Hunter Parrish Tharp (born May 13, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing the role of
Silas Botwin in the
Showtime series ''
Weeds
A weed is an unwanted plant of any species.
Weed or weeds may also refer to:
Places
* Weed, Arkansas, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Weed, California, a city in the United States
* Weed, Kentucky, an unincorporated communit ...
'' and for his performances in the
Broadway productions of ''
Godspell
''Godspell'' is a musical in two acts with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set t ...
'' in the role of Jesus and ''
Spring Awakening'' as Melchior.
Early life
Parrish was born in
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, to Annie Parrish, who works with children with autism, and Bruce Tharp, an engineer. Parrish has an older brother. He graduated from
Plano Senior High School and
Texas Tech University Independent School District.
Career
2003–2005: Early career
After being seen at a showcase in New York, directed by
Peter Seidman, Parrish was offered professional representation and went on to guest star in several television shows and appeared in the film ''
Sleepover'' (2004).
2005–2012: ''Weeds'' and Broadway debut
Parrish gained recognition when he began starring in the hit
Showtime series ''
Weeds
A weed is an unwanted plant of any species.
Weed or weeds may also refer to:
Places
* Weed, Arkansas, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Weed, California, a city in the United States
* Weed, Kentucky, an unincorporated communit ...
'' in 2005. The show ran for eight seasons, ending in 2012. Part of the main ensemble cast, Parrish portrayed the role of the older Botwin son, Silas.
Following filming of ''Weeds'' fourth season, Parrish joined the cast of the
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
-winning
Broadway musical ''
Spring Awakening'' at the
Eugene O'Neill Theatre
The Eugene O'Neill Theatre, previously the Forrest Theatre and the Coronet Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 230 West 49th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. The theater was designed by Her ...
in New York City. He made his Broadway debut on August 11, 2008, as the replacement for the lead role of Melchior Gabor for which he received critical acclaim. He remained in the role until the show closed on January 18, 2009. Parrish returned to Broadway two-and-a-half years later, to star in the 2011 Broadway revival of ''
Godspell
''Godspell'' is a musical in two acts with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set t ...
'' in which he starred as Jesus. Performances began October 13, 2011. He left the show on April 15, 2012, to film the final season of ''Weeds''.
During this period, Parrish had many other roles on screen. He has supporting parts in the films ''
RV'' (2006), ''
Freedom Writers'' (2007), ''
17 Again'' (2009), and ''
It's Complicated'' (2009). In ''
Freedom Writers'', Parrish played Ben Samuels, the only white student in a California high school class. The
National Review Online
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich Lo ...
wrote that Parrish had played the role with "unassuming humour". He had a handful of guest roles on TV and took part in the 2008 short "Cougar 101 with Hunter Parrish" for
funnyordie.com. From 2007 to 2009, he hosted the web series ''Two Guys and a Girl'' with his friends Kyle Sherman and Allison Tyler.
2012–present: Dramatic roles in television and film
Since 2013, Parrish has had a string of recurring roles on television. In 2013 and 2014, he guest starred on ''
The Good Wife
''The Good Wife'' is an American legal political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...
'' as Jeffrey Grant, a young man accused of murder. In 2015, he also had recurring roles in ''
The Following
''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
The The Following (season 1), first s ...
'' and ''
Hand of God''. Parrish had a main role in the
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
series ''
Good Girls Revolt'', which was released in 2016. In 2017, Parrish was cast in the recurring role of Clay Haas in the second season of
ABC's thriller series ''
Quantico''.
In March 2019, it was announced that Parrish would have one of the lead roles in the ''
Jane the Virgin
''Jane the Virgin'' is an American romantic comedy-drama and satirical telenovela developed by Jennie Snyder Urman. The series premiered October 13, 2014, on The CW and concluded on July 31, 2019. It is a loose adaptation of the Venezuelan te ...
'' spin-off series ''Jane The Novela''. Ultimately, the show was not picked up by
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
.
Earlier, in January 2019, it was announced that Parrish would appear in the
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
drama series ''
Ratched''. Produced by
Ryan Murphy, ''Ratched'' was picked up for one season, which was filmed from January to July 2019 and released on September 18, 2020.
In 2022, Parrish was cast in the
Hulu
Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
mystery thriller series ''
The Other Black Girl'', a television adaptation of the
2021 novel by
Zakiya Dalila Harris. The series premiered on September 13, 2023.
Personal life
Parrish has been married to Kathryn Wahl since 2015. The couple have one child, a daughter born in September 2020. Parrish is a Christian.
Filmography
Film
Television
Stage
Discography
In 2012, Parrish recorded his first EP called ''Guessing Games'', featuring six songs. At first, ''Guessing Games'' was only available for sale in the lobby of ''
Godspell
''Godspell'' is a musical in two acts with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set t ...
''’s home at the Circle in the Square Theatre, but with a bigger release to follow. The first single from the EP, "Sitting at Home", was released on iTunes on June 7, 2012. The complete EP was released later that month, on June 26.
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrish, Hunter
1987 births
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American singers
American male film actors
American male musical theatre actors
American male television actors
Living people
Male actors from Texas
People from Plano, Texas
Singers from Texas
Texas Tech University alumni
21st-century American male singers
American Christians