Randy Harrison is a young man who first came to the attention of the general public in the early 2000s and was remembered by the audience for the dramatic role of gay teenager Justin Taylor in the series "Close Friends". This is a talented promising actor, on whose account a large number of theater and film roles.
Biography
On November 2, 1977, in Nashua, New Hampshire, a son, Randolph Clark Harrison, was born into the family of the artist and the head of a large paper company. Unlike his older brother, who showed mathematical abilities and now serves as the manager of the bank, Randy has been attracted to music and theater since childhood. When the boy was 11 years old, his family moved to the city of Alpharetta (a suburb in northern Atlanta, Georgia), it was there that he graduated from high school.
Then Randy Harrison entered the Pace Academy private school and successfully graduated in 1996. A shy and quiet teenager had few contacts with only a couple of close friends. A distinctive feature of the Pace Academy was that, in addition to all generally accepted disciplines, they taught the art of theater. After graduating from school, Randy entered the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music - the College of Music Conservatory of the University of Cincinnati - and successfully graduated with a bachelor of fine arts majoring in Music Theater in 2000.
Over the years of study, Randy Harrison played the main roles not only in many university productions, but also on the stage of the Forestberg Theater, the St. Louis Municipal Theater:
- musical "Children of Eden";
- Shopping & Fucking is a British play by Mark Ravenhill, which is notorious throughout the world;
- West Side Story;
- musical "Violet";
- "Hello again";
- "A dream in a summer night";
- "Hello again";
- "The Real Bloodhound";
- musical "1776" and others.
The actor from early childhood began to show interest in the theater and first appeared on the stage in the school interpretation of "Peter Pan" at the age of seven. In many interviews, the actor mentions that this hobby was facilitated by the case when the parents' attempts to find a nanny during their short absence were unsuccessful, and they were forced to take him with them to the theater.
Randy is one of the founders of the "Bureau of Arts", which has been engaged in cinema, writing, music and theater since 2006. As part of the Bureau, he participated in the production based on A.P. Chekhov's "Touching Story".
Personal
A man with thousands of fans around the world does not hide his sexual orientation. Randy Harrison, whose personal life is actively discussed in the press, is openly gay. The conversation with the family and the recognition of the mother took place when he was 20. There is practically no available information about the passions or living together with someone. It is only known that in the period from 2002 to 2008. Harrison met with Simon Damenko.
Damenko is a columnist for Advertising Age and met Randy in an interview with New York Magazine. They were often seen together, they did not hide their relationship. But in 2008, the couple broke up, and in 2009 the actor moved to a suburb of New York, where he lived with two beloved cats - Ella and Aggie.
Theatrical creativity
Great interest in the profession of actor Randy Harrison began to show since childhood. The first appearance on the stage took place at seven years old, since then he continues to participate in theatrical productions along with filming.
The actor has a significant track record in the regional theater, he is known as a regular participant in the Berkshire Theater Festival. While in college, he constantly performed in productions, playing the main roles. As part of the New York International Fringe Festival of 2002, one of North America's largest theater arts festivals, Harrison played in the play Deviant. And in 2004 he made his debut in the role of Boc in the musical “Wicked” on Broadway. He also shows his acting talent at Shakespeare festivals.
Critics say that no matter where this young guy appears, he copes with his task perfectly. For the period from 2000 to 2013 He played in a huge number of plays, each time appearing in a new image:
- "Letter to Ethel Kennedy";
- "Horse";
- "Oak";
- "Edward II";
- "The Singing Forest";
- "Anthony and Cleopatra";
- Tiger Hearts;
- "Harbor";
- Amadeus
- "Flying over Cuckoo's Nest";
- "Waiting for Godot";
- "Endgame";
- "Mrs. Warren's Professions";
- "Who is Tommy";
- Ghosts
- "Twelfth Night";
- "End of the game";
- "Glass menagerie";
- Caligula
- "A dream in a summer night";
- "Red";
- "Habits for art";
- "Harbor";
- "Silence! Musical!";
- "Atomic music";
- "Cabaret" and others.
Film career, filmography
His television debut took place in the series "Close Friends", where he played the young Justin - a character who is just starting to take his first independent, serious steps in life. The five-season series was released for five years (2000-2005), Randy Harrison played 83 episodes in it.
Two years after the start of Friends, in 2002, Harrison played in the full-length film Buzz-Puff, You Are Dead, filmed from the play of the same name, the role of a rogue schoolboy, which strengthened his flaming popularity.
Theatrical and film career go hand in hand in the life of an actor. Included in the list of the most striking and successful paintings in which Randy Harrison takes part, films:
- “Thinking” (2008);
- Julius Caesar (2010);
- Jack in the Box (2010);
- Gabi (2012):
- “Such good people” (2014);
- "Mr. Robot" (2015);
- New York is Dead (2017);
- "Sam and Julia" (2017).
A notable actor, playing memorable, sometimes shocking characters, leads a fairly calm lifestyle. Randy Harrison is one of the few representatives of the film industry who decided to openly declare their orientation, not hiding their views on life.