Randy Harrison in life and on stage

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

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 his dramatic role as gay teenager Justin Taylor in the TV series Close Friends. This is a talented promising actor, who has a large number of theater and film roles.

Biography

November 2, 1977 in Nashua, New Hampshire, the son of Randolph Clark Harrison was born in the family of an artist and the head of a large paper company. Unlike his older brother, who showed mathematical ability and now serves as a bank manager, Randy was drawn to music and theater from childhood. When the boy was 11 years old, his family moved to the city of Alpharettu (a suburb in the north of Atlanta, Georgia), where he graduated from high school.

Then, Randy Harrison entered the private school Pace Academy and successfully graduated in 1996. The shy and quiet teenager did not communicate with anyone, having only a couple of close friends. A distinctive feature of Pace Academy was that, in addition to all generally accepted disciplines, they taught theretheater art. After high school, Randy entered The University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, the conservatory college of music at the University of Cincinnati, and successfully graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theater in 2000.

During his years as a student, Randy Harrison starred not only in many university productions, but also on the stage of the Forestburg Theater, the Municipal Theater in St. Louis:

• musical "Children of Eden";
• "Shopping &Sex" (Shopping & Fucking) - a play by British Mark Ravenhill, infamous around the world;
• "West Side Story";
• musical "Violet";
• "Hello again";
• "A Midsummer Night's Dream";
• "Hello again";
• "Real bloodhound";
• musical "1776" and others

The actor began to show interest in the theater from early childhood and first appeared on stage in a 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 to the theater with them.

Randy is one of the founders of the Bureau of Arts, which has been involved in cinematography, writing, music and theater since 2006. As part of the Bureau, he participated in the production based on Anton Chekhov's "A Touching Story".

Private

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 confession of the mother took place when he was 20. There is practically no information available about passions or cohabitation with anyone. It is only known that in the period from 2002 to 2008. Harrison dated 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 the suburbs of New York, where he lived with his two beloved cats - Ella and Aggie.

Theatrical creativity

Randy Harrison began to show great interest in the profession of an actor from childhood. The first appearance on the stage took place at the age of seven, since then he continues to participate in theatrical productions along with filming.

The actor has a solid track record in regional theater and is known as a regular at the Berkshire Theater Festival. While in college, he constantly performed in productions, playing the main roles. As part of the 2002 New York International Fringe Festival, one of the largest theater arts festivals in North America, Harrison performed in the play Deviant. And in 2004 he made his debut as Bok in the musical "Wicked" on Broadway. He also shows his actingtalent at Shakespeare festivals.

Critics note that wherever this young guy appears, he does an excellent job with the task assigned to him. For the period from 2000 to 2013. he played in a huge number of performances, each time appearing in a new image:

• "Letter to Ethel Kennedy";
• "Horse";
• "Oak";
• "Edward II";
• "The Singing Forest";
• "Antony and Cleopatra";
• "Hearts of Tiger";
• "Harbours";
• "Amadeus";
• "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest";
• "Waiting for Godot";
• "Endgame";
• "Mrs. Warren's Professions";
• "Who's Tommy";
• "Ghosts";
• "Twelfth Night";
• "End game";
• "Glass menagerie";
• "Caligula";
• "A Midsummer Night's Dream";
• "Red";
• "Art Habits";
• "Harbor";
• "Shut up! Musical!";
• "Atomic musical";
• "Cabaret" and others

Film career, filmography

His television debut took place in the series "Close Friends", where he played young Justin - a character who is just starting to take his first independent, serious steps in life. The five-season series ran 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 feature film "Bang Bang, You're Dead", based on the play of the same name, the role of an outcast schoolboy, which solidified his burst of popularity.

Theatrical and film careers go hand in hand in the life of an actor. Included in the list of the brightest and most successful paintings in which Randy Harrison takes part, films:

• "Reflection" (2008);
• "Julius Caesar" (2010);
• "Jack in the Box" (2010);
• "Gaby" (2012):
• "Such Good People" (2014);
• "Mr. Robot" (2015);
• "New York is dead" (2017);
• "Sam &Julia" (2017).

A notable actor who plays memorable, sometimes shocking characters, leads a rather calm lifestyle. Randy Harrison is one of the few representatives of the film industry who dared to openly declare their orientation, do not hide their views on life.