Barry Primus
Barry Primus | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1938 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Education | Bennington College |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director, and writer |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Spouse | Julie Arenal |
Barry Primus (born February 16, 1938) is an American television and film actor, director, and writer.
Career
Primus is primarily an actor, but he has also doubled and tripled as writer and director. He worked on stage for the first decade of his career. He gained some experience on TV in shows like The Defenders, East Side/West Side and The Virginian. He then made his screen bow in the Manhattan-filmed The Brotherhood (1968). Additional films include Boxcar Bertha (1972), Autopsy (1975), Heartland (1979), Night Games (1980), Absence of Malice (1981), and Guilty by Suspicion (1991). He had a recurring role on the CBS TV series Cagney and Lacey (1982 — 1988) as Christine Cagney's (Sharon Gless) boyfriend Sergeant Dory McKenna, whose drug problem compromises his value as a police officer. He also guest starred in Murder, She Wrote.[1]
After working as director Mark Rydell's assistant on The Rose (1979), Primus increased his behind-the-camera activities; in 1992, he directed his first theatrical feature, the "inside" Hollywood comedy/drama Mistress.
A member of the Actors Studio,[2] Primus has taught acting and directing classes at the American Film Institute, The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, the UCLA campus, and at The Maine Media Workshops[3] in Maine.
He also teaches acting classes at Loyola Marymount University and Columbia University.
Primus's recent film history includes Jackson, a film directed by J.F. Lawton; he also had a cameo in Righteous Kill with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, American Hustle, and Grudge Match.
Filmography
Most notable films:
- The Brotherhood (1968) - Vido
- Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970) - Aaron Reinhardt
- Von Richthofen and Brown (1971) - Hermann Goering
- Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me (1971) - Gnossos 'Paps' Pappadopoulis
- Boxcar Bertha (1972) - Rake Brown
- The Gravy Train (1974) - Tony
- Autopsy (1975) - Father Paul Lenox
- New York, New York (1977) - Paul Wilson
- Avalanche (1978) - Mark Elliott
- Heartland (1979) - Jack
- The Rose (1979) - Dennis
- Night Games (1980) - Jason St. John
- Les Uns et les Autres (1981)
- Absence of Malice (1981) - Waddell
- Over Here, Mr. President (1983) - Mike Yaeger
- The River (1984) - Roy
- Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) - Lou Waltzberg
- Jake Speed (1986) - Lawrence
- SpaceCamp (1986) - Brennan
- Talking Walls (1987) - Professor Hirsch
- The Stranger (1987) - Sergeant Drake
- Big Business (1988) - Michael
- Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989) - Ford Maddox
- Denial (1990) - Jay
- Torn Apart (1990) - Arie Arnon
- Final Stage (1990) - Detective #1
- Guilty by Suspicion (1991) - Bert Alan
- Night and the City (1992) - Tommy Tessler
- Mistress (1992, writer, director, producer)
- Flipping (1996) - Joey, Leo's Crew
- Black and White (1999) - Priest
- 15 Minutes (2001) - Cab Driver
- Life as a House (2001) - Tom
- Frankie and Johnny Are Married (2003) - Barry Primus
- Cross Bronx (2004) - Mary Green
- When Will I Be Loved (2004) - Victor Barrie
- Break a Leg (2005) - Ira Goldstein
- Mustang Sally (2006) - Dr. Koshansky
- Jackson (2008) - Donald
- Righteous Kill (2008) - Prosky
- The Legend (2012) - Arnold
- Memoirs (2013, Short) - Ray Harris
- American Hustle (2013) - Tellegio's consigliere
- Grudge Match (2013) - Joey the Bartender
- Redemption (2013) - Scott McCabe
- The Next Cassavetes (2013) - Fire Marshal
- Small Time (2014) - Jerry
- The Longest Week (2014) - Bernard the Chauffeur
- Bad Hurt (2015) - Marty
- Joy (2015) - Rudy's Attorney
- Breakable You (2017) - Dr. Chazen
- The Irishman (2019) - Ewing King
Personal life
Primus has been married to choreographer Julie Arenal for over 50 years. He is of no relation to the rock band Primus (band).
References
- ^ "Barry Primus biography". New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of the Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 279. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-02-17. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links
- Barry Primus at IMDb
