Gerritt Graham
About
Biography
Filmography
Notes
A rock music expert, Graham has regularly written about artists and recordings for such publications as ROLLING STONE, CREEM, FUSION and THE BOSTON PHOENIX.
Graham also wrote the song "Victim of Crime" and has penned lyrics for Bob Weir's band Ratdog
Biography
A hawk-nosed, light-haired character player with large hooded eyes, Gerrit Graham started his film acting career as a teenager in the early experimental anti-Establishment comedies of Brian De Palma (1968's "Greetings" and its sequel "Hi, Mom!" 1969) co-starring with the then unknown Robert De Niro. The NYC-born actor snared the role of a countercultural figure even more thoroughly obsessed with the assassination of JFK than with the pleasures of Free Love while a sophomore at Columbia University where he served as general manager of the Columbia Players--a post previously held by De Palma. Graham dropped out of college to act with Chicago's Second City comedy troupe before collaborating with De Palma again on "Hi, Mom!." He went on to amass of number of stage credits including several productions with Paul Sills' original Story Theater, a lead in the L.A. production of Sam Shepard's "Chicago" and some off-off-Broadway shows.
Graham delivered a memorably outlandish performance in De Palma's "Phantom of the Paradise" (1974) as Beef, a knowing lampoon of several rock legends of the day, who gets fried on stage. In 1974 he moved to L.A. and began alternating assignments between theater, films and TV. His somewhat stylized features worked well in cultish genre assignments like playing an earnest young scientist who tries to protect Julie Christie from a lusty computer in "Demon Seed" (1977), a wild-eyed and arrogant health nut in De Palma's somewhat nostalgic "Home Movies" (1979), an enthusiastic seller of "pre-owned vehicles" in Robert Zemeckis' "Used Cars" (1980) and the maniacally mugging title character in the straight-to-video horror-comedy sequel "Chud II: Bud the Chud" (1989). He has also proven effective in more mainstream works such as "This Boy's Life" (1993), playing a prep school recruiter and "One True Thing" (1999) as a well-known writer and former mentor to William Hurt.
On the small screen, Graham has proved effective in zany characterizations like his strange neighbor in "Stockard Channing in Just Friends" (CBS, 1979) and the anal retentive school principal in "Parker Lewis Can't Lose" (Fox, 1990-91). Additionally, he has found a secondary careers as both a voice actor (e.g., "The Critic") and as a screenwriter for TV episodics (the 80s revival of "The Twilight Zone") and animated features (Disney's "The Prince and the Pauper" 1990). Graham returned to series work in the fall of 1999 co-starring in the sci-fi themed "Now and Again" (CBS), playing the co-worker of a man who has been given a new body--one 20 years younger--in a secret government experiment.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1949
Born in New York City
1957
Made acting debut at age eight in a Detroit Art Institute production of "Winnie the Pooh" (date approximate)
1958
Performed in Moliere's "Le Medecin malgre lui/Doctor Inspite of Himself" with his French class (date approximate)
1962
Attended The Groton School, one of the most prestigious private schools in the USA; served as president of the dramatic association (dates approximate)
1967
While a college sophomore, cast by writer-director Brian De Palma (himself a former general manager of the Columbia Players) to co-star in "Greetings" (date approximate)
1968
Feature debut, "Greetings"; first collaboration with writer-director De Palma
1968
Left Columbia to act with Chicago's Second City (date approximate)
1969
Played the lead in Sam Shepard's "Chicago" in a Los Angeles production (date approximate)
1970
Co-starred in De Palma's follow-up feature "Hi, Mom!"
1971
Joined Paul Sills' original Story Theater company; played in the initial productions of "Story Theatre" and "Metamorphosis" (date approximate)
1974
Moved to Los Angeles
1974
Portrayed Beef, a glitter rocker parody, in De Palma's "Phantom of the Paradise"
1974
TV debut in the NBC movie "Strange Homecoming"
1979
Had recurring role of a kooky neighbor in the short-lived TV sitcom "Stockard Channing in Just Friends" (CBS)
1979
Reteamed with De Palma for "Home Movies"
1988
Provided additional story material for "Oliver & Company", a Disney animated feature
1989
Contributed additional dialogue to Disney's "The Little Mermaid"
1989
Had title role in the horror spoof "Chud II: Bud the Chud"
1990
Provided the story for an episode of "The Young Riders" (ABC)
1990
Was a series regular on "Sugar and Spice", a blue-collar CBS sitcom
1990
Co-wrote the animation screenplay for Disney's animated "The Prince and the Pauper", which featured Mickey Mouse
1991
Had regular role as a doctor in the medical comedy "STAT" (ABC)
1992
Performed the voice of Cat R Waul for "Fievel's American Tails", an animated children's series
1998
Appeared as a renowned author and William Hurt's mentor in "One True Thing"
Bibliography
Notes
A rock music expert, Graham has regularly written about artists and recordings for such publications as ROLLING STONE, CREEM, FUSION and THE BOSTON PHOENIX.
Graham also wrote the song "Victim of Crime" and has penned lyrics for Bob Weir's band Ratdog
