Like most actors who discover their talent at a young age, I got my start doing theatre.   In a diner.  

 In Omaha, Nebraska. 

  In 1983, my parents - the namesake owners of Joe & Judy’s Café -  were approached by a newly-formed local theatre company about the idea of creating “Diner Theatre”; original, episodic plays written about and performed in (you guessed it) a diner.  By age 11, I had been such a constant presence around the company that resident playwright Doug Marr decided to offer me the title role in a flashback installment of the Phil’s Diner series. From the first read-through, to the late night tech rehearsals, to the uproarious laughter sparked by my first line on opening night, I knew I'd stepped into a world I never wanted to leave.

  My association with the Diner Theatre continued throughout high school, but I had yet to nail down a post-graduation trajectory.  It took only one year at the University of Nebraska at Omaha to realize that staying home, teaching English and doing community theatre wasn’t the path.  I decided to take a year off and follow my instincts wherever they led. Shortly, those instincts led to an experiment.

  Myself and best friend Kip Fagan wondered what the appetite would be for a brand of theatre aimed at Omaha’s underserved 20-something crowd.  Edgy, irreverent, subscriber-unfriendly material that could get Midwestern Gen X-ers out of their parents’ basements and into the theatre.  We brought the idea to the Blue Barn Theatre who loved it, but already had their season mapped out.  Together we hit upon ‘roundmidnight, a project that would offer alternative theatrical fare following Saturday night performances of their regular season. Unfazed by the complete lack of legitimate rehearsal space and the seeming improbability of getting anyone to come see theatre at 11:30 pm,  I starred in the project’s inaugural offering, Eric Bogosian’s Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll.  My involvement with ‘roundmidnight continued through two subsequent productions, but I could no longer deny that I had officially identified the thing I wanted to do for a living. I auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and left Omaha for NYC in the fall of 1994. 

  After completing AADA's two year conservatory program, I was one of a handful of graduates to be offered a slot with the school’s post-graduate Academy Company. From there, my long tour of duty through the black boxes of New York theatre began. Eventually, I switched my focus to television and booked an episode of Law & Order. Once deciding that series regulardom was the ultimate career goal, I knew that a potential move to Los Angeles was lurking. I took a six-week exploratory trip to take workshops, make introductions and get the lay of the land. My instinct that L.A. was the place to be was confirmed. Despite a deep and abiding love of the City, I packed up, headed west and started over. 

  I hit the ground running with the usual seed-sowing of classes, workshops, network-building and the procurement of representation. Co-Stars, Guest Stars and Recurring roles have followed, along with several national commercials. Finally, after 8 years of steady growth, my wife and I thanked L.A. for all it had given us and moved back to NEW YORK in the fall of 2021.  

  Outside the career space, I am an avid runner, home recording hobbyist, very occasional writer and card-carrying music geek. For more on my current activities and preoccupations, take a peek at the Points of Interest page.