Peter Friedman

Peter Friedman (born April 24, 1949) is an American stage, film, and television actor.

Peter Friedman
Peter Friedman in 2010.
Born (1949-04-24) April 24, 1949
New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma materHofstra University
OccupationActor
Years active1972–present
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1990; div. 2002)​
Children1

Life and career

Born in New York City, Friedman graduated from Hofstra University[1] before making his Broadway debut in The Great God Brown in 1972. Friedman is Jewish.[2]

Theatre

Friedman has appeared in thirteen Broadway productions, starting in 1972 with a revival of The Great God Brown. He appeared in a Broadway revival of The Visit in 1973, as the Carpenter.[3] He appeared in Piaf in 1981 on Broadway,[4] and A Soldier's Play Off-Broadway, also in 1981.[5]

He played the role of Humphrey Taylor in the Off-Broadway production of The Common Pursuit, from October 1986 to August 1987,[6] receiving a nomination for the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play.[7] In his review for The New York Times, Frank Rich commented "The always impressive Mr. Friedman, as the embittered Wagnerian...allow us to empathize with characters who might otherwise be merely obnoxious or colorless."[8]

He appeared in both the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of The Heidi Chronicles in 1988 and 1989 in the role of Scoop Rosenbaum.[9] He received a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play for The Heidi Chronicles.[7]

He appeared Off-Broadway in the Manhattan Theatre Club production of the Donald Margulies play The Loman Family Picnic, from October 1993 to January 1994.[10] The Best Plays of 1993-1994 commented "...Friedman inverting his usual dynamism to play the beleaguered father..."[11]

He played the role of Jewish immigrant "Tateh" in the musical Ragtime in the pre-Broadway tryout (1996) and on Broadway (1998).[12][13] He was nominated for the 1998 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for his role in Ragtime.[7]

He appeared on Broadway in the Roundabout Theatre Company production of Twelve Angry Men from October 2004 to March 2005.[14] For his role as "Frank" in Body Awareness, which ran Off-Broadway in 2008, Friedman received a nomination for the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play. The talkinbroadway.com reviewer noted that "...Friedman milks Frank’s own self-imposed, question-mark callousness for all it’s worth."[7][15] He appeared in the Williamstown Theatre Festival production of Amy Herzog's After the Revolution in July and August 2010 as "Ben", and reprised his role in the Off-Broadway production at Playwrights Horizons from October to November 2010.[16] The New York Times reviewer wrote: "Mr. Friedman burrows deeply into Ben’s anguish at being cut off by the daughter he raised to carry on the family tradition, the wound smarting all the more because he knows his own mistakes have caused the fissure."[17]

He played the role of "Doug" in the Off-Broadway play The Great God Pan from December 2012 to January 2013, and received a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play.[18] The New York Times reviewer commented: "The recollections of his parents, small roles incisively portrayed by the reliable Becky Ann Baker and Peter Friedman..."[19] From August 2013 to September 2013 he played the role of "Meckel" in the Off-Broadway production (and New York premiere) of Lauren Yee's The Hatmaker's Wife.[20] Ben Brantley, in his review for The New York Times wrote: "Mr. Friedman brings unblushing good will and vivacity to assignments that include walking around with a clothespin on his nose..."[21]

He appeared Off-Broadway in the musical Fly By Night as "Mr McClam" from May to June 2014.[22]

Film and television

On television, Friedman starred as George Silver in Brooklyn Bridge (1991-1993,[23] has made numerous guest appearances in such series as Miami Vice, NYPD Blue, Without a Trace, Ghost Whisperer, The Affair and Damages, and the miniseries Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenét and the City of Boulder.[24] He appeared in a Law & Order episode titled "Attorney Client" as defense lawyer Harold Jensen, broadcast on May 8, 2002.[25]

Early in his career he performed in several episodes of The Muppet Show in its first and third seasons, and spent a brief time on Sesame Street.[26] He has appeared in several HBO series such as High Maintenance and Succession, being a series regular in the latter[27][28]

Friedman's many feature film credits include Prince of the City (1981),[29] Daniel (1983), The Seventh Sign (1988), Single White Female (1992), Blink (1994), I'm Not Rappaport (1996),[30] I Shot Andy Warhol (1996),[31]Paycheck (2003),[32] Freedomland (2006),[33] The Savages (2007),[34] I'm Not There (2007) [35] and Breaking Upwards (2009).[36][26] Of his role in Safe, the All Movie Guide reviewer wrote:

Avid filmgoers and adherents to the indie film movement that swept through America in the early to mid-'90s will invariably remember Peter Friedman as the sneaky, underhanded, New Age-espousing "self-help guru" who supposedly attempts to offer ailing Julianne Moore a hand up -- but only succeeds in draining her wallet -- in Todd Haynes' harrowing drama 'Safe' (1995). In truth, that role represented just one of many memorable cinematic contributions for the prolific, highly versatile character actor, whose resumé reads like a best-of list of both independent film and Hollywood product.[1]

