Erik Jensen (actor)

Erik Jensen
Born Minnesota, U.S.
Residence New York City, New York
Occupation Actor, playwright
Years active 1991–present
Spouse(s)
Jessica Blank (m. 2001)

Erik Jensen is an American actor and playwright.

Early life

Jensen was born and raised in Minnesota. He graduated from Apple Valley High School ,[1] and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from Carnegie Mellon University.

Career

An actor, writer, director, and producer, Jensen has had over a hundred roles on television, film, and stage, most notably as legendary Thurman Munson of the New York Yankees in the ESPN miniseries The Bronx Is Burning. He portrayed Dr. Stephen Edwards on The Walking Dead, plays conspiracy theorist Frank Cody on Mr. Robot, and appeared alongside Aasif Mandvi in the Pulitzer Prize-winning production of Ayad Akhtars Disgraced at Lincoln Center. He also appeared as legendary rock critic Lester Bangs in the critically acclaimed "How to Be A Rock Critic" at The Public Theater in New York City.

In spring 2015, Erik portrayed gonzo rock critic Lester Bangs in "How to Be a Rock Critic" (co-written with Jessica Blank) at Center Theater Group in Los Angeles. The production also had a run at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater.

In 2017 he co-directed the film Almost Home with Jessica Blank based on her novel of the same name.

Writing

Erik co-wrote the critically acclaimed play The Exonerated with his wife, Jessica Blank. It ran in Off Broadway in New York City for nearly two years.The play is based on interviews they conducted with more than 40 exonerated death row inmates. In 2002, it was staged at The Actors' Gang Theater.[2] It was nominated for five Ovation Awards and three NAACP Awards, winning the Ovation for Best World Premiere Play. Bob Balaban's production of The Exonerated ran for more than 600 performances off-Broadway and toured nationally.

The Exonerated was made into a 2005 film for Court TV[3] and was produced internationally in Dublin,[4] Edinburgh,[5] London,[6] Japan, Mexico, and Italy. The Exonerated won the 2003 Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Fringe First, and Herald Angel Awards. It received awards from Amnesty International, the American Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Death Penalty Focus. It has been translated into French, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. Jensen and Blank wrote a second documentary play, Aftermath, which was produced Off-Broadway in 2009, and are developing a film based on Blank's novel Almost Home. His writing has also been published in magazines and journals including The Believer,[16] The Dramatist, Another Magazine, and Theatre History Studies.

Living Justice, Blank and Jensen’s book on the making of The Exonerated, was published in 2005 by Simon and Schuster.[17]

Blank and Jensen also co-wrote the documentary play Aftermath based on interviews they conducted in 2008 with Iraqi civilian refugees in Jordan. Blank directed Aftermath off-Broadway at New York Theater Workshop in 2009; it was nominated for two Drama League awards and toured internationally for two years.

Blank and Jensen co-wrote "How to Be a Rock Critic" based on the writings of famed gonzo rock journalist Lester Bangs. It received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Billboard and other publications for the 2018 Public Theater production.

Erik authored and co-created the graphic novel "The Reconcilers" which was published in 2010 by Viking Warrior press.

Personal life

Jensen married writer and actress Jessica Blank in 2001. They live in New York, New York.

Filmography

Film

  • 1991: Dead and Alive: The Race for Gus Farace as Boat Owner
  • 1992: What She Doesn't Know as Thug
  • 1993: The Dark Half as Male Student
  • 1993: Striking Distance as Kid on Steps
  • 1995: A Horse for Danny as Mooner
  • 1995: Inflammable as Roland Fantaine
  • 1996: Ripe as Dave
  • 1996: Twisted as Man Who Kills Can Man
  • 1997: Colin Fitz as Dean
  • 1997: Julian Po as Tyler
  • 1998: Anima
  • 1998: Montana as Karl
  • 1998: Above Freezing as Richie
  • 1998: Arresting Gena as Stevie
  • 1999: The Love Letter as Ray
  • 1999: Cherry as Man #3
  • 2000: Brooklyn Sonnet as Frankie the Snake
  • 2000: Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 as Stoner #2
  • 2001: Black Knight as Derek
  • 2002: The Year That Trembled as Todd Franklin
  • 2002: Heartbreak Hospital as HH Producer
  • 2003: Undermind as Ian Waye
  • 2004: Messengers as David Richards
  • 2005: The Exonerated as Jeff
  • 2005: Hitler, Stalin & Walter O'Malley as Jules (short film)
  • 2005: The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie as Photographer
  • 2006: The House Is Burning as Carl
  • 2006: Sup 2down as Ewan
  • 2007: Serial as Gary Whitlock
  • 2007: Game of Life as Larry
  • 2008: Quality Time as Tucker (short film)
  • 2008: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 as Video Store Manager Phil
  • 2009: Speed Grieving as Scott (voice) (short film)
  • 2009: Stream as Marco (short film)
  • 2009: Virtuality as Dr. Jules Braun
  • 2011: The Loop as Bearded Man
  • 2011: Gun Hill as Tommy Griffin

Television

Stage

  • The Exonerated (writer; co-wrote with Jessica Blank)
  • Y2K by Arthur Kopit (Manhattan Theater Club)
  • Corpus Christi by Terrence McNally (Manhattan Theater Club)
  • Spain (Manhattan Class Company)
  • Schmucks as Lenny Bruce (Wilma Theater, Philadelphia)
  • "Disgraced" by Ayad Akhtar (Lincoln Center) Pulitzer Prize 2014
  • "How to Be a Rock Critic" (co-writer with Jessica Blank) Center Theater Group, Kirk Douglas Theater

References

  1. ↑ "Actor's path to silver screen started on Apple Valley stage | ECM Archives". archives.ecmpublishers.com. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  2. ↑ The Actors Gang: The Exonerated Archived 2012-01-12 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Monterey Media: The Exonerated - DVD - Brian Dennehy, Danny Glover, Susan Sarandon
  4. ↑ The Exonerated at Liberty Hall Theatre - 2006 (archive) Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin
  5. ↑ Gardner, Lyn (2005-08-11). "The Exonerated". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  6. ↑ The British Theatre Guide: The Exonerated in London Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine.
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