Richard Short (actor)
Encyclopedia
Richard Ian Porterfield Short (born 8 October 1975) is an English actor currently working in Los Angeles
. Most recently appeared in the FX Network show "American Horror Story" directed by 'Miguel Arteta' as well as the feature film "The Exhibitionists" for director Michael Melamedoff, playing 'Walter Todd', to be released in 2012. Prior to that spent most of 2011 as a member of the Broadway company of Jez Butterworths's 'Jerusalem' at the Music Box Theatre.
He began acting with the Woking Youth Theatre in Woking
, Surrey
, in 1992, and made his professional stage debut in the original UK cast of Grease
in 1996. His first American film was Delirious
, directed by Tom DiCillo
, in 2007. That same year also saw Short make his American TV debut on Law & Order: Criminal Intent
in the episode "Privilege." In 2009, he appeared in the big-budget crime drama Public Enemies, directed by Michael Mann. Short also appeared opposite Kevin Pollak
in the 2011 movie Choose and the HBO series Bored to Death
with Jason Schwartzman
.
, Tyne and Wear
, to Margaret Mooney and engineer Richard Short. He has three sisters and one brother, along with three half-siblings. He grew up in South Shields and was educated at Highfield Infants, then at the Cheviot Junior School; Broadmere Middle School, Woking; Holy Trinity School, Guildford, Surrey; Bishop David Brown School, Woking; and King Edward's School, Witley
, Surrey. At Brooklands College
, Weybridge, Surrey, he studied film and theatre, but left college to pursue acting full-time when he was 20 years old.
. For two years he was in the UK Tour of the original cast and appeared at the Manchester Opera House
; Edinburgh Playhouse
; Alexandra Theatre
, Birmingham; Mayflower Theatre
, Southampton; and the Liverpool Empire Theatre
. He then joined the production in the West End
at the Cambridge Theatre
, Covent Garden
, London
, until the show closed in 1999. Short was a part of the London Shakespeare Workshops from 1999–2001 and appeared in Hamlet
, A Midsummer Night's Dream
, Richard III
and Twelfth Night with guests such as Sam West
, Mark Rylance
, Richard Dreyfuss
and Fenella Fielding
.
Short toured the UK in The Real Monty (as Nobby) from 2001–2002, Macbeth
(as Macduff) from 2003–2004 and in A Midsummer Night's Dream
(Demetrius
) from 2003-2004. Short moved to the United States soon after.
In 2006 he landed his first American stage role, understudying the part of Sloane in the play Entertaining Mr. Sloane opposite Alec Baldwin
, directed by Scott Ellis
at the Roundabout Theatre. In 2007 Short appeared in the Vineyard Theatre
's successful off-Broadway production of J.M. Barrie's Mary Rose, opposite Keir Dullea
and Paige Howard, as an Australian World War I veteran.
He followed this with Wasps in Bed at Theater Row
and the successful Bay Street Theatre production of The Night Season opposite Katherine Helmond
, Michael O'Keefe
and David Patrick Kelly
, directed by Lonny Price
. In 2007 he was cast in his first American television show, Law & Order: Criminal Intent
in the episode "Privilege."
Short broke into film with the acclaimed independent director Tom DiCillo
in Delirious opposite Steve Buscemi
and Alison Lohman
. The film debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
. Short was back at Sundance the following year in The Guitar
, directed by Amy Redford
. He returned to the television screen in both New Amsterdam
in the episode "A Soldiers Heart" and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
in the episode "Avatar." He adopted an American accent in 2008 in both The King of Shadows by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
at the Working Theatre and Choose, a thriller due to be released in 2009. For the 1930s crime drama Public Enemies, released 1 July 2009, Short had to adopt an American accent to play FBI agent Samuel P. Cowley
, the man who brought down Baby Face Nelson
, played by Stephen Graham
. Short worked with Christian Bale
, who stars as agent Melvin Purvis
.
In the spring of 2009 he wrapped Cafe, a feature film directed by Marc Erlbaum and shot in Philadelphia. Short plays a writer opposite star Jennifer Love Hewitt
. Cafe was released in the USA and Europe in 2011.
Short is represented in the US by SMS Talent (LA), Leading Artists (NYC)and Jennifer Wiley [manager]. Also in Europe by Michael Ford [www.debiallenassociates.com].
