Anthony Edwards (actor)

Early life

Edwards was born in Santa Barbara, California, the son of Erika Kem Edwards Plack (née Weber), an artist/landscape painter, and Peter Edwards, an architect to whom he was one of five children. His maternal grandfather was German-born designer Kem Weber. Apart from his maternal German roots, Edwards also has English, Irish, Scottish and Mexican ancestry on his father's side. He received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in England and studied theater at the University of Southern California.

Career

Television and film

Edward's early film appearances included roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Revenge of the Nerds (1984), Gotcha! (1985) and The Sure Thing (1985). It was Edwards's role as LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw alongside Tom Cruise in the 1986 film Top Gun that brought his first widespread public acknowledgement. His character, who died in an aviation accident, was among the most prominent and popular in the film. Scenes with him and his film family (played by Meg Ryan and Aaron and Adam Weis) were later reprised as flashbacks in the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Edwards's roles following Top Gun included Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987), Miracle Mile (1988), Downtown (1990), Pet Sematary Two (1992) and The Client (1994). He also had a recurring role on the TV series Northern Exposure from 1992 to 1993.

His best-known role is as Dr. Mark Greene on the long-running TV series ER, from the series premiere in 1994 to the end of the eighth season in 2002. The series also afforded Edwards his first opportunity to direct. Edwards's desire to pursue directing led to his request to be written out of the series. He reportedly earned $35 million for three seasons on ER, which made him one of television's highest-paid actors. Edwards received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for ER. He won a Golden Globe Award For Best Performance by an Actor-In a TV Series after being nominated four times and he has two Screen Actor's Guild Awards. In 2008, Edwards returned to ER to reprise his role as Dr. Greene (in flashback scenes, where he treats the dying son of character Catherine Banfield) for one episode during its 15th and final season. Following ER, he took some time to raise his children, appreciating the privilege that his ER salary provided.

His film appearances following ER included the science fiction film Thunderbirds (2004), the psychological thriller film The Forgotten (2004) and the crime thriller film Zodiac (2007). In 2010, Edwards appeared in the movie Motherhood, which set a record for the biggest bomb in British cinema history by garnering £88 on 11 tickets on opening weekend. Motherhood did not fare much better in the United States, earning $93,388 in three weeks of release. At the time, he said he took the role because "it seemed like a very organic and real thing. It really kind of reminded me of what the dynamic in a family is like." Edwards reunited with Val Kilmer, another actor from Top Gun, when he voiced one of the fighter jets in the Disneytoon Studios film Planes (2013).

In 2018, Edwards was cast in the recurring role in the third season of Netflix's Designated Survivor as Mars Harper, the President's Chief of Staff. In 2020, he served as an executive producer of the film adaptation of Martin Moran's The Tricky Part. In 2022, Edwards was cast as Alan Reed in Netflix's docu-series Inventing Anna.

Honors and awards

Edwards received four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for ER and won as an executive producer on Outstanding Television Movie winner Temple Grandin. He earned a People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series (1995); and won six Screen Actors Guild Awards for: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (1996 and 1998), and Best Ensemble Cast (1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999). He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Drama in 1998).

Edwards also won a Daytime Emmy for the production of the underground rock documentary N.Y.H.C. (1999) and the telepic adaptation of Kimberly Willis Holt's 1998 coming of age novel My Louisiana Sky (2001), and earned the Carnegie Medal Award for My Louisiana Sky (2003).

Theater

After a long career in television, Edwards made his Broadway debut as his second act in 2018 in the revival of Children of a Lesser God at Studio 54. In 2015 he appeared in Classic Stage Company's A Month in the Country but his stage acting career began when he was growing up in Santa Barbara.

On May 13, 2022, Edwards made his unexpected Broadway musical debut when he appeared as Dr. Walker in the Broadway production of Girl from the North Country due to COVID-19 cases impacting the cast. The show also stars his wife, Mare Winningham.

Edwards appeared in the 2024 Broadway production of Prayer for the French Republic by Joshua Harmon.

Personal life

Edwards was married to Jeanine Lobell from 1994 to 2015. They have one son and three daughters. At the end of 2021, Edwards and longtime friend and fellow actor Mare Winningham eloped.

