Jon Cryer

Jonathan Niven Cryer (born April 16, 1965)[1] is an American actor, comedian and television director. Born into a show business family, Cryer made his motion picture debut as a teenaged photographer in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair; his breakout role came in 1986, in the John Hughes-written film Pretty in Pink. In 1998, he wrote and produced the independent film Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five.

For the British politician, see John Cryer.

Jon Cryer
Cryer in 2011
Born	Jonathan Niven Cryer (1965-04-16) April 16, 1965 New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, television director, comedian
Years active	1984–present
Spouse(s)	Sarah Trigger ​ ( m. 1999; div. 2004) Lisa Joyner ​ ( m. 2007)
Children	2
Parent(s)	Gretchen Kiger David Cryer

Although Cryer gained fame with his early film roles, it took several years to find success on television as none of his star vehicles, including The Famous Teddy Z, Partners, and The Trouble with Normal, lasted more than 22 episodes. In 2003, Cryer was cast in a co-leading role as Alan Harper on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, a major hit for twelve seasons for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards (2009 and 2012).[2][3] Cryer received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television in 2011.

Cryer's other film appearances include Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), Hiding Out (1987), Hot Shots (1991), Holy Man (1998), Tortured (2008), Shorts (2009), and Hit by Lightning (2014). He also has a recurring role in the CBS drama series NCIS, playing Dr. Cyril Taft. After appearing on the podcast Crime Writers On... it was announced Cryer is joining the team at the Undisclosed podcast for their second season.

Early life

Cryer was born in New York City, New York. His mother, Gretchen Kiger (born 1935), is a playwright, songwriter, actress and singer. His father, Donald David Cryer (born 1936), is an actor and singer who originally studied to be a minister.[4][5][6] Cryer's paternal grandfather, the Rev. Donald W. Cryer (1909–1988), was a well-known Methodist minister. He has two sisters, Robin and Shelly.[7]

When Cryer was twelve years old, he decided that he wanted to become an actor.[8] When his mother heard this, she thought he should have a backup plan, and joked: "Plumbing is a pretty good career."[7] Cryer attended Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center for several summers as a teenager,[9] and is a 1983 graduate of the Bronx High School of Science. He was classmates with screenwriter and film director Boaz Yakin.[10] To his mother's "great disappointment," Cryer skipped college and went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England, for a summer short course in Shakespeare.[11]

Career

Cryer's first professional acting effort was as David in the Broadway play Torch Song Trilogy, replacing Matthew Broderick, whom he "closely resembled."[12] Cryer was later an understudy and replacement for Broderick in Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs in 1989.

Cryer at the Los Angeles premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in 2006

At age 19, Cryer appeared in the 1984 romantic comedy film No Small Affair, in the lead role as Charles Cummings, after the original production with Matthew Broderick was shut down due to a heart attack by director Martin Ritt.[13] He went on to have small roles in films and television movies, and he made his breakthrough as Phil "Duckie" Dem(p)ster in the John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink.[14] In an interview with the Daily News, Cryer's mother said that after Pretty in Pink, she started getting calls from teenage girls from all over the world, who would leave hysterical, giggling messages on her answering machine.[7] In 1989, he got the lead role in the TV comedy series The Famous Teddy Z. His performance gained poor reviews[15] and the show was canceled after the first season.[15]

A year later, he starred with Charlie Sheen in the Jim Abrahams comedy Hot Shots!,[8] which was received very positively.[16] Cryer is frequently linked to the Brat Pack.[17] In a March 2009 interview on Anytime with Bob Kushell, Cryer stated that he had auditioned for St. Elmo's Fire but was not cast in a role.[18] In 1993, he was asked to audition for the role of Chandler Bing on Friends, while doing a play in London. His reading was videotaped by a British casting agent but the tape failed to arrive in the U.S. before the network had made its final decision.[8]

In 1995, he was cast as Bob in the sitcom Partners, which, like his prior show The Famous Teddy Z, was canceled after its first season. In an interview with Time Out New York he stated, "Hey, every show I'm in goes down. Think about this: George Clooney was in 28 pilots, or something. It means nothing."[7] After guest starring on shows such as Dharma & Greg and The Outer Limits, he successfully wrote and produced the film, Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five. It debuted in 1998 at the Los Angeles Film Festival and gained positive reviews from critics.[19] Leonard Maltin from Playboy Magazine called it "a breath of fresh air."[20] That same year, Cryer landed in another TV series, the Fox sitcom Getting Personal, alongside Vivica A. Fox and Duane Martin. Although the show was picked up for a second season after its abbreviated spring run, it was canceled that fall, after airing 17 episodes in total. In 2000, he was cast as the lead in a comedy series called The Trouble With Normal. For the third time, Cryer starred in a show which was canceled after its first season.[21]