Articles can be found at: http://blogs.menshealth.com/football-fever/
.
Short has run in several marathons and half-marathons to raise money for charity, such as:
| rowspan="2"| 2011 || American Horror Story'||Gary||Episode "Rubber Man"
|-
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Most recently appeared in the FX Network show "American Horror Story" directed by 'Miguel Arteta' as well as the feature film "The Exhibitionists" for director Michael Melamedoff, playing 'Walter Todd', to be released in 2012. Prior to that spent most of 2011 as a member of the Broadway company of Jez Butterworths's 'Jerusalem' at the Music Box Theatre.
He began acting with the Woking Youth Theatre in Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, in 1992, and made his professional stage debut in the original UK cast of Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
in 1996. His first American film was Delirious
Delirious (2006 film)
Delirious is a 2006 film released directed by Tom DiCillo. It stars Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt and Alison Lohman.It is the story of twenty-year old Toby Grace who progresses from a homeless scavenger in New York City to the assistant of a self-absorbed, obsessive-compulsive, familial-complexed...
, directed by Tom DiCillo
Tom DiCillo
Thomas A. "Tom" DiCillo is an American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer.-Early life:He was born in Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina. His father was Italian and his mother was from New England...
, in 2007. That same year also saw Short make his American TV debut on Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
in the episode "Privilege." In 2009, he appeared in the big-budget crime drama Public Enemies, directed by Michael Mann. Short also appeared opposite Kevin Pollak
Kevin Pollak
Kevin Elliot Pollak is an American actor, impressionist, game show host, and comedian. He started performing stand-up comedy at the age of 10 and touring professionally at the age of 20...
in the 2011 movie Choose and the HBO series Bored to Death
Bored to Death
Bored to Death is an American comedy series, which premiered on HBO on September 20, 2009. , three seasons have aired, each consisting of eight episodes. The show was created by author Jonathan Ames, and stars Jason Schwartzman as a fictional Jonathan Ames – a writer based in Brooklyn, New York...
with Jason Schwartzman
Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman is an American actor and musician. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Rushmore, Spun, I Heart Huckabees, Shopgirl, Marie Antoinette, The Darjeeling Limited, Funny People, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World...
.
Early life
Short was born in South ShieldsSouth Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, to Margaret Mooney and engineer Richard Short. He has three sisters and one brother, along with three half-siblings. He grew up in South Shields and was educated at Highfield Infants, then at the Cheviot Junior School; Broadmere Middle School, Woking; Holy Trinity School, Guildford, Surrey; Bishop David Brown School, Woking; and King Edward's School, Witley
King Edward's School, Witley
King Edward's School, Witley is an independent co-educational boarding and day school, founded in 1553 by King Edward VI and Nicholas Ridley. The School is located in the village of Wormley , Surrey, England, having moved to its present location in 1867. The School became fully co-educational in 1952...
, Surrey. At Brooklands College
Brooklands College
Brooklands College is a further education college in Weybridge and Ashford. In August 2007, Brooklands merged with Spelthorne College in Ashford. The Weybridge campus is set in the grounds of Hugh F. Lock-King's historic mansion at Brooklands. The Ashford campus is located on Ashford's high...
, Weybridge, Surrey, he studied film and theatre, but left college to pursue acting full-time when he was 20 years old.
Career
As a teenager Short joined the Woking Young Players and performed in several productions, including Ways and Means, Hair, The Boyfriend and many more. In 1996 Short began performing professionally on the stage as Johnny Casino in GreaseGrease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
. For two years he was in the UK Tour of the original cast and appeared at the Manchester Opera House
Manchester Opera House
The Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England is a 1,920 seater commercial touring theatre which plays host to touring musicals, ballet, concerts and a Christmas pantomime. It is the sister to the Palace Theatre which is a similar venue in nearby Oxford Street at its junction with Whitworth...
; Edinburgh Playhouse
Edinburgh Playhouse
The Edinburgh Playhouse is a former cinema in Edinburgh, Scotland which now hosts touring musicals and music concerts. Its capacity is 3,059, making it the UK's largest working theatre in terms of audience capacity....
; Alexandra Theatre
Alexandra Theatre
The New Alexandra Theatre, commonly known as The Alex, is a theatre on Station Street in Birmingham, England.Construction of the theatre commenced in 1900 and was completed in 1901. The architects were Owen & Ward. The theatre was opened on 27 May 1901 as the Lyceum Theatre on John Bright Street;...
