Chris Messina is an American film and television actor.

Life and career

Messina was born in Northport, New York

Northport, New York

Northport is a village in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 7,606. Students attend the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District....

. He started his career as an off-Broadway actor. He has appeared in episodes of the television series Law & Order

Law & Order

Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...

, Third Watch

Third Watch

Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....

and Medium

Medium (TV series)

Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office...

. He had a recurring role in the fifth and final season of the HBO drama

Drama

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...

 Six Feet Under, playing Claire's (Lauren Ambrose) love interest Ted Fairwell. His film credits include Rounders

Rounders (film)

Rounders is a 1998 film about the underground world of high-stakes poker. Directed by John Dahl and starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton, the movie follows two friends who need to quickly earn enough cash playing poker to pay off a large debt...

, The Siege

The Siege

The Siege is a 1998 American thriller film directed by Edward Zwick. The film is about a fictional situation in which terrorist cells have made several attacks on New York City...

, You've Got Mail

You've Got Mail

You've Got Mail is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It was written by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the play Parfumerie by Miklós László. The film is about two letter-writing lovers who are completely unaware that their sweetheart is in...

and Towelhead

Towelhead

Towelhead is an ethnic slur for a person of Arab descent.Towelhead may also refer to:* Towelhead — a 2005 novel by Alicia Erian* Towelhead — a 2007 film by Alan Ball based on the above novel...

.

Messina starred as Ira in Ira and Abby

Ira and Abby

Ira and Abby is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed by Robert Cary and released in the US by Magnolia Pictures. The poignant love story stars Chris Messina and Jennifer Westfeldt in the title roles, and co-stars Fred Willard, Frances Conroy, Jason Alexander, Robert Klein and Judith...

, a 2007 film directed by Robert Cary and written by and co-starring Jennifer Westfeldt. In 2008 Messina starred in Woody Allen

Woody Allen

Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...

's film Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a 2008 romance comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall...

.

Messina starred in an HBO pilot Anatomy of Hope, which J. J. Abrams

J. J. Abrams

Jeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity...

 directed. Simon Callow also starred, but the pilot was not picked up to series. In October 2007 Daily Variety named him as one of 10 actors to watch. His 2009 film appearances include Julie & Julia

Julie & Julia

Julie & Julia is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams, and Chris Messina...

and the Sam Mendes

Sam Mendes

Samuel Alexander "Sam" Mendes, CBE is an English stage and film director. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning work on his debut film American Beauty and his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret , Oliver! , Company and Gypsy . He's currently working on the 23rd James Bond...

-directed film Away We Go. Messina also appeared in 2010 in Greenberg, directed by Noah Baumbach. He also starred in Devil

Devil (film)

Devil is a 2010 American supernatural horror film directed by John Erick Dowdle and written by Brian Nelson based on a story by M. Night Shyamalan. The film stars Chris Messina, Bojana Novakovic, Bokeem Woodbine, Logan Marshall-Green, Jenny O'Hara and Geoffrey Arend...

, under the direction of John Erick Dowdle

John Erick Dowdle

John Erick Dowdle is a U.S. director, producer, screenwriter, and editor.-Early life:Dowdle grew up in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. After graduating from the St. Thomas Academy, an all-boys, military, Catholic high school, Dowdle moved to Iowa City, Iowa to attend the University of Iowa. There he...

 and Drew Dowdle, for producer M. Night Shyamalan

M. Night Shyamalan

Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan,known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, is an Indian-born American screenwriter, film director, and producer known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots that climax with a twist ending. He is also known for filming his movies in and around...

 and Universal Pictures. In April 2010 Monogamy, starring Messina and Rashida Jones, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film, which is directed by Dana Adam Shapiro, won the jury prize for best NY narrative. Shapiro was previously nominated for an Academy Award for his documentary Murderball.

Messina joined the cast of Damages

Damages

In law, damages is an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury; grammatically, it is a singular noun, not plural.- Compensatory damages :...