Cryer's long run of unsuccessful TV projects finally ended three years later. Against the wishes of CBS executives (who were aware of his past failures) and due to a friendship with Charlie Sheen, he was cast in 2003 to portray Alan Harper on the hit comedy series Two and a Half Men. He has earned seven Primetime Emmy Award[22] nominations and two wins[2] for his acting work on the show.[3] In a comment on the show's high ratings, he said: "When you’re on a show that's fighting for survival every week, you stop trusting your instincts, because you think, ‘My instincts haven't worked so far.’ But when people clearly like the show and are watching it in great numbers, it takes a huge amount of pressure off you. It allows you to trust your instincts and go with what has worked for you before."[8] After former co-star Charlie Sheen's departure from the series, Cryer's character became the show's main protagonist (with Ashton Kutcher being cast as the co-lead) throughout the final four seasons, mainly due to the show's retooled plot. At the end of the series of Two and a Half Men, Cryer is the only actor to have appeared in every episode of the series; Sheen was fired in March 2011 and Cryer's on-screen son Angus T. Jones left the series at the end of season 10, after describing the show as "filth" and calling himself a "paid hypocrite."[23] All appeared to be forgiven later, as Jones, unlike Charlie Sheen, appeared to great applause in the finale. Before being cast for Two and a Half Men, Cryer auditioned for the role of Gaius Baltar on the Sci-Fi Channel's reimagined Battlestar Galactica, but the role went to James Callis.[24] In 2008, Cryer appeared with Laurence Fishburne and James Cromwell in the film Tortured,[25] and in 2009 co-starred with James Spader in the film Shorts.[26]

Cryer made a guest appearance on the sitcom series Husbands in its second season.[27] He was initially cast to voice the lead character in DisneyToon Studios' animated film Planes, a spin-off of Pixar's Cars franchise,[28] but later dropped out and was replaced by Dane Cook.[29][30] Cryer did however receive a credit on the film for "additional story material."[31]

In 2015, Cryer released a book titled So That Happened, a breezy, often comic tale chronicling Cryer's 30-year career on stage, film and television.

Cryer currently appears in the highly popular CBS drama series NCIS, where he currently plays Navy Dr. Cyril Taft who treats NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). Cryer had expressed a desire to appear in NCIS since it premiered on September 23, 2003.

Pursuing a passion for criminal justice, Cryer joined the team of the popular podcast Undisclosed where he will be voicing the weekly addendum episode for the second season.

On May 21, 2018, Cryer was featured in the premier of Episode 1, Season 9 of genealogy program Who Do You Think You Are? Cryer's journey took him from America to Scotland as he uncovered the dramatic tale of his ancestor James Adams, a Scottish Covenanter soldier who was captured during the Battle of Dunbar in 1650, and endured horrific conditions as a prisoner. He was then transported to America an indentured servant to work at the Saugus Iron Works at Lynn, Massachusetts. As part of his research for the episode, Cryer visited the site of the Battle of Dunbar, Durham Cathedral in Durham, North East England – where surviving Scottish prisoners were held until they were indentured – and the Saugus Iron Works national historic site. Cryer said: "Seeing the resilience of my family over centuries, you can see the legacy he left. I can't help but feel lucky...clearly, the resilience of my family, that spine of steel, was not something that came from nowhere. Moving forward, I'm going to take James Adams' strength as my inspiration and know that when you go through very, very difficult times, if you can turn around and help the people around you who had it even worse, that's real strength. And I aspire to be one of those people."

On November 16, 2018, it was announced that Cryer had been cast as Lex Luthor on The CW's Supergirl in a recurring role, starting in the fifteenth episode of Season 4, titled "O Brother, Where Art Thou?".[32] He is set reprise the role in the Batwoman and The Flash episodes of the Arrowverse crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths.

