Jason Gedrick

Jason Gedrick Headshot

Actor

Birth Date: February 7, 1965

Age: 59 years old

Birth Place: Chicago, Illinois

After breaking into the business as an extra on films like "Risky Business" (1983) and "Bad Boys" (1983), versatile actor Jason Gedrick went on to play everything from cops to gangsters and everything in between on numerous television shows, many of which failed to survive their first season. In fact, the most consistent theme of his career was his tendency to appear on shows that performed well with critics, but were unable to attract big ratings. Prior to his string of bad luck on the small screen, Gedrick starred opposite Louis Gossett, Jr. in "Iron Eagle" (1986), and soon found himself in films make by some of the biggest directors of the day, including Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) and Ron Howard's "Backdraft" (1991). Turning to television, Gedrick began his string of regular roles in critically hailed, but short-lived dramas. Among the notables were "Sweet Justice" (NBC, 1994-95), "Murder One" (ABC, 1995-96) and "EZ Streets" (1996-97), the latter of which remained influential for its intricate plotting and noir style. He did enjoy successful recurring and guest starring roles on hit shows like "Ally McBeal" (Fox, 1997-02) and "Desperate Housewives" (ABC, 2004-12), while maintaining a steady presence on numerous made-for-television movies. Not one to have trouble finding work, Gedrick landed a spot in the cast of "Luck" (HBO, 2012), a promising series from executive producer David Milch that finally gave him the opportunity to break his streak of unsuccessful shows.

Born on Feb. 7, 1965 in Chicago, IL, Gedrick was attending Gordon Technical High School when he landed extra work on "Bad Boys" (1983), where star Sean Penn encouraged him to pursue an acting career. But in order to appease his parents, Gedrick instead enrolled at Des Moines' Drake University, where he majored in business. Soon after, however, he dropped out due to suffering from an undiagnosed case of dyslexia, which led to following Penn's advice after all. In short order, he won roles in teen fare like "The Heavenly Kid" (1985) and "The Zoo Gang" (1985), while scoring the lead in "Iron Eagle" (1986), an Air Force action-drama that was overshadowed by the high-flying "Top Gun" (1986). By the late 1980s, he was starring in notable indie films like "Promised Land" (1987), the first film commissioned by the Sundance Film Festival, and "Crossing the Bridge" (1992), while earning supporting roles in big budget features like "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) and "Backdraft" (1991). He also honed his craft off-Broadway in "Mrs. Dally Has a Lover" (1988) with Judith Ivey, and on Broadway with "Our Town" (1989) alongside Helen Hunt and Don Ameche.

Gedrick gained his widest exposure from the succession of television series he appeared in over the next two decades, though most of the shows lasted just one season. Such was the case with college drama "Class of '96" (Fox, 1993) and the legal drama "Sweet Justice" (NBC, 1994-95), costarring Cicely Tyson and Melissa Gilbert. Steven Bochco's "Murder One" (ABC, 1995-96) was innovative because the entire first season centered around one court case, in which Gedrick's character, a Hollywood heartthrob, was accused of killing a 15-year-old girl. Though "Murder One" managed to survive for two years, Gedrick did not return following his initial season, since the show moved on to another case. In its stead, Gedrick landed a regular role on the Paul Haggis crime drama "EZ Streets" (1996-97), which focused on the interconnected lives of criminals, cops and politicians in a dying American city. While innovative, the show - which influenced such later hits as "The Wire" (HBO, 2002-08) "Lost" (ABC, 2004-2010) and "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-2007) - was off the air after only a handful of episodes.

Following a role as a gangster alongside Danny Aiello and Joe Mantegna in two miniseries, "The Last Don" (CBS, 1997) and "The Last Don II" (CBS, 1998), Gedrick had a high-profile guest star role on episodes of "Ally McBeal" (Fox, 1997-02) as the "hot car wash guy," before winning the lead in the mafia-themed series "Falcone" (CBS, 2000). He played the real-life Donnie Brasco, though "Brasco" was changed to "Falcone" due to copyright restrictions. But once again, Gedrick was denied an opportunity at stardom because the series failed to catch on. After a brief return to features with a supporting role in "Summer Catch" (2001), he continued to land regular roles on dramas like "The Beast" (ABC, 2001), which centered around a Los Angeles news station, the crime-centric "Boomtown" (NBC 2002-03) and NBC's "Windfall" (2006), about a group of people who win the lottery. He next had a six-episode run as Felicity Huffman's love interest on "Desperate Housewives" (ABC, 2004-12), while appearing in numerous made-for television movies like "Kings of South Beach" (A&E, 2007), "Wisegal" (Lifetime, 2008) and "Depth Charge" (Spike TV, 2009). In 2010, Gedrick joined the ensemble cast of David Milch's new HBO series, "Luck," which focused on the world of horse racing from the perspective of a recently released convict (Dustin Hoffman).

