Dylan Walsh
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Having been a regular, relatively unknown presence on television and in film, actor Dylan Walsh skyrocketed to stardom later in his career as an ethically-challenged plastic surgeon on the edgy cable drama, "Nip/Tuck" (FX, 2003-2010). Prior to that, Walsh had roles on such notable shows as "Kate & Allie" (CBS, 1984-89) and "Gabriel's Fire" (ABC, 1990-91) before venturing into features with "Betsy's Wedding" (1990) and "Nobody's Fool" (1994), the latter of which captured the attention of "Nip/Tuck" creator Ryan Murphy and eventually led to the actor landing the role. Though he managed small parts in large scale movies like "We Were Soldiers" (2002) and "Blood Work" (2002), Walsh's bread and butter remained the small screen, where he landed a prominent recurring part on the popular "Everwood" (The WB, 2002-06). During his run on "Nip/Tuck," Walsh stepped up to bigger parts in features like "The Lake House" (2006), "The Stepfather" (2009) and "Secretariat" (2010). In the end, Walsh remained a versatile performer capable of turning in quality performances in either leading or supporting roles.
Born on Nov. 11, 1963 in Los Angeles, Walsh was raised by parents who both worked for the U.S. Foreign Service, having met while on assignment in Ethiopia. By the time he was 10 years old, Walsh had lived in such far flung places as East Africa, Indonesia and India. Eventually, the family settled in suburban Virginia community Washington, D.C., where he began acting while attending Annandale High School. In fact, he made his professional debut at the time, appearing in a production of "Undiscovered Country" at the Arena Stage in D.C. Walsh moved on to attend the University of Virginia as an English major, while spending most of his time starring in local productions of "Curse of the Starving Class," "Our Town" and "Romeo and Juliet." After graduation, Walsh ventured to New York City, where he soon made his television debut, billing himself under his given name of Charlie Walsh, in a CBS Schoolbreak Special, "Soldier Boys" (1987), starring opposite James Earl Jones. Following turns in the two movie pilots, "When We Were Young" (NBC, 1989) and "Chameleons" (NBC, 1989), Walsh made his feature debut opposite Patrick Dempsey and Kate Jackson in the underwhelming comedy "Loverboy" (1989).
After settling on his professional name Dylan Walsh, the actor landed a recurring role as the boyfriend of Allie's daughter (Allison Smith) on "Kate & Allie" (CBS, 1984-89), before nabbing a role on the drama series "Gabriel's Fire" (ABC, 1990-91), as an attorney's assistant. He also appeared in the miniseries "Telling Secrets" (ABC, 1993) and the made-for-TV movies "Radio Inside" (Showtime, 1994) and "Arctic Blue" (HBO, 1995). Walsh's film work picked up steam as well with John Boorman's drama "Where the Heart Is" (1990) and as the title character's groom in Alan Alda's romantic comedy "Betsy's Wedding" (1990). He was next seen in higher profile films like Robert Benton's "Nobody's Fool" (1994), playing Paul Newman's neglected son, and "Congo" (1995), in which he starred as a primatologist on an expedition to remote Africa gone awry. Walsh followed as the rigid husband of a woman (Joanna Going) suffering from multiple sclerosis in "Eden" (1996), and was also among the cast of the ensemble drama "Brooklyn South" (CBS, 1997-98).
Over the next several years, Walsh labored regularly as a leading man in a series of B-list films and telepics of middling distinction like "Final Voyage" (1999) and "Jet Boy" (2001), while occasionally appearing in supporting roles in major studio productions such as "We Were Soldiers" (2002) and "Blood Work" (2002). Following a recurring role on the WB series "Everwood" (2002-06), Walsh finally landed his career-defining role, playing the always conflicted Miami plastic surgeon Sean McNamara in Ryan Murphy's critically lauded cable drama "Nip/Tuck" (FX, 2003-2010). Prior to being cast, Walsh was sitting in a Los Angeles coffee shop when he was approached by Murphy, who had recently seen Walsh excel in an otherwise mediocre television movie while also remembering his strong work in "Nobody's Fool." Though Murphy wrote the McNamara character with Walsh in mind, the actor still had to win the part over the course of four auditions. Walsh landed the role and spent the next six seasons playing the uptight plastic surgeon struggling to keep his dysfunctional family together while dealing with the shenanigans of his sex-craved business partner, Christian Troy (Julian McMahon), and a long line of emotionally disturbed customers trying to change their lives and their looks.
While maintaining a steady presence on "Nip/Tuck," Walsh co-starred opposite Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in "The Lake House" (2006), a sappy remake of the South Korean romantic drama "Il Mare" (2000). In the offbeat family drama "Just Add Water" (2008), he starred as an Average Joe with a dead-end job living in a nowhere town who decides to start over after discovering that his wife had an affair with his brother years ago. Walsh next starred as the titular character in "The Stepfather" (2009), playing a cold-blooded serial killer who terrorizes his new family. Following a supporting role in the race horse drama, "Secretariat" (2010), Walsh ended his role as Sean McNamara after the sixth and final season of "Nip/Tuck" drew to a close that same year.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1987
Made TV debut in the CBS movie "Soldier Boys" with James Earl Jones (credited as Charlie Walsh)
1989
Feature acting debut, as Charles Hunter Walsh, "Loverboy"
1989
First TV-movie credited as Dylan Walsh, "Chameleons"
1989
Landed a recurring role on CBS' "Kate & Allie" (credited as Charles Hunter Walsh)
1989
Starred on the NBC pilot for "When We Were Young" (credited as Charles Hunter Walsh)
1990
Cast as a TV regular on the ABC drama "Gabriel's Fire"
1990
First feature credited as Dylan Walsh, John Boorman's "Where the Heart Is"
1993
Appeared in the ABC miniseries "Telling Secrets"
1994
Played Paul Newman's son in "Nobody's Fool"
1995
First lead in a major Hollywood film, "Congo"
1997
Co-starred on the short-lived CBS drama "Brooklyn South"
2002
Starred in the independent film "Power Play"
2003
Cast as Dr. Sean McNamara on the FX drama series "Nip/Tuck"
2003
Had a recurring role on The WB series "Everwood"
2006
Appeared in the romantic drama "The Lake House"
2006
Co-starred with William H. Macy and Julia Stiles in "Edmond"; written by David Mamet
2009
Starred in the remake of "The Stepfather"
2010
Co-starred in Disney family drama "Secretariat"
2011
Teamed up with Poppy Montgomery on the CBS crime drama series "Unforgettable"
Family
Companions
