William Gregory Magnussen (born April 20, 1985) is an American actor. He has been featured in the films ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' (2014), ''

Birth of the Dragon ''Birth of the Dragon'' is a 2016 American martial arts action film directed by George Nolfi and written by Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele. The film stars Philip Ng, Xia Yu, and Billy Magnussen. The film is a fictional account on t ...

'' (2016), '' Game Night'' (2018), and ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part o ...

'' (2019), and has had supporting television roles in '' Get Shorty'' (2017) and ''

Maniac Maniac (from Greek μανιακός, ''maniakos'') is a pejorative for an individual who experiences the mood known as mania. In common usage, it is also an insult for someone involved in reckless behavior. Maniac may also refer to: Film * '' ...

'' (2018). In 2021, Magnussen starred in the sci-fi series '' Made for Love'' on

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...

and appeared in the films '' The Many Saints of Newark'' and '' No Time to Die''. He has starred in Broadway and off-Broadway theater productions, including 2013's ''

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike ''Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike'' is a comedy play written by Christopher Durang. The story revolves around the relationships of three middle-aged single siblings, two of whom live together, and takes place during a visit by the third, ...

'', for which he received a nomination for the

Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play The Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality supporting roles in a Broadway play. Honors ...

Early life

Magnussen was born in Woodhaven, Queens, New York City, the son of Daina, an aerobics instructor, and Greg Magnussen, a professional bodybuilder and kickboxer. He has two younger brothers. His maternal grandparents were

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

Lithuanian immigrants. He is of Norwegian and Lithuanian descent. He grew up in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

around Woodhaven Boulevard until the age of 10, when he moved with his family to

Cumming, Georgia Cumming is a city in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States, and the sole incorporated area in the county. It is a suburban city, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In the 2020 census, the population is 7,318, up from 5,430 in 2010. S ...

. Magnussen graduated from South Forsyth High School in 2003, and later from the

University of North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina School of the Arts by then-Govern ...

Acting career

Stage

Magnussen made his Broadway stage debut in 2007's '' The Ritz'', starring

Rosie Perez Rosa Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress, choreographer, dancer, and activist. Her breakthrough came with her portrayal of Tina in the film ''Do the Right Thing'' (1989), followed by '' White Men Can't Jump'' (1992). Perez's per ...

. In 2012, he was cast alongside

David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born April 3, 1959) is an American actor and director of stage, film and television. He starred as psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom '' Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, and won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Scree ...

and Sigourney Weaver in Christopher Durang's ''

'', premiering at the McCarter Theatre in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of w ...

, prior to its move to

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

in New York City. It then moved to the John Golden Theatre, where it was nominated for six

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

s. Magnussen was nominated for a

for his role as Spike. In 2014, he starred on

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

with

Anna Gunn Anna Gunn (born August 11, 1968) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Skyler White on the AMC drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a ...

in a critically acclaimed production of ''Sex with Strangers'' directed by

David Schwimmer David Lawrence Schwimmer (born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, director and producer. He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Ross Geller in the sitcom ''Friends'', for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Primeti ...

at the Second Stage Theater.

Film

Magnussen appeared in the films '' Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet'' and ''

Happy Tears ''Happy Tears'' is a 2009 American independent comedy-drama film by Mitchell Lichtenstein. It stars Parker Posey, Demi Moore, Rip Torn, Sebastian Roché , Ellen Barkin, and Billy Magnussen. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Fest ...

'', which stars

Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After making her film debut in 1981, Moore appeared on the soap opera '' General Hospital'' (1982–1984) and subsequently gained recognition as a member of the Br ...

and Parker Posey. He starred as Claude in the film '' Twelve'', which was released July 30, 2010. He played Neil Thomas, a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

hero, in the 2011 film ''

The Lost Valentine ''The Lost Valentine'' is a 2011 Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-television drama film starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Betty White and Sean Faris. It is based on the novel by James Michael Pratt of the same name, previously titled ''The Last Valent ...

'', based on the book of the same name by James Michael Pratt, which aired on CBS on January 30, 2011. That same year, he also played Thor in Whit Stillman's '' Damsels in Distress''. In 2012, he starred in the independent feature '' Surviving Family''. Magnussen starred in his breakout role as Rapunzel's Prince in Rob Marshall's 2014 film ''

''. In 2016, Magnussen appeared in ''

The Great Gilly Hopkins ''The Great Gilly Hopkins'' is a realistic children's novel by Katherine Paterson. It was published by Crowell in 1978 and it won the U.S. National Book Award next year.Kathy Bates, as Ellis, the social worker in charge of Gilly Hopkins, played by Canadian actress Sophie Nélisse. The role was originally written for a female in the novel and stage play. In 2019, Magnussen played the newly created role of Prince Anders in Disney's live action adaptation of ''

'', directed by Guy Ritchie. In the 25th James Bond film '' No Time to Die'' (from Eon Productions), Magnussen plays CIA officer Logan Ash, who tries to convince a retired Bond to assist with a mission.

Television

Magnussen played

Kato Kaelin Brian Gerard Kaelin (born March 9, 1959), known as Kato Kaelin, is an American actor and radio and television personality, who was a witness in the O. J. Simpson murder case. Early life and education Kaelin was born on March 9, 1959, in Milwau ...

on the first season of ''

American Crime Story ''American Crime Story'' is an American anthology true crime television series developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who are also executive producers, alongside Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, Ryan Murphy, and Brad Simpson. The seri ...

'', about the O. J. Simpson murder case. He is known for his role on the CBS soap opera '' As the World Turns'', where he took over the role of

Casey Hughes Casey Robert Hughes is a fictional character on the soap opera ''As the World Turns''. He is the only child of Margo Montgomery and Tom Hughes. He was last played by Zach Roerig from January 18, 2005 to May 2, 2007. From January 29, 2008 to the ...

on January 29, 2008. He guest-starred on

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

's series '' The Beautiful Life: TBL'' in 2009. He guest-starred on ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920 ...

'' as Roger McAlister, Gillian Darmody's ( Gretchen Mol) ill-fated lover, and was the stand-in for Jimmy Darmody's (

Michael Pitt Michael Carmen Pitt (born April 10, 1981) is an American actor, model, and musician. Pitt is known in film for his roles in '' Murder by Numbers'' (2002), Bernardo Bertolucci's '' The Dreamers'' (2003), Gus Van Sant's '' Last Days'' (2005), and M ...

) corpse. He also guest-starred on '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', in the 10th-season episode "Icarus", and on ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'', in the 19th-season episode, "Sweetie". Magnussen appeared in four episodes of '' The Divide'', guest-starred on '' NCIS: Los Angeles'' in episode 3 of season 2, titled "Borderline", and in episode 6 of the first season of '' The Leftovers''. In 2017, Magnussen guest-starred as Russ Snyder on '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt''. Magnussen also played a high school teacher Joshua "Nick" Sullivan who engages in a relationship with one of his students in '' Tell Me a Story'' during the first season, which came out in 2018.

Music career

Magnussen once was the bass player and a contributing songwriter for the New York City-based rock band The Dash. He plays guitar in the New York City-based band Reserved for Rondee.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Magnussen, Billy 1985 births 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male bass guitarists American male soap opera actors American male stage actors American male television actors American people of Lithuanian descent American people of Norwegian descent American people of Soviet descent Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) Guitarists from New York City Living people Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Male actors from New York City People from Cumming, Georgia People from Woodhaven, Queens Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Songwriters from New York (state) University of North Carolina School of the Arts alumni 21st-century American bass guitarists 21st-century American male musicians American male songwriters