Walter Kohl Sudduth (born August 8, 1974) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Luther "Suitcase" Simpson in nine

Jesse Stone Jesse Albert Stone (November 16, 1901 – April 1, 1999) was an American rhythm and blues musician and songwriter whose influence spanned a wide range of genres. He also used the pseudonyms Charles Calhoun and Chuck Calhoun. His best-know ...

television films."Kohl Sudduth"

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

. Retrieved June 22, 2016.

Early life and education

Walter Kohl Sudduth was born August 8, 1974 in

Granada Hills, Los Angeles Granada Hills is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The community has a sports program and a range of city recreation centers. The neighborhood has fourteen public and ten private schools. Hist ...

, the younger brother of actor

Skipp Sudduth Robert Lee "Skipp" Sudduth IV (born August 23, 1956) is an American theater, film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his role in the 1998 film '' Ronin'' and his lead in the TV drama ''Third Watch''. Early life and education Bor ...

. He was raised in the small town of

Circleville, Ohio Circleville is a city in and the county seat of Pickaway County, Ohio, United States, set along the Scioto River, 25 miles (40 km) south of Columbus. The population was 13,927 at the 2020 census. The city is best-known today as the host ...

. Sudduth acted in several high school plays, including ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' and ''Flowers for Algernon'', before attending

Ohio University Ohio University is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subse ...

, where he focused his energies on music. During his college years, Sudduth was the guitarist and vocalist of Edison, a punk rock band that played throughout the American Midwest. He graduated in 1995 with a BA in English.

Career

In 1995, Sudduth moved to New York City to pursue a professional acting career. He appeared regularly at

improv comedy Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, a ...

clubs and theaters such as the Red Room to hone his comedy skills. Sudduth made his film debut in director

John Turturro John Michael Turturro (; born February 28, 1957) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his contributions to the independent film movement. He has appeared in over sixty feature films and has worked frequently with the Coen brothers, ...

's '' Illuminata'' (1997) playing

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awa ...

's concubine. The following year he appeared in two films, '' 54'' (1998) as Rhett and ''

Rounders Rounders is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a rounded end wooden, plastic, or metal bat. The players score by running arou ...

'' (1998) as Wagner with

Edward Norton Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award and three Academy Award nominations. Born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised ...

and

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Ameri ...

. Sudduth's breakthrough role came in 1999 with ''

Bowfinger ''Bowfinger'' is a 1999 American satirical buddy comedy film directed by Frank Oz. The film depicts a down-and-out filmmaker in Hollywood attempting to make a film on a small budget with a star who does not know that he is in the movie. It was ...

'' (1999) playing Slater, an aspiring actor, opposite

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...

and

Heather Graham Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. After appearing in television commercials, her first starring role in a feature film came with the teen comedy '' License to Drive'' (1988), followed by the critically acclaime ...

. The role increased Sudduth's appeal and widened his audience with his capable and charming portrayal of a slacker actor. In 2000, Sudduth appeared in two films, the teen comedy ''

Road Trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance journey on the road. Typically, road trips are long distances travelled by automobile. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by ...

'' (2000) as Mark and the Masterpiece Theater production ''

Cora Unashamed ''Cora Unashamed'' is a 2000 American made-for-television drama film from The American Collection directed by Deborah Pratt, starring Regina Taylor and Cherry Jones. The film was shot on location in October 1999 in central Iowa. Cities such a ...

'' (2000), based on the Langston Hughes short story, as Joe. Throughout this period, Sudduth also appeared in several television series, including one episode of ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...

'' (1997) as Rick the waiter, one episode of ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United Stat ...

'' (1998) as

Kim Cattrall Kim Victoria Cattrall (; born 21 August 1956) is a British-Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones on HBO's ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), for which she received five Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Awa ...

's love interest Jon, one episode of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (1999) as Riley Couger and 17 episodes of ''

Grosse Pointe Grosse Pointe refers to an affluent coastal area next to Detroit, Michigan, United States, that comprises five adjacent individual cities. From southwest to northeast, they are: * Grosse Pointe Park * Grosse Pointe * Grosse Pointe Farms * Grosse ...

'' (2000–2001) as Quentin King and Stone Anders. Sudduth is best known for his role as Luther "Suitcase" Simpson co-starring opposite

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations ...

in nine Jesse Stone television films (2005–2015). He plays bass in his brother Skipp's rock band Minus Ted. He enjoys rock climbing and playing basketball while dividing his time between New York City and Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1997), Rick * ''Dating Games'' (1998), Prince Charming * '' Illuminata'' (1998), Concubine #1 * ''

'' (1998, TV series), Jon, 1 episode * '' 54'' (1998), Rhett * ''

'' (1998), Wagner * ''

'' (1999), Slater * '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (1999, TV series), Riley Couger, 1 episode * ''Table One'' (2000), Freddie * ''

'' (2000), Mark * ''

'' (2000, TV movie), Joe * ''

'' (2000–2001, TV series), Quentin King / Stone Anders, 17 episodes * ''

The Banger Sisters ''The Banger Sisters'' is a 2002 American comedy film written and directed by Bob Dolman, and produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures. The film stars Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon as two middle-aged women who used to be friends and groupies when ...

'' (2002), Hotel Clerk * '' Stone Cold'' (2005, TV movie), Luther "Suitcase" Simpson * ''The Notorious Bettie Page'' (2005), Police Officer * '' Jesse Stone: Night Passage'' (2006, TV movie), Luther "Suitcase" Simpson * '' Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise'' (2006, TV movie), Luther "Suitcase" Simpson * '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (TV series, 2006), Zach, 1 episode * '' Jesse Stone: Sea Change'' (2007, TV movie), Luther "Suitcase" Simpson * '' Jesse Stone: Thin Ice'' (2009, TV movie), Luther "Suitcase" Simpson * '' Jesse Stone: No Remorse'' (2010, TV movie), Luther "Suitcase" Simpson * '' Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost'' (2011, TV movie), Luther "Suitcase" Simpson * '' Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt'' (2012, TV movie), Luther "Suitcase" Simpson * '' Blue Bloods'' (2015, TV series), Sam Holbrooke, 1 episode * '' Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise'' (2015, TV movie), officer Luther "Suitcase" Simpson

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sudduth, Kohl 1974 births Living people Male actors from Ohio American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Los Angeles Ohio University alumni People from Circleville, Ohio People from Granada Hills, Los Angeles