David Marshall Grant

David Marshall Grant (born June 21, 1955) is an American actor, singer and writer.

Life and career

Grant was born in Westport, Connecticut, to physician parents. Immediately after graduating from Connecticut College with an M.F.A. and receiving a certificate in fine arts from the Yale School of Drama, his first paying job was as Richard Gere's lover in the Broadway play '' Bent''. A student at Juilliard during summer breaks from high school, Grant soon joined the Yale Repertory Company during his college days, and in 1978, made a great impression in the play ''Bent''.

His first screen role was in the 1979 film '' French Postcards''. He went on to appear in several more films, both on the big screen and television. In 1985, he co-starred with Kevin Costner in John Badham's film on bicycle racing, ''American Flyers''. By this time, Grant was also working in episodic television and also had the role of Digger Barnes in the miniseries '' Dallas: The Early Years'' in 1986. In 1987 he played Sonny Binkley in the Matt Dillon film '' The Big Town''. In 1989, he portrayed the gay character Russell Weller on the television show '' thirtysomething''. Although he only appeared in four episodes between 1989 and 1990, the role brought him considerable recognition, particularly in one groundbreaking episode that featured his character in bed with another male character – a scene that caused outcry among conservative sponsors at the time.

Grant went on to play roles in various television shows and movies, including '' Happy Birthday, Gemini'', ''Legs'', '' Labor of Love'', ''CSI: Miami'', ''Law & Order'', ''Criminal Minds'', and ''Alias''. In 2004, he played a gay husband in the remake of '' The Stepford Wives'', and played the father of Anne Hathaway's character in the 2006 film '' The Devil Wears Prada''. His last appearance on television was in an episode of ''Party Down'' in May 2009.

On the stage, Grant is most notable for his portrayal of Joe Pitt in the first Broadway production of Tony Kushner's ''Angels in America''. The role earned him a 1994 Tony Award nomination as Best Actor (Featured Role – Play).

In 1998, Grant began a career as a writer. His first play, ''Snakebit'', premiered at NYC's Grove Street Playhouse and subsequently transferred to the Century Theatre. The play was nominated for the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and was also nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award. His second play, ''Current Events'', was produced by Manhattan Theatre Club in 2000. His most recent play, ''Pen'', opened in 2006 at Playwrights Horizons. Also in 2006, he began working for the ABC drama series '' Brothers & Sisters'' as a screenwriter, story editor and (as of season 2 in September 2007), a series producer. In October 2009, he was named 'Head Showrunner'. The show was co-produced by Ken Olin, whom Grant had worked with on ''thirtysomething'' many years earlier. In 2012, he was a writer and producer on the NBC musical series '' Smash''.

Grant is the great-great-grandson of the first couple to have their wedding featured in the famous wedding announcement section of the ''New York Times''. He is also a distant cousin to Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States.

Film and television

*'' French Postcards'' (1979) as Alex
*'' Happy Birthday, Gemini'' (1980) as Randy
*''American Flyers'' (1985) as David Sommers
*'' Dallas: The Early Years'' (1986) as Digger Barnes
*'' The Big Town'' (1987) as Sonny Binkley
*'' Bat*21'' (1988) as Ross Carver
* '' Breaking Point'' (1989) as Osterman
*'' thirtysomething'' (5 episodes between 1989 and 1990) as Russell Weller
*'' Air America'' (1990) as Rob Diehl
*'' Strictly Business'' (1991) as David
*'' Citizen Cohn'' (1992) as Robert Kennedy
*'' Forever Young'' (1992) as Lt. Col. Wilcox, USAF
*''Through the Eyes of a Killer'' (1992) TV as Max Campbell
*'' And the Band Played On'' (1993) as Dennis Seeley
*''Chicago Hope'' episode "Internal Affairs" (March 20, 1995) as Stephen Tomilson
*'' Three Wishes'' (1995) as Phil
*'' The Chamber'' (1996) as Governor David McAllister
*'' The Rock'' as White House Chief of Staff Hayden Sinclair
*''A Season in Purgatory'' (1996) miniseries
*''Law & Order'' episode "Harvest" (October 29, 1997) and episode "Shadow" (November 26, 1997) as Charlie Harmon
*'' Nothing Sacred'' (6 episodes in 1998, 3 unaired) as Fr. Martin Briggs
*'' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' episode "Best Defense" (October 20, 2002)
*'' The Stepford Wives'' (2004) as Jerry Harmon
*''Numb3rs'' episode "Dirty Bomb" (April 22, 2005) as Brent Hauser
*''CSI: Miami'' episode "Murder in a Flash" (2005) as Headmaster Brooks
*'' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006) as Richard Sachs

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, David Marshall
1955 births
American male film actors
American male television actors
Living people
People from Westport, Connecticut
Yale School of Drama alumni
American gay writers
American gay actors
American gay musicians
Male actors from Connecticut
Writers from Connecticut
LGBT people from Connecticut
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
American male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers
21st-century LGBT people