Credits

Famously AfraidStream

Actor
Series
2019

Acts of Desperation

Actor
Grillo
Movie
2019

Bella's Story

Actor
Danny
Movie
2018

ShooterStream

Guest Star
Series
2016

BoschStream

Actor
Raynard Waits
Series
2014
97%

Skating to New York

Actor
Doug Demas
Movie
2013

Amazing Racer

Actor
Eric
Movie
2013

Beauty and the BeastStream

Guest Star
Series
2012
51%

Major CrimesStream

Guest Star
Mark Hickman
Series
2012

The Wishing Tree

Actor
Professor Farnsworth
Movie
2012

LuckStream

Actor
Jerry
Series
2011
82%

GrimmStream

Guest Star
Craig Wendell Ferren
Series
2011
89%

War Flowers

Actor
Louis McIntire
Movie
2011

JustifiedStream

Guest Star
Series
2010
97%

Sinatra Club

Actor
Salvatore 'Ubatz' Polisi
Movie
2010

Lie to MeStream

Guest Star
John Parks
Series
2009

Sand Serpents

Actor
Richard Stanley
Movie
2009

Wisegal

Actor
Frank Russo
Movie
2008

Depth Charge

Actor
Raymond "Doc" Ellers
Movie
2008

The Christmas Choir

Actor
Peter Brockman
Movie
2008

Kings of South Beach

Actor
Chris Troiano
Movie
2007

DexterStream

Guest Star
George Novikov
Series
2006
71%

Windfall

Actor
Cameron Walsh
Show
2006

Hidden Places

Actor
Gabe Harper
Movie
2006

Jesus, Mary and Joey

Actor
Tony Cappucino
Movie
2006

Ghost WhispererStream

Guest Star
Series
2005

Criminal Minds: EvolutionStream

Guest Star
Craig Kaline
Series
2005

SupernaturalStream

Guest Star
Series
2005
93%

Rapid Fire

Actor
Tony
Movie
2005

Desperate HousewivesStream

Guest Star
Rick Coletti
Series
2004
72%

North Shore

Guest Star
Show
2004

Cold CaseStream

Guest Star
Series
2003

A Date With Darkness: The Trial and Capture of Andrew Luster

Actor
Andrew Luster
Movie
2003

Boomtown

Actor
Officer Tom Turcotte
Series
2002
96%

Philly

Guest Star
Show
2001

Strange Frequency

Actor
Show
2001

The Beast

Actor
Reese McFadden
Show
2001

Summer Catch

Actor
Mike Dunne
Movie
2001

One Eyed King

Actor
Dennis Reilly
Movie
2001

Falcone

Actor
Joe Falcone/Pistone
Show
2000

Law & Order: Special Victims UnitStream

Guest Star
FBI Agent Cantwell
Series
1999
78%

The Last Don II

Actor
Show
1998

Ally McBeal

Guest Star
Series
1997
61%

The Last Don

Actor
Show
1997

The Last Don

Actor
Cross De Lena
Movie
1997

The Third Twin

Actor
Steve Logan/other twins
Movie
1997

Silent Cradle

Actor
Jay Mitchell
Movie
1997

EZ Streets

Actor
Daniel Rooney
Show
1996

Power 98

Actor
Jon Price
Movie
1996

Murder OneStream

Actor
Neil Avadon
Series
1995
91%

The Outer LimitsStream

Guest Star
Captain Kelvin Parkhurst
Series
1995

Dare to Love

Actor
Patrick
Movie
1995

Sweet Justice

Actor
Show
1994

Heaven Help Us

Guest Star
Show
1994

The Force

Actor
Cal Warner
Movie
1994

Crossing the Bridge

Actor
Tim Reese
Movie
1992

BackdraftStream

Actor
Tim Krizminski
Movie
1991
75%

Still Life

Actor
Peter Sherwood
Movie
1990

Frayeurs partagées

Actor
Movie
1989

Rooftops

Actor
T
Movie
1989

Promised Land

Actor
Davey Hancock
Movie
1987

Iron EagleStream

Actor
Doug Masters
Movie
1986
20%

The Heavenly Kid

Actor
Lenny Barnes
Movie
1985

The Zoo Gang

Actor
Hardin
Movie
1985

The Hitchhiker

Actor
Show
1983