Jeffrey DeMunn (born April 25 1947) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
theatreTheatre is a branch of the performing arts. While any performance may be considered theatre, as a performing art, it focuses almost exclusively on live performers creating a self contained drama. A performance qualifies as dramatic by creating a representational illusion...
,
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
and
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
actor.
DeMunn was born in
Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, second only to New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie...
, the son of Violet (
néeA married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage, and in speaking of the many cultures where the practice is traditional for women, the maiden name is the family name that the married name replaces....
Paulus) and James DeMunn. He graduated from
Union CollegeUnion College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in the wake of the American Revolution, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents...
with a
Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences or both....
in English. He moved to
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the early 1970s, receiving theatrical training at the
Old VicThe Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
Theatre. When he returned to the States, he performed in a
Royal Shakespeare CompanyThe Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company. Located primarily at Stratford-upon-Avon, with bases also in London and Newcastle upon Tyne, it is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly-funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal National Theatre.-The early...
production of
King LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606, and is considered one of his greatest works. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king...
and several
off-BroadwayOff Broadway theater is an umbrella term for a defined set of plays, musicals or revues performed in New York City. Originally referring to the location of a venue and its productions on a street intersecting Broadway in Manhattan's Theatre District, the hub of the theater industry in the United...
productions, including
BentBent is a 1979 play by Martin Sherman. It revolves around the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany, and takes place during and after the Night of the Long Knives....
,
Modigliani and
A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare. It was suggested by "The Knight's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and written around 1594 to 1596...
.
He is known as a favorite of
directorA film director, or filmmaker is a person who directs the making or production of a film. Some also consider a film producer to be a filmmaker....
Frank DarabontFrank Darabont is a Hungarian-American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has directed the films The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist.-Early life:...
, who has cast him in all four of his films,
The Green MileThe Green Mile is a 1999 American drama film directed by Frank Darabont and adapted by him from the 1996 Stephen King novel of the same name. The film stars Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb and Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey....
,
The Shawshank RedemptionThe Shawshank Redemption is a American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, loosely based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption...
,
The MajesticThe Majestic is a 2001 American drama film, directed by Frank Darabont and starring Jim Carrey and Martin Landau . Written by Michael Sloane, the film features a supporting cast of Laurie Holden, James Whitmore , Bob Balaban, Jeffrey DeMunn and Hal Holbrook. It was released by Warner Bros...
and
The MistThe Mist , is a 2007 American horror film based on the 1980 novella of the same name by Stephen King. The film is written and directed by Frank Darabont who had previously adapted Stephen King's work...
(he also appeared in the 1988 remake of
The Blob, which Darabont co-wrote). He also has an extensive television résumé, appearing in shows such as
KojakKojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the eponymous, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973 to March 18, 1978 on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
,
Law & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, which premiered on NBC on September 13, 1990. Created by Dick Wolf, the series is set in New York City, and follows the professional lives of several police officers and prosecutors who represent the public interest in...
, and two of its
spin-offA spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as television series based on a pre-existing one, or a new company formed from a university research group or business incubator...
s,
SVULaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural TV series about the Special Victims Unit in a fictional version of the 16th Precinct of the New York City Police Department...
and
Trial by JuryLaw & Order: Trial by Jury was an American television drama about criminal trials set in New York City. It was the third spin-off from the long-running Law & Order. The show's almost exclusive focus was on the criminal trial of the accused, showing both the prosecution's and defense's preparation...
.
He has been involved in more
Stephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American writer of contemporary horror fiction, science fiction, fantasy literature, and screenplays. An estimated 300–350 million copies of King's novels and short story collections have been sold, and many of his stories have been adapted for film, television, and...
adaptations than any other actor. As of 2008, he has acted in film adaptations of
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank RedemptionRita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption is a novella by Stephen King, originally published in Different Seasons. The novella was adapted for the screen in the film The Shawshank Redemption...
,
The Green MileThe Green Mile may refer to:* The Green Mile , a 1996 serial novel by Stephen King* The Green Mile , a 1999 film based on the Stephen King novel, starring Michael Clarke Duncan and Tom Hanks...
,
The Mist"The Mist" is a horror novella by the American author Stephen King, in which the small town of Bridgton, Maine is suddenly enveloped in an unnatural mist that conceals otherworldly monsters. It was first published as the last and longest story of the 1980 horror anthology Dark Forces. A lightly...
and the T.V. miniseries
Storm of the CenturyStorm of the Century, alternatively known as Stephen King's Storm of the Century, is a 1999 horror TV miniseries written by Stephen King and directed by Craig R. Baxley. Promotional material for the miniseries claimed that it was King's first ever story written exclusively for a miniseries, but was...
. He also narrated the audiobooks for
DreamcatcherDreamcatcher is a novel written by Stephen King. It was adapted into a 2003 movie of the same name. The book, written longhand, was the author's tool for recuperation from a 1999 car accident, and was completed in half a year.-Plot summary:...
and
The Colorado KidThe Colorado Kid is a mystery novel written by Stephen King for the Hard Case Crime imprint, published in 2005. The book was issued in one paperback-only edition by the specialty crime and mystery publishing house. The third-person narrative concerns the investigation of the body of an...
