Evan Handler (born January 10, 1961)[1] is an American actor who is best known for playing Harry Goldenblatt, a divorce attorney and later husband of Charlotte York, on Sex and the City (2002–2004) and its revival series And Just Like That... (2021–present),[2] and Charlie Runkle, Hank Moody's comically bumbling friend and agent, on Californication (2007–2014). Recently, he starred as Eastern District US Attorney Jacob Warner in the Starz drama Power.
Evan Handler | |
|---|---|
 Handler at a 2009 Golden Globe Awards party | |
| Born | January 10, 1961 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Juilliard School |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Agent |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Spouse |
Elisa Atti (m. 2003) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editHandler was born in New York City, to secular Jewish[3][4] parents Enid Irene, a mental health administrator, and Murry Raymond Handler, an agency owner and advertising designer.[5] He was raised in the Town of Cortlandt, New York, near Croton-on-Hudson, New York, and attended Hendrick Hudson High School in Montrose, New York.[5]
After graduating from high school a year early, Handler moved to New York City and worked as an intern at the Chelsea Theater Center. During that time he appeared in the Off-Broadway plays Biography: A Game and Strider: The Story of a Horse.[5] He then attended the Juilliard School as a member of the Drama Division's Group 12 (1979–1983), which also included Kevin Spacey,[6] Ving Rhames,[7] and Elizabeth McGovern.[8] Handler left the four-year program after less than two years to accept a role in the 1981 film Taps.[5]
Career
editActing
editHandler has appeared in television dramas and sitcoms including Six Feet Under, Friends, Law & Order, The West Wing, Miami Vice, Sex and the City, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Ed, Lost, 24 and Power. He was a co-star in the ABC sitcoms It's Like, You Know... and Hot Properties and starred in the ill-fated FOX sitcom Woops!.
He has also appeared in several major feature film roles, including Ransom, 1996; The Chosen, 1981; Sweet Lorraine, 1987; and Taps, 1981.
In 2000, Handler portrayed Larry Fine in the made-for-TV biopic The Three Stooges. He played Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein in the HBO movie, Too Big to Fail. The movie was based on the book of the same name written by Andrew Ross Sorkin.[9] From 2007-2014, Handler played Charlie Runkle, the best friend and agent to David Duchovny's character Hank Moody on Californication. In 2016 he had a recurring role in American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson as Alan Dershowitz, an attorney adviser for the defense in the O. J. Simpson murder case in 1995.
In 1991, Handler famously walked off stage during the first act of a performance of the Broadway play I Hate Hamlet after co-star Nicol Williamson broke choreography during a sword-fighting scene and struck Handler on the backside.[10] Handler responded later, "I removed myself from the production because from the first day of rehearsals I have endured the show's producers condoning Nicol Williamson's persistent abusiveness to other cast members." Handler's understudy continued the performance, for which Gregory Peck and Elaine Stritch were in attendance.[11]
In 2020, Handler appeared as a guest on the Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip marathon fundraiser episode of The George Lucas Talk Show.
Writing
editHandler is also an author. His first book, Time On Fire: My Comedy of Terrors, tells the story of his unlikely recovery from acute myeloid leukemia in his mid-20s. His second, It's Only Temporary...The Good News and the Bad News of Being Alive, tells the story of his long journey toward gratitude in the years after his illness. The book was released in May 2008. Handler has written for several nationally distributed magazines, including ELLE, O, the Oprah Magazine, and Mirabella. Handler contributes regularly to The Huffington Post.
