Chris Messina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Messina
|
|
|---|---|
Messina in 2014
|
|
| Born | August 11, 1974 |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Suzanne Todd (sister-in-law) |
Chris Messina (born August 11, 1974) is an American actor, director, and producer. He is famous for playing Dr. Danny Castellano in the comedy series The Mindy Project. This role earned him two nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
Messina has appeared in many popular movies. Some of his well-known films include Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), Julie & Julia (2009), Argo (2012), and Air (2023). He also played the villain Victor Zsasz in Birds of Prey (2020) and starred in the horror movie The Boogeyman (2023).
Besides movies, Messina has had important roles in several television shows. He appeared in the drama series Six Feet Under, The Newsroom, and the crime series The Sinner. He also starred in the miniseries Sharp Objects with Amy Adams.
Contents
Early Life
Chris Messina grew up in Northport, New York, a town on Long Island. He became interested in acting and studied theater in high school. After high school, he attended Marymount Manhattan College for a short time before deciding to focus completely on his acting career.
He took acting classes in Manhattan and began his career performing in off-Broadway plays. Off-Broadway shows are professional plays in New York City that are performed in smaller theaters than Broadway shows.
Acting Career
First Roles on TV and in Movies
Messina started his career with small parts in TV shows like Law & Order and movies such as You've Got Mail. One of his first major television roles was in the final season of the HBO series Six Feet Under, where he played Ted Fairwell.
In 2007, the magazine Daily Variety named him one of ten actors to watch, which helped his career grow. He then starred in the horror film Devil and the award-winning independent film Monogamy.
Breakthrough with The Mindy Project
From 2012 to 2017, Messina starred in the popular comedy series The Mindy Project. He played Dr. Danny Castellano, a grumpy but lovable doctor who becomes the love interest of the main character, Mindy Lahiri. His performance was very popular with audiences and critics.
During this time, he also appeared in other projects. He had a recurring role on the HBO show The Newsroom and acted in the Oscar-winning movie Argo.
Recent Work
In recent years, Messina has taken on a variety of interesting roles. In 2018, he starred as Detective Richard Willis in the dark HBO mystery Sharp Objects.
In 2020, he played the villain Victor Zsasz in the superhero movie Birds of Prey. Messina said he enjoyed playing a bad guy because he had played many "nice guys" in his career and it was "fun to let loose." The same year, he appeared in the thriller I Care a Lot.
More recently, he starred in the 2023 film Air, which tells the story of how Nike signed Michael Jordan. He also starred in the Peacock comedy series Based on a True Story.
Directing and Writing
In addition to acting, Messina has also worked behind the camera. He co-wrote, produced, and starred in the movie Fairhaven (2012). In 2014, he directed his first film, a drama called Alex of Venice, which he also acted in.
Personal Life
Messina was married to actress Rosemarie DeWitt from 1995 to 2006. He is now married to film producer Jennifer Todd. Together, they have two sons.
Selected Filmography
Here are some of Chris Messina's most notable movies and TV shows:
Movies
- You've Got Mail (1998)
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
- Julie & Julia (2009)
- Devil (2010)
- Like Crazy (2011)
- Argo (2012)
- Ruby Sparks (2012)
- Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012)
- Cake (2014)
- Live by Night (2016)
- Birds of Prey (2020)
- I Care a Lot (2020)
- Call Jane (2022)
- Air (2023)
- The Boogeyman (2023)
Television
- Law & Order (1995, 1996, 2003)
- Six Feet Under (2005)
- Damages (2011–2012)
- The Newsroom (2012–2014)
- The Mindy Project (2012–2017)
- Sharp Objects (2018)
- The Sinner (2020)
- Gaslit (2022)
- Based on a True Story (2023–2024)
See also
In Spanish: Chris Messina para niños
