Eric Petersen
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Eric Petersen is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as the titular character in the
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
dark comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
series '' Kevin Can F**k Himself'' (2021–2022), and for playing the title character in the first US national tour of ''
Shrek The Musical ''Shrek the Musical'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film ''Shrek'', along with elements of its sequels: ''Shrek 2'', '' Shrek Forever After' ...
'' (2010).


Early life and education

Petersen was born in
Carol Stream, Illinois Carol Stream is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. It was incorporated on January 5, 1959, and named after the daughter of its founder, Jay Stream. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,854. Hist ...
, a suburb of
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, and attended
Glenbard North High School Glenbard North High School, or GBN, and locally referred to as "Glenbard" or "North", is a public closed campus four-year high school located at the corner of Kuhn Road and Lies Road in Carol Stream, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinoi ...
. He began acting during his freshman year of high school, after quitting the
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
team and subsequently missing soccer tryouts. His friend suggested that he audition for a role in the school production of ''
The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ...
'', and the experience of playing that role inspired him to continue acting. Afterwards, he attended
Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,200 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in fiv ...
, where he graduated in 2003 with a degree in theater. When he was 18, he had corrective surgery to address issues with his eyes.


Career

After graduating from Bradley, Petersen took a role on the US national tour of ''
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by William Finn, with a book written by Rachel Sheinkin, created by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional ...
''. He played William Barfee, one of the contestants in the eponymous spelling bee. He followed this effort with ''
Shrek the Musical ''Shrek the Musical'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film ''Shrek'', along with elements of its sequels: ''Shrek 2'', '' Shrek Forever After' ...
'', serving as an
understudy In theatre, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to ap ...
for the title character. When ''Shrek '' began its first national tour in 2010, Petersen served in the titular role. Living in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
at the time, Petersen made the transition into TV with a two-episode arc in the long-running soap opera ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...
''. He played a "''
Bad Santa ''Bad Santa'' is a 2003 American Christmas black comedy crime film directed by Terry Zwigoff, written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, and starring Billy Bob Thornton in the title role, with a supporting cast of Tony Cox, Lauren Graham, Bre ...
''"-type criminal who held one of the main characters hostage as part of an attempted robbery. He followed this with a series of bit parts in shows such as ''
The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady for CBS. It aired from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes. The show originally centered on five charact ...
'', ''
Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American television sitcom, created by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, that aired on ABC for 11 seasons from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. The series follows the lives of three diverse but interrelated fa ...
'', and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. In 2012, Petersen was cast as a series lead in ''Giant Baby'', later renamed '' Kirstie'', where he starred as Arlo, the long-lost son of Madison Banks (
Kirstie Alley Kirstie Louise Alley (January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022) was an American actress. Her breakthrough role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1 ...
). In 2021, Petersen starred opposite
Annie Murphy Anne Frances Murphy (born December 19, 1986) is a Canadian actress. She rose to recognition for her starring role as Alexis Rose in the sitcom ''Schitt's Creek'' (2015–2020), for which she garnered acclaim and won a Primetime Emmy Award and a ...
as the titular character in the
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
dark comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
series '' Kevin Can F**k Himself''. Petersen's character was meant to channel the stereotypical "
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
husband", in the style of ''
The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, with a total of 207 half-hour episodes spanning nine seasons. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who al ...
'', ''
The Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It f ...
'', and ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...
'', while revealing the dissatisfaction of Murphy's character, Allison. Eric, and producer Danny Jordan, host two podcasts
''Christmas Countdown Show''
an
''Parenting Countdown Podcast''
Both podcasts share a similar format, in which the hosts countdown show related topics such as movies, TV, music, and special experiences.


Personal life

Petersen married his wife, fellow musical theater actress Lisa Marie Morabito, in 2007. They have two children.


Filmography


Film


Television


Theatre


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Eric 21st-century American male actors American male television actors Bradley University alumni Living people People from Carol Stream, Illinois Year of birth missing (living people)