Personal life
editEvan married Elisa Atti, an Italian-born chemist, in 2003, and they have a daughter, Sofia Clementina Handler (born January 17, 2007).[citation needed]
Handler has a brother Lowell and a sister Lillian. Lowell, a writer and photographer, is the author of the book Twitch & Shout: A Touretter's Tale[12] and the star, narrator, and associate producer of the Emmy-nominated PBS television documentary Twitch & Shout, in which Evan appeared.[13]
Activism
editIn 2014 Handler starred in a public service announcement supporting DC Statehood.[14] He attended the Creative Coalition's DC Statehood Dinner in December 2015[15] and participates in DC Shadow Senator Paul Strauss's "51 Stars" campaign which aims to enlist 51 celebrities to endorse making Washington, DC the 51st state.[16]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Taps | Edward West | |
| 1981 | The Chosen | Goldberg | |
| 1987 | Sweet Lorraine | Bobby | [17] |
| 1994 | Natural Born Killers | David | |
| 1996 | Ransom | Miles Roberts | |
| 2008 | Sex and the City | Harry Goldenblatt | |
| 2010 | Sex and the City 2 | Harry Goldenblatt | |
| 2011 | The Family Tree | Harv Druckner | |
| 2012 | Should've Been Romeo | Stewart | |
| 2019 | Lying and Stealing | Eric Maropakis | |
| 2019 | Foster Boy | Samuel Collins |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Miami Vice | Louis Martinez | Episode: "Milk Run" |
| 1991–1992 | Sibs | Monty | 4 episodes |
| 1992 | Woops! | Mark Braddock | 11 episodes |
| 1999–2001 | It's Like, You Know... | Shrug | 26 episodes |
| 2000 | The Three Stooges | Larry Fine | Television movie |
| 2000 | Law & Order | Eli Becker | Episode: "Return" |
| 2001 | The West Wing | Douglas Wegland | 3 episodes |
| 2002 | The Guardian | Mitchell Lichtman | 3 episodes |
| 2002–2004 | Sex and the City | Harry Goldenblatt | 18 episodes |
| 2002 | John Doe | Max Clark | Episode: "Low Art" |
| 2003 | Friends | The Director | Episode: "The One Where Rachel Goes Back to Work" |
| 2003 | Six Feet Under | Scott Phillip Smith | Episode: "Nobody Sleeps" |
| 2006 | CSI: Miami | Norman Stein | Episode: "Fade Out" |
| 2006 | Lost | Dave | Episode: "Dave" |
| 2006 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Ricky Tahoe | 4 episodes |
| 2007 | Shark | Stanley Davis | Episode: "Trial by Fire" |
| 2007–2014 | Californication | Charlie Runkle | Main cast |
| 2008 | The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2015 | The Astronaut Wives Club | Duncan "Dunk" Pringle | 10 episodes |
| 2016 | American Crime Story | Alan Dershowitz | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | The Breaks | Jonah "Juggy" Aaron | 8 episodes |
| 2018 | The Good Fight | Jonathan | Episode: "Day 443" |
| 2019 | Fosse/Verdon | Hal Prince | Television miniseries Episodes: "Life Is a Cabaret" and "Who's Got the Pain?" |
| 2019–2020 | Power | District Attorney Jacob Warner | 18 episodes |
| 2019 | L.A.'s Finest | Captain Thomas Hirsch | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2019 | Daughterhood | Mike | Episode: "Mother's Day" |
| 2021–present | And Just Like That... | Harry Goldenblatt | 10 episodes |
References
edit- ^ Rose, Mike (January 10, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 10, 2023 includes celebrities Rod Stewart, Sarah Shahi". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ Condon, Ali (January 24, 2022). "And Just Like That... Evan Handler Responds To Rumours He Was Wearing a Prosthetic In NSFW Bathroom Scene". www.tyla.com. Tyla. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (2003-10-16). "Evan Handler Leads Celeb Marrying Spree". People. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
- ^ Andrea, Waxman (2008-10-29). "Evan Handler: In spite of being doomed, we might as well have a few laughs". The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
- ^ a b c d "Evan Handler Biography". Yahoo Movies!.
- ^ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. September 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11.
- ^ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. April 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11.
- ^ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. October 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11.
- ^ Kinsley, Michael (22 May 2011). "Economic Crisis Unfurls in Hushed Suspense". The New York Times.
- ^ "Actor was sword of volatile". The New York Post. January 26, 2012.
- ^ "'I Hate Hamlet' Co-Star Walks Out". The New York Times. May 4, 1991.
- ^ Handler, Lowell (2004). Twitch and Shout: A Touretter's Tale. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-8166-4451-3.
- ^ Lowell Handler at IMDb
- ^ Senator Paul Strauss and Evan Handler DC Statehood PSA, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2021-05-15
- ^ "The Scene: D.C. statehood dinner in West Hollywood". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
- ^ "Celebrities Schooled in D.C. Statehood on Capitol Hill". Roll Call. 2015-04-24. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (1987-05-01). "FILM: 'SWEET LORRAINE'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-12.