Personal life

In 1990, Friedman married Joan Allen. Though they divorced in 2002, they chose to live close to one another in order to share time with their daughter, Sadie (born February 1994).[37]

References
  1. "Friedman Biography" The New York Times, accessed January 16, 2014
  2. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/peter-friedman-distinguishes-max-posners-moving-the_us_59cb12a9e4b0b99ee4a9c90f
  3. The Visit ibdb.com, accessed January 15, 2014
  4. "Piaf, 1981" ibdb.com, accessed January 17, 2014
  5. " A Soldier's Play LIsting, 1981" Archived 2005-01-06 at the Wayback Machine lortel.org, accessed January 17, 2014
  6. The Common Pursuit lortel.org, accessed January 16, 2014
  7. Friedman, see Awards" ibdb.com, accessed January 15, 2014
  8. Rich, Frank. "Stage: Simon Gray Play, 'The Common Pursuit'", The New York Times, October 20, 1986, p. C17
  9. The Heidi Chronicles playbillvault.com, accessed January 15, 2014
  10. " The Loman Family Picnic Listing" Archived 2015-04-05 at the Wayback Machine lortel.org, accessed January 18, 2014
  11. Guernsey, Otis L.The Loman Family Picnic The Best Plays of 1993-1994, Hal Leonard Corporation, 1994 ISBN 0879101830, p. 73
  12. Hodges, Andrea. "Casting Finalized for 'Ragtime' Leads" playbill.com, July 12, 1996
  13. Viagas, Robert and Lefkowitz, David. " 'Ragtime' Opens on Broadway, Jan. 18" playbill.com, January 18, 1998
  14. Hernandez, Ernio. "Sequestered Further: Twelve Angry Men Extends on Broadway Anew to March 27" playbill.com, November 29, 2004
  15. Murray, Matthew. "Off Broadway Review. 'Body Awareness' " talkinbroadway.com, accessed January 16, 2014
  16. Jones, Kenneth. " 'After the Revolution', Amy Herzog's Intergenerational Family Portrait, Unveiled Oct. 21" Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, October 21, 2010
  17. Isherwood, Charles. "Theater Review. 'After the Revolution' " The New York Times, November 10, 2010
  18. Hetrick, Adam and Gans, Andrew. "Billy Porter, Andrea Martin, 'Pippin', 'Matilda', 'Vanya and Sonia' Win Drama Desk Awards" Archived 2013-06-05 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, May 19, 2013
  19. Isherwood, Charles. " 'The Great God Pan,' by Amy Herzog, at Playwrights Horizons" The New York Times, December 18, 2012
  20. Purcell, Carey. " 'The Hatmaker's Wife', Featuring David Margulies, Peter Friedman and Marcia Jean Kurtz, Begins Performances Aug. 27" playbill.com, August 27, 2013
  21. Brantley, Ben. " 'The Hatmaker’s Wife,' a Comedy by Lauren Yee" The New York Times, September 6, 2013
  22. "Fly By Night: A New Musical". Playwrights Horizons. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  23. O'Connor, John J. "TV WEEKEND; Family Life in '56 Brooklyn" The New York Times (webcache.googleusercontent.com), September 20, 1991
  24. " 'Perfect Murder, Perfect Town' Cast" The New York Times, accessed January 16, 2014
  25. Gans, Andrew. " Ragtime's Peter Friedman Plus Graff & Carey on May 8 'Law & Order' " playbill.com, May 8, 2002
  26. "Friedman filmography" The New York Times, accessed January 15, 2014
  27. Holloway, Daniel. "Will Ferrell-Adam McKay Political Drama 'Succession' Ordered by HBO". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  28. Succession at IMDb
  29. " Prince of the City Cast" The New York Times, accessed January 17, 2014
  30. " I'm Not Rappaport Cast" The New York Times, accessed January 17, 2014
  31. " I Shot Andy Warhol Cast" The New York Times, accessed January 17, 2014
  32. " 'Paycheck' Listing" tcm.com, accessed January 16, 2014
  33. " 'Freedomland' Listing" tcm.com, accessed January 16, 2014
  34. " 'The Savages' Listing" tcm.com, accessed January 16, 2014
  35. " 'I'm Not There' LIsting" tcm.com, accessed January 16, 2014
  36. " 'Breaking Upwards' Listing" tcm.com, accessed January 16, 2014
  37. Hegberg, Carol (11 April 2005). "With three new movies Rochelle native Joan Allen is making her mark". The Daily Chronicle. Retrieved 10 August 2007.
Preceded by
None		 Performer of Two-Headed Monster (right head)
1978		 Succeeded by
Richard Hunt
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