Leland Orser: biography and film career of an American actor

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

Almost every viewer is familiar with this actor. But remembering where he played or what his name is is not always easy. Thanks to his versatile looks and talent for disguise, Leland Orser has been able to play many different characters in both film and television, each one unique. And although the list of films with his participation includes several dozen projects, he still remains an actor in episodic roles today.

Leland Orser: biography

Leland Jones Orser was born in San Francisco on a hot August day in 1960

The actor does not like to talk about his early years, so there is little information about Orser's past. It is only known that he became interested in the career of an artist early, but for a long time he could not concentrate on it.

Unlike many colleagues in the acting department, Leland was not a young talent, whose talent was noticed immediately - his path to spotlights waslong and thorny.

Exactly the same with appearance: having pleasant, photogenic, but absolutely unremarkable facial features, Leland remained unnoticed by directors for a long time and made his debut only at the age of 31. And after the debut, he spent a lot of time trying to attract attention to himself. However, he managed to succeed and become one of the best performers of episodic roles.

Leland Orser: personal life

With his first wife, aspiring actress Roma Downey, Orser met in the late eighties, and the lovers soon got married. However, when Roma's career took off, and she was invited to star in the television series One Life to Live, strife began between the spouses, and they soon filed for divorce.

After that, for almost a decade, Leland Orser did not decide to tie the knot. His career soon began to develop, and he decided to temporarily focus on it without starting a serious relationship.

However, at the beginning of the 2000s, Leland met the star of "Basic Instinct" and "Water World" Jeanne Tripplehorn. Soon the actors began to meet, and even later got married. Two years later, the happy couple had a son, August.

The beginning of an acting career on television

Leland Orser made his debut in 1991 in a small role in the American television series from ABC "The Flame of Gabriel".

In the same year, he played a waiter in another famous television series The Golden Girls, and after, for an unknown reason, disappeared from the screens for almostyear.

In 1993, he returned to television in the Cover Story project. By that time, his type of an ordinary person managed to attract the producers, and the actor was invited to take part in one of the episodes of the cult television series Star Trek.

Star Trek TV series

At first, the actor got a small role of the alien Guy in one of the episodes of the second season of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space 9. However, soon Leland Orser was again invited to the same project. The actor this time played a completely different character - Romulan Colonel Lovok.

Leland's ability to transform was used by the creators of Star Trek twice more. At the launch of a new project from this series called Star Trek: Voyager, the actor received the role of the hologram killer Dejaren in it. And in Star Trek: Enterprise, Leland Orser reincarnated as a cameo character named Lumis.

In parallel with filming some episodes of Star Trek, the actor participated in The X-Files and the sitcom Ned & Stacey.

Success in movies

Having established himself on television, Leland Orser decided to try his hand at serious cinema. His debut film was the gangster thriller Handsome Nelson. He was followed by tiny roles in other obscure films.

At first, the actor starred in second-rate films, but gradually he began to be invited not to small roles, but to more serious projects.

So in David Fincher's thriller "Seven" with Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Gwyneth P altrowstarring Leland Orser got a small but very memorable role as a lustful visitor to a massage parlor, who later killed a girl of easy virtue. A little later, the actor played in the famous "Independence Day".

When the fourth film about the brutal killer aliens, nicknamed "Aliens", was released, the audience saw Leland in the role of Larry Purvis in it. His hero was a carrier of an alien embryo and, without having time to get help, died heroically, having managed to save his comrades. Orser proved himself capable of so much in this movie, and he was assigned to play bigger characters in the future.

The next significant achievement of the actor was the role in the acclaimed military film "Saving Private Ryan".

Leland Orser played Lieutenant de Vint in it.

The filmography of the nineties actor contains another interesting project. This is the film "The Power of Fear". And although, unfortunately, this film did not become super popular, it was a worthy adaptation of the famous detective novel. In addition, on the set, Leland had a chance to work with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, who played the main characters. Orser himself got the role of a bloodthirsty maniac who skillfully hid from his pursuers for almost the entire film.

Acting career in the early 2000s

Leland began the new millennium with a role in a small project called Rebel Yell. But then he got on the set of Pearl Harbor. Here, his hero was a wounded major, whose life was savedthe main character of the movie. After this success, throughout the decade, the actor starred in most of the box office films in Hollywood. Among his most successful works of this period are the films Daredevil, Scam, Amnesia and The Good German. In these projects, Orser had the opportunity to star with such stars as Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Cate Blanchett and Ben Affleck.

In parallel with his film career, work on television was also developing well. Orser Leland (photo below) was invited to a regular role in the famous television series ER. His hero was a surgeon named Lucien Dubenko.

For 61 episodes, the actor successfully played his role and gained a lot of fans. However, circumstances later forced him to leave the television series.

At the very end of the 2000s, Leland starred in one of the episodes of the world-famous TV show 24.

Further career

As the new decade began, the actor's career began to decline. Although he continued to occasionally act in films, he gradually became a television actor again. Among the most significant projects in which he has been involved in recent years are the television series "The Connection", "Revolution" and "Ray Donovan".

In the film world during this period, the films "The Gambler" and "Guest" were released with the participation of an actor named Leland Orser. In addition, for the first time in his entire career, this actor received a major role in a motion picture called Flaws. This film did not become a box office success, but many people liked it.

In particular, Leland's performance was highly praised, and many speculate that after "Flaws" Orser's career will soon take off again.

Participation in the film trilogy "Hostage"

Separate attention should be paid to the participation of Leland Orser in the sensational film trilogy "Hostage" with Laam Neesom and Famke Janssen in the lead roles. The first film from this series was released in the winter of 2008 and immediately won the attention of viewers around the world. This movie had everything you need for a good action movie.

Leland Orser got in this film the role of the best friend of the protagonist - CIA agent Sam. Despite the fact that little screen time was given to him, the actor was able to perfectly create the image of a faithful, reliable comrade, ready to help in any situation. Every person dreams of such a friend.

In subsequent years, two more films from this series were made, in each of which Leland again played the role of Sam.

At the end of the third film, which in all likelihood will be the last, Orser's character is wounded, but most likely he will survive. That is why if the fourth film is still made, the audience can expect a meeting with Sam again.

By the way, for September 2016, they announce the release of a new television series of the same name "Hostage", which will tell about the turbulent past of the heroes of the film trilogy. Young Sam will be played by actor Michael Irby. True, if this project is successful and can stay on the air for several seasons, perhaps it willLeland Orser will also be brought in to play the more mature Sam.

Acting career today

At the moment, Leland Orser is one of the highest paid actors in episodic roles, not only in the US, but throughout the world. Despite this, in recent years he has become less likely to be invited to act in films, but on television he is always welcome. In the autumn of 2016, a new television series "Berlin Station" ("Berlin Station") starts, in which the actor will play one of the main roles. His character's name is Robert Kirsch - he is the Deputy Head of the Department and is known for his dedication, meticulousness and quick wit.

Leland Orser proved by his example that there are no small roles if you are a great actor. Despite the fact that there are only episodic characters in his track record, this talented artist was able to become famous thanks to this. The audience, who highly appreciated the work of Orser, are looking forward to the premiere of the new series with his participation and hope that this is not the last meeting with their favorite actor.