Christopher Sarandon (; born July 24, 1942) is an American actor. He is well known for playing Jerry Dandrige in Fright Night (1985), Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride (1987), Detective Mike Norris in Child's Play (1988), and Jack Skellington’s speaking voice in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Leon Shermer in Dog Day Afternoon (1975).
Early life
Chris Sarandon was born and raised in Beckley, West Virginia, the son of Greek-American restaurateurs Chris and Cliffie (née Cardullias) Sarandon. His father, whose surname was originally "Sarondonethes", was born to Greek parents in Istanbul, Turkey.
Sarandon graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley. He earned a degree in speech at West Virginia University, and earned his master's degree in theater from Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C.
Career
After graduation, he toured with numerous improvisational companies and became much involved with regional theatre, making his professional debut in the play The Rose Tattoo during 1965. In the summer of 1968 he and his then-wife, Susan Sarandon, worked as actors at the Wayside Theatre in Middletown, Virginia. Later that year Sarandon moved to New York City, where he obtained his first television role as Dr. Tom Halverson for the series The Guiding Light (1973–1974). He appeared in the primetime television movies The Satan Murders (1974) and Thursday's Game before obtaining the role in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), a performance which earned him nominations for Best New Male Star of the Year at the Golden Globes and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Sarandon appeared in the Broadway play The Rothschilds and The Two Gentlemen of Verona, as well making regular appearances at numerous Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw festivals in the United States and Canada. He also had a series of television roles, some of which (such as A Tale of Two Cities in 1980) corresponded to his affinity for the classics. He also had roles in the thriller movie Lipstick (1976) and as a demon in the movie The Sentinel (1977).
To avoid being typecast in villainous roles, Sarandon accepted various roles of other types during the years to come, portraying the title role of Christ in the made-for-television movie The Day Christ Died (1980). He received accolades for his portrayal of Sydney Carton in a TV-movie version of A Tale of Two Cities (1980), co-starred with Dennis Hopper in the 1983 movie The Osterman Weekend, which was based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name, and co-starred with Goldie Hawn in the movie Protocol (1984). These were followed by another mainstream success as the vampire-next-door in the horror movie Fright Night (1985). He starred in the 1986 TV movie Liberty, which addressed the making of New York City's Statue of Liberty.
One of his most endearing roles onscreen is that of Prince Humperdinck in Rob Reiner's 1987 movie The Princess Bride, though he also has had supporting parts in many other successful films, including his lead turn in the original horror classic Child's Play (1988). In 1992, he played Joseph Curwen/Charles Dexter Ward in The Resurrected. He also played Jack Skellington, the main character of Tim Burton's animated Disney movie The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and has since reprised the role in other productions, including the Disney/Square video games Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II and the Capcom sequel to the original movie, Oogie's Revenge. Sarandon also reprised his role as Jack Skellington for several Disneyland Halloween events and attractions including; Halloween Screams, the Frightfully Fun Parade, and the Haunted Mansion Holiday, a three-month overlay of the Haunted Mansion, where Jack and his friends take control of a mansion in an attempt to introduce Christmas, much as his character did in the movie.
Sarandon appeared in TV again with a recurring role as Dr. Burke on NBC's long-running medical drama ER.
In 1991 he performed on Broadway in the short-lived musical Nick & Nora (based on the movie The Thin Man) with Joanna Gleason, the daughter of Monty Hall. Sarandon married Gleason in 1994. They have appeared together in a number of movies, including Edie & Pen (1996), American Perfekt (1997), and Let the Devil Wear Black (1999). During the 2000s he made guest appearances in several TV series, notably as the Necromancer demon, Armand, in Charmed, and as superior court judge Barry Krumble for six episodes of Judging Amy.
In 2006 he played Signor Naccarelli in the six-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical play The Light in the Piazza at Lincoln Center. Most recently he appeared in Cyrano de Bergerac as Antoine de Guiche, with Kevin Kline, Jennifer Garner, and Daniel Sunjata.
In 2016 he performed in the Off-Broadway production of the Dave Malloy musical Preludes as Anton Chekhov, Tchaikovsky, Alexander Glazunov, Leo Tolstoy, Tsar Nicholas II, and The Master.
He is on the advisory board for the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg, West Virginia.
Personal life
Sarandon has been married three times: he married actress Susan Tomalin in 1967, who took his surname and became Susan Sarandon. The two met while attending Catholic University of America together in Washington, D.C. The marriage lasted for twelve years; the pair divorced in 1979. After his divorce from Susan, he married his second wife, fashion model Lisa Ann Cooper, in 1980. The couple had two daughters and one son: Stephanie (born 1982), Alexis (born 1984), and Michael (born 1988). After nine years, the marriage ended in divorce in 1989.
In 1994, he married his third wife, actress and singer Joanna Gleason. The couple met while performing in Broadway's short-lived 1991 musical Nick & Nora; they returned to the stage together in 1998's Thorn and Bloom. They also collaborated in several films together, such as Road Ends, Edie & Pen, Let the Devil Wear Black, and American Perfekt.
Sarandon is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Theme parks and live attractions
- Haunted Mansion Holiday – Jack Skellington
- Halloween Screams – Jack Skellington
- Frightfully Fun Parade – Jack Skellington
- Disney on Ice – Jack Skellington
Music videos
- Hands Clean — Alanis Morissette
Theatre
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- Chris Sarandon at IMDb
- Chris Sarandon at the Internet Broadway Database
- Chris Sarandon at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Chris Sarandon – Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org
- The West Virginia & Regional History Center at West Virginia University houses the papers of Chris Sarandon as a part of the Distinguished West Virginians Archive
