Karl Laurence Backus is an American

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

who appeared in multiple productions of the

Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional Repertory, repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and conte ...

in the 1980s and 90s, a

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

production of '' Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde'' (2003), and the films '' Skin: The Movie'' (2018), ''

Thane of East County ''Thane of East County'', also known as ''Blood Will Have Blood'', is a 2015 black and white horror drama film written and directed by Jesse Keller in his feature film debut and is adapted from William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth''. The film ...

'' (2015), and '' Walking with the Enemy'' (2013). Backus has multiple ensemble nominations at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema.

Career

In 1983, Backus was a public service announcer for KBST. He worked as an

for J. Walter Thompson and in 2015, he was with the San Diego Film Commission. Backus is a member of the

. He became a member around 1986 and was part of seven teams sponsored by the Napa Valley Opera House assigned to visit over 170,000 students annually across eight states in the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

, including Alaska and Hawaii. Following a performance at Edward C. Reed High School, Backus and his coworker were robbed of their equipment and clothing after discovering their car was stolen.

Reception

Phyllis Wolfe at

The Des Moines Register ''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. History Early period The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cab ...

said his performance as Malcolm in ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' "hones his battle ax with a low, resounding ring downstage" and brought clarity to his lines. Ron Cowan at

Statesman Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

said his performance in ''Moliere Plays Paris'' "is briefly but unforgettably seen as a king who offhandedly invents the musical comedy." Steven Winn at SFGate said Backus' scene in ''Arcadia'' was the best one, playing "a bored king who is both generous and high-handed." George Weinberg-Harter at Backstage Magazine said Backus' performance as Edward Carson in '' Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde'' was the "understated seriousness of a complete legal professional."

Personal life

Backus was born to Joyce and Laurence Backus of Central Point, Oregon. He started acting around the time he was 20 and in 1987, graduated from

Southern Oregon University Southern Oregon University (SOU) is a public university in Ashland, Oregon. It was founded in 1872 as the Ashland Academy, has been in its current location since 1926, and was known by nine other names before assuming its current name in 1997.Kre ...

with

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

in theatre arts. Backus earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in 1992 at Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Backus graduated from the Portfolio Center in 1999 and married Summer King in 2000. He studied with José Quintero, Oleg Tabakov and did high school theater with Shelley Malil in 1981.

Stage credits

Filmography

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Backus, Karl 1960s births Living people American male stage actors American male film actors Male actors from Oregon American art directors Southern Oregon University alumni Florida State University alumni Male actors from San Diego American male Shakespearean actors