On April 15, 2019, Cryer joined other WGA writers in firing their agents as part of the WGA's stand against the ATA and the unfair practice of packaging.[33]

Personal life

Cryer with wife Lisa Joyner in September 2011

Cryer married British actress Sarah Trigger in 1999, with whom he has a son, Charlie Austin.[7] In 2004 the couple divorced. On a February 2007 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he announced that he would marry entertainment reporter Lisa Joyner; the couple married in Mexico[7] in June 2007.[34][35] On September 29, 2009, Cryer and Joyner announced that they adopted a baby girl.[36][37]

When Pretty in Pink co-star Molly Ringwald told Out magazine in 2012 that she believed Cryer's character was gay, Cryer rebuffed the claims and said he has had to live with others' "faulty" gaydar.[38] Also in 2012, Joyner told Jeff Probst that when she and Cryer started dating, she wondered if he might be gay because "he never kissed me."[39] Cryer was asked in 2014 if he was "mistaken for gay"; he called himself "an effeminate heterosexual dork" and made a tongue-in-cheek remark about never being propositioned: "Fellas, you're dropping the ball."[40]

Political views

Prior to the 2008 presidential election, Cryer attended a fundraiser hosted by the McCain campaign and, according to news reports, endorsed John McCain.[41][42] When Cryer did not make a public endorsement for the 2012 race, his spokeswoman said that the 2008 report aligning him with the Republican Party was a "mistake" and that Cryer is "not really political." He had attended events for both Republicans and Democrats "because he wanted to hear what both sides had to say."[43]

In regards to Donald Trump, Cryer opined on the May 5, 2016, episode of the podcast Never Not Funny, "I have been pointing out, and I have been screaming to the rooftops, that Donald Trump is the Charlie Sheen of politics. [...] I have to tell you, I love Charlie Sheen, I loved working with him when he was sober, but he was, he's full of shit. He has been full of shit, he has serious addiction. His addiction is obviously serious, drugs, and, but, Trump is just addicted to feeling important. I think if anybody is under the delusion that he cares about anybody in America besides himself, they are stoned and need to rethink their priorities, 'cause it's just ridiculous that's he's gotten as far as he has."[44]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	No Small Affair	Charles Cummings
1985	Noon Wine	Teenage Herbert Thompson
	O.C. and Stiggs	Randall Schwab Jr.
1986	Pretty in Pink	Phil "Duckie" Dale
1987	Morgan Stewart's Coming Home	Morgan Stewart
	Superman IV: The Quest for Peace	Lenny Luthor
	Dudes	Grant
	Hiding Out	Andrew Morenski/Max Hauser
1989	Penn & Teller Get Killed	Frat Boy
1991	Hot Shots!	Jim "Wash Out" Pfaffenbach
1993	The Waiter	Tommy Kazdan
1994	Heads	Guy Franklin
1996	The Pompatus of Love	Mark	Writer
	Cannes Man	Himself
1997	Plan B	Stuart Winer
1998	Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five	Daniel	Writer and producer
	Holy Man	Barry
2001	Glam	Jimmy Pells
2003	The Metro Chase	Mr. Stamm
2008	Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby	Richard Pig	Voice
	Tortured	Brian Mark
2009	Weather Girl	Charles
	Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock	Bill Thompson
	Stay Cool	Javier
2010	Due Date	Alan Harper	Cameo
2013	Ass Backwards	Dean Morris
2014	Hit by Lightning	Ricky Miller
2019	Big Time Adolescence	Reuben Harris

