Anthony Edwards(I)
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Anthony Edwards was born in Santa Barbara, California, on July 19,
1962, to a well-blended family. He is the youngest of five children,
and the son of Erika Kem (Weber), a landscape painter and artist, and
Peter Edwards, an architect. His mother was of German descent, and his
father was of English, Irish, Scottish, and Spanish-Mexican ancestry.
Edwards's parents encouraged him to act at age 16, which eventually led
him to attending a summer workshop in London before graduating from
high school. Returning to the United States, Edwards worked in
commercials, jobs that helped him pay his education at The University
of Southern California, where he studied acting. However, he dropped
out of college and, in that same year, he had a small role in the movie
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982),
starring Sean Penn. The movie was a
box office smash and Edwards was looking forward to doing more films.
His first movie role was that of teen-aged "John Muldowney" in
Heart Like a Wheel (1983) and
his first starring role as nerdy "Gilbert Lowell", in
Revenge of the Nerds (1984).
Edwards didn't need to worry about being typecast as a
socially-challenged loser. After starring in
The Sure Thing (1985) and
Gotcha! (1985), he landed another
big-time successful movie Top Gun (1986),
in which he played Tom Cruise's ill-fated
easy-going navigator/best friend, Lt. Nick "Goose" Bradshaw. As Cruise
rode Top Gun (1986) into the Hollywood
stratosphere, Edwards also found his flight to stardom, at the same
time. After Top Gun (1986), he reprised
his role as Gilbert in the movie
Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987),
before he starred in
Summer Heat (1987). He also starred
in Mr. North (1988), and
Miracle Mile (1988), although they
weren't too successful.
Edwards began working in TV movies and continued to star in more box
office movies such as Hawks (1988),
How I Got Into College (1989),
Downtown (1990),
Pet Sematary II (1992),
Landslide (1992) and
Delta Heat (1992). The '90s won
Edwards his best reviews for his recurring role of the quirky "bubble
man" Mike Monroe on the popular television series
Northern Exposure (1990).
He was nominated for a Cable Ace Award in HBO's
Sexual Healing (1993), and the
following year, he starred in
Charlie's Ghost Story (1995),
before he played law clerk "Clint Von Hooser" in the
John Grisham movie
The Client (1994). This led to his
most prominent role, as easy-going charismatic physician "Dr. Mark
Greene" on the very popular TV series
ER (1994).
For his work on ER (1994), he was
nominated for an Emmy Award four times For Outstanding Lead Actor in a
Drama Series, but has never won. However, he has won a Golden Globe
Award For Best Performance by an Actor-in-a-TV-Series, and was
nominated four times, and also has two Screen Actor's Guild Awards.
Prior to playing Dr. Greene, he also played bank breaker turned
cold-blooded killer, "Dick Hickock" in the TV movie remake of
Truman Capote's
In Cold Blood (1996),
which was the best TV movie of the 1996-97 season. During Edwards'
hiatus on ER (1994), he went back to the
box office circuit to star and to produce the movie
Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1999),
a complex movie which wasn't a big hit. Edwards, once again, returned
to the set of ER (1994), and this time, he
signed up for a salary that almost no actor could be paid, so his
decision was to stay on the show for 3 more years and possibly to save
the money in order to spend a lot of family time and to work on
directing later.
His first big roles after ER (1994) were
that of "Brains" in the movie
Thunderbirds (2004), and as "Jim
Paretta" in The Forgotten (2004).
In the many years that he starred on
ER (1994), that show gave him more success
in working on and off the set. Also, it gave him a spiritual blessing
that so many popular actors have had over the years.
1962, to a well-blended family. He is the youngest of five children,
and the son of Erika Kem (Weber), a landscape painter and artist, and
Peter Edwards, an architect. His mother was of German descent, and his
father was of English, Irish, Scottish, and Spanish-Mexican ancestry.
Edwards's parents encouraged him to act at age 16, which eventually led
him to attending a summer workshop in London before graduating from
high school. Returning to the United States, Edwards worked in
commercials, jobs that helped him pay his education at The University
of Southern California, where he studied acting. However, he dropped
out of college and, in that same year, he had a small role in the movie
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982),
starring Sean Penn. The movie was a
box office smash and Edwards was looking forward to doing more films.
His first movie role was that of teen-aged "John Muldowney" in
Heart Like a Wheel (1983) and
his first starring role as nerdy "Gilbert Lowell", in
Revenge of the Nerds (1984).
Edwards didn't need to worry about being typecast as a
socially-challenged loser. After starring in
The Sure Thing (1985) and
Gotcha! (1985), he landed another
big-time successful movie Top Gun (1986),
in which he played Tom Cruise's ill-fated
easy-going navigator/best friend, Lt. Nick "Goose" Bradshaw. As Cruise
rode Top Gun (1986) into the Hollywood
stratosphere, Edwards also found his flight to stardom, at the same
time. After Top Gun (1986), he reprised
his role as Gilbert in the movie
Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987),
before he starred in
Summer Heat (1987). He also starred
in Mr. North (1988), and
Miracle Mile (1988), although they
weren't too successful.
Edwards began working in TV movies and continued to star in more box
office movies such as Hawks (1988),
How I Got Into College (1989),
Downtown (1990),
Pet Sematary II (1992),
Landslide (1992) and
Delta Heat (1992). The '90s won
Edwards his best reviews for his recurring role of the quirky "bubble
man" Mike Monroe on the popular television series
Northern Exposure (1990).
He was nominated for a Cable Ace Award in HBO's
Sexual Healing (1993), and the
following year, he starred in
Charlie's Ghost Story (1995),
before he played law clerk "Clint Von Hooser" in the
John Grisham movie
The Client (1994). This led to his
most prominent role, as easy-going charismatic physician "Dr. Mark
Greene" on the very popular TV series
ER (1994).
For his work on ER (1994), he was
nominated for an Emmy Award four times For Outstanding Lead Actor in a
Drama Series, but has never won. However, he has won a Golden Globe
Award For Best Performance by an Actor-in-a-TV-Series, and was
nominated four times, and also has two Screen Actor's Guild Awards.
Prior to playing Dr. Greene, he also played bank breaker turned
cold-blooded killer, "Dick Hickock" in the TV movie remake of
Truman Capote's
In Cold Blood (1996),
which was the best TV movie of the 1996-97 season. During Edwards'
hiatus on ER (1994), he went back to the
box office circuit to star and to produce the movie
Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1999),
a complex movie which wasn't a big hit. Edwards, once again, returned
to the set of ER (1994), and this time, he
signed up for a salary that almost no actor could be paid, so his
decision was to stay on the show for 3 more years and possibly to save
the money in order to spend a lot of family time and to work on
directing later.
His first big roles after ER (1994) were
that of "Brains" in the movie
Thunderbirds (2004), and as "Jim
Paretta" in The Forgotten (2004).
In the many years that he starred on
ER (1994), that show gave him more success
in working on and off the set. Also, it gave him a spiritual blessing
that so many popular actors have had over the years.