for its fourth season.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1998	Rounders Rounders (film) Rounders is a 1998 film about the underground world of high-stakes poker. Directed by John Dahl and starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton, the movie follows two friends who need to quickly earn enough cash playing poker to pay off a large debt...	Higgins
	The Siege The Siege The Siege is a 1998 American thriller film directed by Edward Zwick. The film is about a fictional situation in which terrorist cells have made several attacks on New York City...	Corporal
	You've Got Mail You've Got Mail You've Got Mail is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It was written by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the play Parfumerie by Miklós László. The film is about two letter-writing lovers who are completely unaware that their sweetheart is in...	Fox salesperson
2000	Turn It Up Turn It Up (film) Turn It Up is a 2000 drama–musical film. It was directed by Robert Adetuyi and stars Ja Rule, Pras, Faith Evans and Jason Statham. The film grossed $1,247,949 during its brief theatrical run.-Cast:*Pras as Diamond*Ja Rule as David "Gage" Williams...	Baz
2001	Ordinary Sinner	Silvio
2005	Road	Larry
	The Crooked Corner	Nephew
	Bittersweet Place	Seymour
2006	Ira and Abby Ira and Abby Ira and Abby is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed by Robert Cary and released in the US by Magnolia Pictures. The poignant love story stars Chris Messina and Jennifer Westfeldt in the title roles, and co-stars Fred Willard, Frances Conroy, Jason Alexander, Robert Klein and Judith...	Ira Black
2007	Security	Zelly	Short film
	Towelhead Towelhead (film) Towelhead is a 2007 black comedy film written and directed by Alan Ball and based on Alicia Erian's novel of the same name. The film made its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on September 8, 2007 under the name Nothing is Private...	Barry	also known as Nothing is Private
2008	Humboldt County Humboldt County (film) Humboldt County is a 2008 comedy/drama film by Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs. It stars Jeremy Strong, Fairuza Balk, Frances Conroy, Madison Davenport, Brad Dourif, Chris Messina and Peter Bogdanovich. The film made its debut at SXSW on March 7, 2008...	Max
	Made of Honor Made of Honor Made of Honor is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Paul Weiland and story written by Adam Sztykiel . It was produced by Neal H. Moritz and was released by Columbia Pictures in North America on May 2, 2008...	Dennis
	Vicky Cristina Barcelona Vicky Cristina Barcelona Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a 2008 romance comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall...	Doug
2009	Brief Interviews with Hideous Men Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (film) Brief Interviews with Hideous Men is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Krasinski, based on a short story collection of the same name by David Foster Wallace.-Plot:...	Subject #19
	Julie & Julia Julie & Julia Julie & Julia is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams, and Chris Messina...	Eric Powell
	Away We Go Away We Go (film) Away We Go is a 2009 comedy-drama directed by Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes and written by the husband-and-wife team of Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida...	Tom Garnett
	An Invisible Sign of My Own An Invisible Sign of My Own (film) An Invisible Sign is a drama film, directed by Marilyn Agrelo, starring Jessica Alba, J.K. Simmons, Chris Messina, Sophie Nyweide and Bailee Madison. Filming began in New York...	Ben Smith
2010	Monogamy Monogamy (film) Monogamy, directed and co-written by Dana Adam Shapiro, is about the strained relationship of an engaged Brooklyn couple, Theo and Nat...	Theo
	Devil Devil (film) Devil is a 2010 American supernatural horror film directed by John Erick Dowdle and written by Brian Nelson based on a story by M. Night Shyamalan. The film stars Chris Messina, Bojana Novakovic, Bokeem Woodbine, Logan Marshall-Green, Jenny O'Hara and Geoffrey Arend...	Bowden
	The Giant Mechanical Man The Giant Mechanical Man -Plot:The film tells the story of a street performer , and a zoo worker that falls for him.-Cast:*Jenna Fischer as Janice*Chris Messina as Tim*Topher Grace as Doug, a pompous motivational speaker...	Tim
	Greenberg Greenberg (film) Greenberg is a 2010 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach. The film stars Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans and Jennifer Jason Leigh...	Philip Greenberg

Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Third Watch Third Watch Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....	Charlie	1 episode "History"
2001	Big Apple Big Apple (disambiguation) Big Apple may refer to:*Big Apple, nickname for New York City, New York, United States*Big Apple Edibles, an urban organic vegetable gardening company based in New York City*Big Apple , a short-lived cop drama TV series on CBS...	Ricky	1 Episode "A Ministering Angel"
2003	Law & Order Law & Order Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...	Don Cushman	3 episodes: "Suicide Box", "Homesick", 'Rebels"
2005	Six Feet Under	Ted Fairwell	6 episodes
2007	Medium Medium (TV series) Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office...	Casey Edward Frank	1 episode "The Whole Truth"
2009	Anatomy of Hope Anatomy of Hope The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness is the third book by author Dr. Jerome Groopman, published in 2004 by Random House.-Adaptation:...	Dr. Gary Kaplan	TV movie
2011	Damages Damages (TV series) Damages is an American television drama series created by the writing and production trio of Daniel Zelman and brothers Glenn and Todd A. Kessler . It is broadcast in the United States on the DirecTV channel Audience Network after originally airing on FX and is produced by the creators' own...	Chris Sanchez	Season regular

External links