On November 10, 2017, Edwards wrote an essay on Medium, in which he stated that producer and screenwriter Gary Goddard had befriended and for years sexually assaulted him and his friends, beginning when they were 12 years old.

Edwards has been a licensed private pilot since 2012.

Filmography

Film

Television

Producer

References

References

1. Jackson, Dory. (February 23, 2022). "Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham Quietly Eloped Last Year: 'We're Too Old to Throw Weddings'".
2. (July 19, 2019). "Famous birthdays for July 19: Brian May, Anthony Edwards".
3. "Anthony Edwards: Awards & Nominations".
4. Roberto, Melissa. (April 28, 2020). "Tom Cruise's wingman in 'Top Gun,' Anthony Edwards, recalls working with star: 'He only has one switch'".
5. (January 25, 2018). "Peter Edwards Obituary (2018)". Santa Barbara News-Press.
6. (December 8, 1950). "Peter Edwards and Bride on Honeymoon in Sun Valley". [[Los Angeles Times]].
7. "Anthony Edwards | moviechat.org".
8. "Notable Alumni and News".
9. (April 28, 2020). "Tom Cruise's wingman in 'Top Gun,' Anthony Edwards, recalls working with star: 'He only has one switch'".
10. (August 17, 1999). "Dr. Benton's $27m cut".
11. (October 16, 2017). "ER Emmy Winner Anthony Edwards Will Make Broadway Debut in Children of a Lesser God".
12. "Dr. Greene returns in 'ER' final-season flashback".
13. Hill, Amelia. (March 26, 2010). "The Uma Thurman film so bad it made £88 on opening weekend". [[The Guardian]].
14. "Motherhood (2009)".
15. Carter, Lance. (October 2, 2009). "Interview: Anthony Edwards on 'Motherhood' and Becoming a Better Actor as He Gets Older".
16. (March 27, 2013). "'Top Gun' Stars Reunite For Disney's 'Planes'".
17. (October 18, 2018). "'Designated Survivor': Anthony Edwards & Julie White Cast In Season 3 On Netflix".
18. [http://www.film.com/celebrities/anthony-edwards/biography/14645918 "Anthony Edwards Biography"]. Film.com. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
19. (April 4, 2018). "ER Star Anthony Edwards Is Back — and Making His Broadway Debut".
20. (April 5, 2018). "Actor Anthony Edwards's 30-Year Journey to Broadway". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
21. (January 21, 2015). "PHOTO CALL: Taylor Schilling and Peter Dinklage Spend A Month in the Country at Classic Stage".
22. Garner, Glenn. (May 14, 2022). "ER's Anthony Edwards Joins Wife Mare Winningham in Girl from the North Country as Last-Minute Understudy".
23. "May 13, 2022- Anthony Edwards steps into the role of Dr. Walker in Girl From The North Country on Broadway. Thank you for joining us in The North Country, Anthony! #NorthCountryBroadway".
24. Petski, Denise. (August 15, 2023). "Broadway's 'Prayer For The French Republic' Casts Anthony Edwards, Aria Shahghasemi & More".
25. (April 17, 2018). "'ER' Star Anthony Edwards: I Don't See My Childhood Sexual Abuse as a 'Tragedy'".
26. Holmes, Dave. (February 11, 2022). "Anthony Edwards Knows Some Good Things Take Time".
27. (April 25, 2020). "'Top Gun' star Anthony Edwards reveals how he's connecting with others in quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic". Fox News.
28. Edwards, Anthony. (November 10, 2017). "Yes Mom, There is Something Wrong".
29. McHenry, Jackson. (November 10, 2017). "Actor Anthony Edwards Claims Producer Gary Goddard Molested Him and His Friend As Children".
30. Walker, Julie Summers. (February 5, 2013). "Pilots: Anthony Edwards 'Goose' Learns to Fly". AOPA Pilot.
31. (July 19, 2019). "The Cast of 'Revenge of the Nerds,' Then and Now". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
32. Murthi, Vikram. (October 27, 2016). "'My Dead Boyfriend' Exclusive Clip: Heather Graham Embarks On an Eccentric Journey To Learn About Her Deceased Companion".
33. (February 11, 2013). "A decade after 'ER' Anthony Edwards back on TV". [[Seattle Times]].
34. (November 6, 2015). "Who Is 'Bullit' Car Owner Owen Cairo On 'Blue Bloods'?".