, Birmingham; Mayflower Theatre
Mayflower Theatre
The Mayflower is a Grade II listed theatre, in the city centre of Southampton, United Kingdom, with a capacity of 2,300. It features West End theatre shows when they tour the UK. The theatre opened on the 22 December 1928, as The Empire Theatre, part of the Moss Empire theatre group...
, Southampton; and the Liverpool Empire Theatre
Liverpool Empire Theatre
Liverpool Empire Theatre is located on the corner of Lime Street and London Road in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The theatre is the second to be built on the site, and was opened in 1925. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in Britain and can seat 2,350 people...
. He then joined the production in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at the Cambridge Theatre
Cambridge Theatre
The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929-30. It was designed by Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie; interior partly by Serge Chermayeff, with interior bronze friezes by sculptor Anthony Gibbons...
, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, until the show closed in 1999. Short was a part of the London Shakespeare Workshops from 1999–2001 and appeared in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
, Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
and Twelfth Night with guests such as Sam West
Sam West
Samuel Filmore West was a center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for three different teams between and . Listed at 5' 11", 165 lb., West batted and threw left handed. He was born in Longview, Texas....
, Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
, Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
and Fenella Fielding
Fenella Fielding
Fenella Fielding — "England's first lady of the double entendre" — is an English actress, popular in the 1950s and 1960s. She is known for her seductive image and distinctively husky voice.-Family:...
.
Short toured the UK in The Real Monty (as Nobby) from 2001–2002, Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
(as Macduff) from 2003–2004 and in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
(Demetrius
Demetrius
Demetrius, also spelled as Demetrios, Dimitrios, Demitri, and Dimitri , is a male given name.Demetrius and its variations may refer to the following:...
) from 2003-2004. Short moved to the United States soon after.
In 2006 he landed his first American stage role, understudying the part of Sloane in the play Entertaining Mr. Sloane opposite Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
, directed by Scott Ellis
Scott Ellis
Scott Ellis is an American stage director and television director.-Biography:Ellis has directed numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway productions, including the New York City Opera Company revivals at the New York State Theatre: A Little Night Music and 110 in the Shade up to his current show, the...
at the Roundabout Theatre. In 2007 Short appeared in the Vineyard Theatre
Vineyard Theatre
The Vineyard Theatre is an Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Its first production was in 1981...
's successful off-Broadway production of J.M. Barrie's Mary Rose, opposite Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea is an American actor best known for the character of astronaut David Bowman, whom he portrayed in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and in 1984's 2010: The Year We Make Contact...
and Paige Howard, as an Australian World War I veteran.
He followed this with Wasps in Bed at Theater Row
Theatre Row (New York City)
Theatre Row is the popular name for a section of 42nd Street in New York City which is the location for a number of small theatres; it is also the name of a large theatre complex built in 2000 to house six theatres....
and the successful Bay Street Theatre production of The Night Season opposite Katherine Helmond
Katherine Helmond
Katherine Marie Helmond is an American film, theater and television actress, who played Emily Dickinson on Meeting of Minds, as well as such fictional characters as Jessica Tate on Soap, Mona Robinson on Who's the Boss?, Doris Sherman on Coach, and Lois Whelan on Everybody Loves...
, Michael O'Keefe
Michael O'Keefe
Michael Raymond O'Keefe is an American film and television actor.- Early life :O'Keefe was born Raymond Peter O'Keefe, Jr. in Mount Vernon, New York, the oldest of seven children in a devoutly Roman Catholic Irish American family. His father was a law professor at Fordham University, as well as...
and David Patrick Kelly
David Patrick Kelly
David Patrick Kelly is an American actor and musician who has appeared in numerous films, including some major roles.-Career:...
, directed by Lonny Price
Lonny Price
Lonny Price is an American actor, writer, and director, primarily in theatre. He is known for making statements on current events in versions of his musicals. His acclaimed May 2008 New York Philharmonic production of Camelot was making a statement about the current war including having different...
. In 2007 he was cast in his first American television show, Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
in the episode "Privilege."
