Erik Jensen (actor)

Erik Jensen
Born Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation Actor, Playwright
Spouse(s) Jessica Blank
(2001–present)

Erik Jensen is an American actor and playwright.

Early life

Jensen was born and raised in Minnesota. He graduated from Apple Valley High School in 1988,[1] and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from Carnegie Mellon University.

Career

An actor, writer, and producer, Jensen has had roles in TV, film, and stage, most notably as legendary Thurman Munson of the New York Yankees in The Bronx Is Burning. He portrayed Dr. Stephen Edwards on "The Walking Dead", and appeared alongside Aasif Mandvi in the Pulitzer Prize-winning production of Ayad Akhtars Disgraced at Lincoln Center.

In spring 2015, Erik portrayed gonzo rock critic Lester Bangs in "How to Be a Rock Critic" (co-written with Jessica Blank) at Center Theater Group in Los Angeles.

Erik co-wrote the critically acclaimed play The Exonerated with his wife, Jessica Blank. It ran in Off Broadway in New York City for nearly two years.The play is based on interviews they conducted with more than 40 exonerated death row inmates. In 2002, it was staged at The Actors' Gang Theater.[2] It was nominated for five Ovation Awards and three NAACP Awards, winning the Ovation for Best World Premiere Play. Bob Balaban's production of The Exonerated ran for more than 600 performances off-Broadway and toured nationally.

The Exonerated was made into a 2005 film for Court TV[3] and was produced internationally in Dublin,[4] Edinburgh,[5] London,[6] Japan, Mexico, and Italy. The Exonerated won the 2003 Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Fringe First, and Herald Angel Awards. It received awards from Amnesty International, the American Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Death Penalty Focus. It has been translated into French, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. Jensen and Blank wrote a second documentary play, Aftermath, which was produced Off-Broadway in 2009, and are developing a film based on Blank's novel Almost Home. His writing has also been published in magazines and journals including The Believer,[16] The Dramatist, Another Magazine, and Theatre History Studies.

Living Justice, Blank and Jensen’s book on the making of The Exonerated, was published in 2005 by Simon and Schuster.[17]

Blank and Jensen also co-wrote the documentary play Aftermath based on interviews they conducted in 2008 with Iraqi civilian refugees in Jordan. Blank directed Aftermath off-Broadway at New York Theater Workshop in 2009; it was nominated for two Drama League awards and toured internationally for two years.

Erik authored and co-created the graphic novel "The Reconcilers" which was published in 2010 by Viking Warrior press.

Personal life

Jensen married writer and actress Jessica Blank in 2001. They live in New York, New York.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

References

  1. ↑ "Actor’s path to silver screen started on Apple Valley stage | ECM Archives". archives.ecmpublishers.com. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  2. ↑ The Actors Gang: The Exonerated
  3. ↑ Monterey Media: The Exonerated - DVD - Brian Dennehy, Danny Glover, Susan Sarandon
  4. ↑ The Exonerated at Liberty Hall Theatre - 2006 (archive) Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin
  5. ↑ Gardner, Lyn (2005-08-11). "The Exonerated". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  6. ↑ The British Theatre Guide: The Exonerated in London

External links

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