Keith Szarabajka
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Biography
A versatile, talented actor especially active on TV and the stage, Keith Szarabajka has most often been cast in high-powered drama. Possessing a long face, clear eyes and handsome if slightly uneven features, he has most typically played intense, aggressive character roles. Szarabajka made his feature debut in "Simon" (1980) but made more of an impression alongside Sissy Spacek and Jack Lemmon in Costa-Gavras' potent political drama, "Missing" (1982). Several years later, he made his first filmic impression as Spacek's sympathetic friend in the government corruption expose, "Marie: A True Story" (1985) and subsequently appeared prominently in the enjoyable but minor action comedy "The Misfit Brigade" (1986) and as part of the gung-ho contingent of Alex Cox's misfire biopic "Walker" (1987). Since the late 80s, he has been less active on the big screen. He played a lobster fisherman in "Andre" (1994), and enjoyed a meatier role as Kevin Costner's nasty fellow prison escapee in "A Perfect World" (1993).
Szarabajka enjoyed his first successes in regional theater, and has continued to perform regularly onstage. He chose an acting career at age 19 and joined Chicago's Organic Theater Company; years later, he won a local Emmy award for his strong work on "Bleacher Bums," which he co-wrote and in which he also acted. He later performed on Broadway in "Search and Destroy," "Warp!" and "Doonesbury," appeared Off-Broadway in "Digby" and "Class Enemy," and worked regionally with the National Playwrights Festival and the New York Stage and Film Company.
Szarabajka has enjoyed his widest exposure, though, on the small screen. An early appearance came via the TV-movie "The Face of Rage" (1983), but his breakthrough came with his recurring role as Mickey Kostmayer, right hand man to the eponymous hero of "The Equalizer" (1985-89), CBS' moody adventure series. He only appeared in four episodes during the show's first season but made a strong impression, and his role was expanded every season thereafter, to the point where he was a regular on the series' fourth and final season. Szarabajka subsequently tried a series again in the intriguing lead role of an aged janitor who keeps growing younger after a laboratory accident in "Stephen King's 'Golden Years'" (CBS, 1991) but the show was pulled long before Szarabajka could shed much of his makeup. He endured a similar fate as a crafty, high-powered executive on the even shorter-lived Fox-TV drama, "Profit" (1996). Szarabajka, though, has kept busy via guest stints and TV-movies such as "Nightlife" (USA, 1989), "One Woman's Courage" (NBC, 1994) and "Hyde in Hollywood" (PBS, 1991), being especially memorable as a vicious gossip columnist in the latter.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1972
Decided to become a professional actor at age 19 while a student at the University of Chicago; joined the Organic Theater Company in Chicago that same year
1978
Off-Broadway debut in "Bleacher Bums", a play Szarabajka performed in and co-wrote with other members of the Organic Theater Company (including Joe Mantegna)
1980
Film debut, as Alan Arkin's assistant in "Simon"
1983
TV-movie debut, "The Face of Rage"
1985
Played recurring role of Mickey Kostmayer on the CBS action series, "The Equalizer"; his role expanded each season to the point where he became a series regular on almost every episode of the show's last season
1989
First TV miniseries, the NBC drama, "Cross of Fire"
1991
Played the leading role of Harlan Williams on the short-lived CBS sci-fi serial drama, "Stephen King's 'Golden Years'"
1996
Played Chaz Gracen on the short-lived Fox-TV drama series, "Profit"
1998
Played Ethan Embry's dad in "Dancer, Texas"
2002
Played supporting role in "We Were Soldiers"
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