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David Conrad is an American actor. From 2005 to 2010, he starred in the television series ''
Ghost Whisperer ''Ghost Whisperer'' is an American supernatural television series, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010. The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon ( Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate w ...
'' alongside
Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress, producer and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel serie ...
.


Early life

Conrad is the youngest of three sons born to James Watson Conrad, an engineer, and Margaret Clement Conrad, a librarian. He is a great-grandson of electrical engineer
Frank Conrad Frank Conrad (May 4, 1874 – December 10, 1941) was an American electrical engineer, best known for radio development, including his work as a pioneer broadcaster. He worked for the Westinghouse Electric (1886), Westinghouse Electrical and Manuf ...
, a grand-nephew of Martin Withington Clement, who was president of the
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...
from 1935 to 1948, and a grand-nephew of Maj. General Charles M. Clement, commander of the 28th Division. Conrad is a native of Swissvale, Pennsylvania, and grew up on the border of Edgewood, both suburbs of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. In the early 1980s, he transferred as a
sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...
from Swissvale High School to The Kiski School, an all-boys preparatory school in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, on a scholarship. Conrad graduated from The Kiski School in 1985. He studied
history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
at
Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
, and began acting while he was there. He left Brown in 1990 and worked as a carpenter, a barista, a housepainter, and interviewed former steelworkers for a historical society in Pittsburgh. He then went on to study theatre at New York’s prestigious
Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
as a member of the Drama Division's ''Group 25'' (1992–1996). While at Juilliard, Conrad appeared in a stage adaptation of
John Irving John Winslow Irving (born John Wallace Blunt Jr.; March 2, 1942) is an American and Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of his fourth novel '' Th ...
's novel '' The Cider House Rules'', written by Peter Parnell and co-directed by actor Tom Hulce. In 1995 he left Juilliard prior to completing his final year, in order to accept a role in the film '' Snow White in the Black Forest'' starring
Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra ( ; born October 8, 1949), better known by her stage name Sigourney Weaver, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the late 1970s, she is known for her pioneering portrayals of action heroines in Blockbuster (entertainme ...
(released in 1997 on Showtime as '' Snow White: A Tale of Terror'').


Career

Conrad made his feature film debut with a small role in the 1994 film ''Under Heat''. In 1996, he won a role as Leo Roth on the television series '' Relativity''; however, he was already committed to a Pittsburgh production of the
Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...
play '' Arcadia''. Because the producers felt Conrad was right for the part, production on the series was later scheduled to accommodate his work on the play. Conrad went on to appear in the 1998 film '' Return to Paradise'' with Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche. Continuing with his stage career, Conrad made his Broadway debut as Blythe Danner's much younger lover in a revival of Terence Rattigan's '' The Deep Blue Sea'' in 1998. He went on to appear in off-Broadway productions of ''Troilus'' and ''Cressida'', ''Richard II'' and Tom Stoppard's ''Indian Ink''. Most recently, in June 2009, he performed as Pale in the play ''Burn This'' at the New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh. In 1999, Conrad appeared in the TV drama ''The Weekend'' with
Gena Rowlands Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (; June 19, 1930 – August 14, 2024) was an American actress, whose career in film, stage, and television spanned nearly seven decades. She was a four-time Emmy, Emmy Award and two-time Golden Globe winner, and ...
and
Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby (1978 film), Pretty Baby ...
. That same year he appeared in the
Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...
television movie '' A Season for Miracles'', opposite Carla Gugino. He portrayed a naval lieutenant alongside
Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
and Cuba Gooding, Jr. in '' Men of Honor'' (2000) and also appeared in recurring roles on the WB series '' Roswell'' (1999–2002) and Fox’s dramatic series ''
Boston Public ''Boston Public'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. Set in Boston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictional public high sc ...
'' (2000–2005). In 2003, Conrad appeared in a small role in the
Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
comedy '' Anything Else'' and was cast as Detective Ed Exley in the network adaptation of "L.A. Confidential"; though the pilot was not picked up to series, Conrad soon found work on NBC’s '' Miss Match'', in which he tries to win the heart of professional matchmaker Kate Fox (
Alicia Silverstone Alicia Silverstone ( ; born October 4, 1976) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller ''The Crush (1993 film), The Crush'' (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further pro ...
). The series was pulled after airing 11 of 18 episodes. In 2005, Conrad appeared in the comedy '' Wedding Crashers'' with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, as well as landing a regular role on the CBS series ''
Ghost Whisperer ''Ghost Whisperer'' is an American supernatural television series, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010. The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon ( Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate w ...
'', in which he portrayed
Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress, producer and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel serie ...
’s paramedic husband, Jim Clancy until the series was canceled in 2010. He appeared on an episode of '' CSI: Miami'' in 2010. In 2013 he began playing the recurring role of Ian Quinn in the first season of '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''. In 2019, Conrad returned to Pittsburgh to appear on stage in ''The Legend of Georgia McBride'' where he was also interviewed and discussed his ups and downs in the industry.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad, David American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Juilliard School alumni Living people Brown University alumni 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Year of birth missing (living people)