Short broke into film with the acclaimed independent director Tom DiCillo
Tom DiCillo
Thomas A. "Tom" DiCillo is an American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer.-Early life:He was born in Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina. His father was Italian and his mother was from New England...
in Delirious opposite Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
and Alison Lohman
Alison Lohman
Alison Marion Lohman is an American actress. She has had lead roles in the films White Oleander, Where the Truth Lies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Flicka and Drag Me to Hell as well as smaller parts in Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Gamer, and Beowulf...
. The film debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. Short was back at Sundance the following year in The Guitar
The Guitar
The Guitar is a 2008 drama film about a woman who decides to pursue her dreams after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. The film was directed by Amy Redford, and stars Saffron Burrows, Isaach De Bankolé, Paz de la Huerta, and Richard Short.-Overview:...
, directed by Amy Redford
Amy Redford
Amy Hart Redford is an American actress, director and producer. She is the daughter of Academy Award-winning film director and actor Robert Redford and his former wife Lola Van Wagenen. She is the sister of writer/producer James Redford.-Early life:Redford was born in 1970, the daughter of Lola...
. He returned to the television screen in both New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam (TV series)
New Amsterdam is an American television drama, which premiered March 4, 2008 on Fox, and ended after its eighth episode.-Premise and plot:...
in the episode "A Soldiers Heart" and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
in the episode "Avatar." He adopted an American accent in 2008 in both The King of Shadows by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is an American playwright, screenwriter and comic-book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics and for the HBO drama series Big Love.-Biography:...
at the Working Theatre and Choose, a thriller due to be released in 2009. For the 1930s crime drama Public Enemies, released 1 July 2009, Short had to adopt an American accent to play FBI agent Samuel P. Cowley
Samuel P. Cowley
Samuel P. Cowley was an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who was killed in the line of duty in a gunfight with Lester Gillis in 1934 on Route 14 in Barrington, Illinois....
, the man who brought down Baby Face Nelson
Baby Face Nelson
Lester Joseph Gillis , known under the pseudonym George Nelson, was a bank robber and murderer in the 1930s. Gillis was known as Baby Face Nelson, a name given to him due to his youthful appearance and small stature...
, played by Stephen Graham
Stephen Graham (actor)
Stephen Graham is an English actor from Kirkby, Liverpool. He is best known for his roles as Tommy in the movie Snatch, Combo in This Is England and its four-part television sequel This Is England '86, Danny Ferguson in Occupation, Billy Bremner in The Damned United, notorious bank robber Baby...
. Short worked with Christian Bale
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
, who stars as agent Melvin Purvis
Melvin Purvis
Melvin Horace Purvis, Jr. was an American law enforcement official and Federal Bureau of Investigation agent. He was given the nickname "Little Mel" because of his short stature...
.
In the spring of 2009 he wrapped Cafe, a feature film directed by Marc Erlbaum and shot in Philadelphia. Short plays a writer opposite star Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated...
. Cafe was released in the USA and Europe in 2011.
Short is represented in the US by SMS Talent (LA), Leading Artists (NYC)and Jennifer Wiley [manager]. Also in Europe by Michael Ford [www.debiallenassociates.com].
Writing
Short became the soccer writer during the 2010 FIFA World Cup exclusively for Menshealth.com.Articles can be found at: http://blogs.menshealth.com/football-fever/
Advertising
Short has worked on several commercials in the UK and Ireland, as well as recorded voiceovers and jingles. Among his commercial credits:- 2000 "Home" (Director: Syd McCartney)
- 2002 "Pay Attention or Pay The Price" campaign
Personal
Short is married to Teresa Palladino-Short. They reside in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Short has run in several marathons and half-marathons to raise money for charity, such as:
- 2005 New York City MarathonNew York City MarathonThe New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...
- 2003 Great North RunGreat North RunThe Bupa Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon, taking place annually each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.The first Great...
, Newcastle, England - 2003 Great South RunGreat South RunThe Bupa Great South Run is an annual 10 miles road running race which takes place in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Launched in 1990, it is part of the Great Run series created by former British athlete Brendan Foster...
, Portsmouth, England
Television
|-| rowspan="2"| 2011 || American Horror Story'||Gary||Episode "Rubber Man"
|-
External links
- Richard Short in the New York Times
- Short on Fringe episode "Midnight" (YouTube video clip)
- "Pay Attention or Pay The Price" (YouTube video clip)
- http://jerusalembroadway.com/