. Jerome Oziel | 7 episodes |
| 2017 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | Forensic Scientist | episode: "Forensic Science" |
| 2019 | The Loudest Voice | Casey Close | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Away | Matt Logan | 10 episodes |
| 2021 | Law & Order: Organized Crime | Vince Baldi | episode: "Forget it, Jake; It's Chinatown" |
| 2022 | We Own This City | Daniel Hersl | miniseries, main cast |
| 2023 | The Power | Daniel Dandon | recurring role |
| 2024 | The Veil | Max Peterson | 4 episodes |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | "Fortnight" | Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone | [13] |
Awards and nominations
editReferences
edit- ^ Sandler, Gilbert (July 16, 1996). "Baltimore Glimpses: the Hollywood trail". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
Josh Charles is the son of Laura and Allen Charles
- ^ Josh Charles [@MrJoshCharles] (October 12, 2012). "My grandpa, Wilbur Heckscher" (Tweet). Retrieved September 8, 2013 – via Twitter.
- ^ Desmon, Stephanie (February 17, 2008). "Lillian 'Libby' Charles". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
her son Allan Charles, founding partner of Trahan Burden Charles ... grandson is actor Josh Charles
- ^ Feinberg, Scott (June 21, 2012). "Emmys 2012: Josh Charles on Falling in Love with 'The Good Wife' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
- ^ "Charles Gets Married". Jewz in the Newz. The American Israelite. October 2, 2013. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
Charles' Jewish father was a prominent Baltimore advertising exec )
- ^ Forsberg, Chris. "Belichick documentary set for NFL Network – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston". Espn.go.com. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
- ^ Petski, Denise (May 19, 2021). "Jon Bernthal, Josh Charles, Jamie Hector To Star In 'We Own This City' HBO Limited Series From 'The Wire' Team". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Goldstein, Meredith (October 10, 2011). "A novel life: A former dancer's new career takes shape – Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
- ^ Webber, Stephanie (September 7, 2013). "Josh Charles Wedding: Good Wife Star Marries Girlfriend Sophie Flack!". Us Weekly. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
Josh Charles ... married longtime girlfriend Sophie Flack on Friday, Sept. 6
- ^ Marquina, Sierra (December 12, 2014). "Josh Charles, Wife Sophie Flack Welcome Their First Child Together – a Baby Boy!". Us Weekly. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
- ^ Josh Charles Reveals The Birth of His Daughter, Instagram, 2018, archived from the original on December 26, 2021, retrieved August 23, 2018
- ^ Evans, Greg (March 6, 2019), 'Framing John DeLorean' Trailer: Alec Baldwin Stars Alongside Real DeLorean In New Hybrid Film
- ^ Saunders, Angel (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Enlists Dead Poets Society Actors Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles for 'Fortnight' Music Video". People. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved April 20, 2024.