.
In 1995, he won a
CableACE AwardThe CableACE Award was an award that was given from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in American cable television programming...
as Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries for his portrayal of serial killer
Andrei ChikatiloAndrei Romanovich Chikatilo ; October 16, 1936 — February 14, 1994) was a Soviet serial killer, sex offender and paedophile, nicknamed the Butcher of Rostov, The Red Ripper or The Rostov Ripper...
in the HBO film
Citizen XCitizen X is a made-for-TV movie, released in 1995, which covers the investigation of the Ukrainian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who was convicted of killing 53 women and children, and the efforts of detectives in the Soviet Union to capture him....
.
Filmography
- Christmas Evil
Christmas Evil is a 1980 slasher film directed by Lewis Jackson. It is considered an obscure film but has gained a cult following which includes legendary film director John Waters.It was originally released as You Better Watch Out...
(1980)
- Resurrection
Resurrection is a 1980 film which tells the story of a woman who survives the car accident which kills her husband, but discovers that she has the power to heal other people...
(1980)
- The First Deadly Sin
The First Deadly Sin is a 1980 film produced by and starring Frank Sinatra, with Faye Dunaway, David Dukes, George Coe and Martin Gabel in his final acting role....
(1980)
- Ragtime
Ragtime was a 1981 motion picture based on the historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. The action takes place in and around New York City, New Rochelle, and Atlantic City in the decade of the 1900s, and includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time. The film was...
(1981)
- Frances
Frances is a 1982 Universal drama film starring Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley, Sam Shepard. When it was released this film was advertised as a purportedly true account of actress Frances Farmer's life but the script was largely fictional and sensationalized. The film's tagline is: "Her story is...
(1982)
- Windy City (1984)
- The Hitcher (1986)
- The Blob
The Blob is a 1988 American monster horror film distributed by Tristar Pictures. It is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name, which starred Steve McQueen. The film was written by Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont and directed by Russell. The shooting took place in Abbeville, Louisiana.-Plot:A...
(1988)
- Betrayed
Betrayed is a 1988 motion picture drama directed by Costa Gavras, written by Joe Eszterhas and starring Tom Berenger and Debra Winger.-Plot:Set in the American Midwest, the film begins with the murder of a Jewish radio host in Chicago...
(1988)
- Blaze
Blaze is a 1989 film written and directed by Ron Shelton. Based on the 1974 memoir Blaze Starr: My Life as Told to Huey Perry by Blaze Starr and Huey Perry, the film stars Paul Newman as Earl Long and Lolita Davidovich as Blaze Starr, with Starr herself appearing in a cameo.-Plot:The movie tells...
(1989)
- The Haunted
The Haunted is a Swedish thrash metal band, formed in 1996 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The original members were Patrik Jensen , Jonas Björler , Adrian Erlandsson , Anders Björler , and Peter Dolving...
(1991)
- Newsies
Newsies is a American Disney musical starring Christian Bale, David Moscow, and Bill Pullman. Robert Duvall and Ann-Margret also appeared in supporting roles. The movie gained a cult following after its initial failure at the box office...
(1992)
- The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is a American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, loosely based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption...
(1994)
- Phenomenon
Phenomenon is a 1996 drama, romance, and fantasy film written by Gerald Di Pego, directed by Jon Turteltaub, and starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, and Robert Duvall....
(1996)
- Turbulence (1997)
- RocketMan
RocketMan is a 1997 science fiction comedy film that was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Caravan Pictures and released on October 10, 1997...
(1997)
- The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998)
- Storm of the Century
Storm of the Century, alternatively known as Stephen King's Storm of the Century, is a 1999 horror TV miniseries written by Stephen King and directed by Craig R. Baxley. Promotional material for the miniseries claimed that it was King's first ever story written exclusively for a miniseries, but was...
(1999)
- The Green Mile
The Green Mile is a 1999 American drama film directed by Frank Darabont and adapted by him from the 1996 Stephen King novel of the same name. The film stars Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb and Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey....
(1999)
- The Majestic
The Majestic is a 2001 American drama film, directed by Frank Darabont and starring Jim Carrey and Martin Landau . Written by Michael Sloane, the film features a supporting cast of Laurie Holden, James Whitmore , Bob Balaban, Jeffrey DeMunn and Hal Holbrook. It was released by Warner Bros...
(2002)
- The Persistence of Dreams (2005)
- Hollywoodland
Hollywoodland is a 2006 biopic/docudrama directed by TV alum Allen Coulter about a down-on-his-luck detective, Louis Simo , investigating the suspicious death of actor George Reeves , the star of television's Adventures of Superman...
(2006)
- The Mist
The Mist , is a 2007 American horror film based on the 1980 novella of the same name by Stephen King. The film is written and directed by Frank Darabont who had previously adapted Stephen King's work...
(2007)
- Burn After Reading
Burn After Reading is a American black comedy film written, produced and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars George Clooney, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins, and Brad Pitt. It was released in the United States on September 12, 2008, and it was...
(2008)