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986	Amazing Stories	Phil	Episode: "Miscalculation"
1988	Cinemax Comedy Experiment	Himself	Episode: "Rap Master Ronnie: A Report Card"
1989–1990	The Famous Teddy Z	Teddy Zakalokis	20 episodes
1995–1996	Partners	Bob	22 episodes
1996	The Outer Limits	Trevor McPhee	Episode: "Vanishing Act"
1997	It's Good to Be King	Mort
	Dharma & Greg	Brian	Episode: "Shower the People You Love with Love"
1998	Getting Personal	Sam Wagner	Episode: "Sam I Am" (also producer)
	Hercules: The Animated Series	The Winged Wolves (voice)	Episode: "Hercules and the Underworld Takeover"
	Mr. Show with Bob and David	Duckie	Episode: "It's Perfectly Understandishable"
	Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place	Justin	Episode: "Two Guys, a Girl and a Thanksgiving"
2000–2001	The Trouble with Normal	Zack Mango	13 episodes
2001	Family Guy	Wiseguy (voice)	Episode: "There's Something About Paulie"
2002	Andy Richter Controls the Universe	Lemuel Praeger	Episode: "Gimme a C"
	The Practice	Terry Pender	Episode: "Of Thee I Sing"
2003	Becker	Roger	Episode: "Chris' Ex"
	Hey Joel	Joel Stein (voice)	13 episodes
	Stripperella	Dave / Clifton / Clifford (voice)	Episodes: " The Bridesmaid", "Beauty and the Obese: Part 1" & "Beauty and the Obese: Part 2"
2003–2015	Two and a Half Men	Alan Harper	262 episodes; Lead role; Directed three episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2009) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (2012) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (2011)
2005–2006	Danny Phantom	Freakshow (voice)	Episodes: "Control Freaks" & "Reality Trip"
2006	American Dad!	Quacky (voice)	Episode: "It's Good to Be The Queen"
2008	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Himself	Episode: "Two and a Half Deaths"
2010–2011	Hannah Montana	Kenneth Truscott	Episodes: "The Wheel Near My Bed (Keeps on Turnin')" & "I Am Mamaw, Hear Me Roar!"
2012	Husbands	Vic Del Rey	Episodes: "The Straightening" & "A Better Movie of What We’re Like"
2013	The Cleveland Show	Alan Harper (voice)	Episode: Fist and the Furious
2013–2016	Mom	Customer	Episode: "Pilot"; also director of 2 episodes: "Corned Beef and Handcuffs" & "Xanax and a Baby Duck"
2015–2016	NCIS	Dr. Cyril Taft	3 episodes
2016–2017	The Ranch	Bill Jensen	2 Episodes
2016	Lady Dynamite	Himself	Episode: "Pilot"
2017–2019	Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television	Jon Cryer	Recurring (7 episodes)
2017	Justice League Action	Felix Faust (voice)	Episode: "Hat Trick"
2018	Robot Chicken	Brainy Smurf / Ziggy (voice)	Episode: "Your Mouth Is Hanging off Your Face"
	Will & Grace	Himself	Episode: "Kid 'N Play"
	Drop the Mic		Episode: "Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Shawn Mendes / Molly Ringwald vs. Jon Cryer"
	Who Do You Think You Are?		Season 9, Episode 1
2019–present	Supergirl	Lex Luthor	Recurring role, (Season 4-present); 11 episodes Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television (2019) Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Villain (2019)
2019	Batwoman		Episode: "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 2"
	The Flash		Episode: "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 3"
2020	Arrow		Episode: "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 4"
	DC's Legends of Tomorrow		Episode: "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 5"

Book

• So That Happened: A Memoir (2015) - Berkley – ISBN 0-45-147235-7.

References

1. "Jon Cryer: Biography". bio.com. A&E. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
2. Silverman, Stephen M. (September 20, 2009). "Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Cryer Are Emmy Night's First Winners". People. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
3. "Jon Cryer Wins Emmy". Two and a Half Men Fan Site. September 21, 2009. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
4. "Jon Cryer Biography (1965–)". Filmreference. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
5. Thompson, Donald Eugene (1981). Indiana authors and their books, 1967–1980. Wabash College. p. 90. ISBN 99904-4-038-7.
6. Conn, Suzy (February 20, 2005). "More on Gretchen Cryer". Blogway Baby. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
7. "Jon Cryer: Profile, Latest News and Related Articles". Notes. E!. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
8. Juba, Scott (March 26, 2006). "Interview: Jon Cryer: Failed Friend Who Became a Man". The Trades. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
9. "Alumni". Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
10. "5th Annual Report on Black/Jewish Relations in the United States" (PDF). Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 11, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
11. "In Step With: Jon Cryer". Parade. April 18, 2004. Archived from the original on August 7, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
12. Alan Was Matthew BBroderick's Character. David was the Adopted Son Jon Cryer: Bibliography
13. Maslin, Janet (November 9, 1984). "Jon Cryer In 'No Small Affair'". The New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
14. Bierly, Mandi (August 23, 2006). "Don't You Forget About Duckie". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 3, 2019. To mark a new special-edition DVD of "Pretty in Pink", Emmy nominee Jon Cryer chats with Mandi Bierly about the movie's original ending, 'Try a Little Tenderness', and more
15. Tucker, Ken (May 25, 1990). "TV Review: 'The Famous Teddy Z'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
16. "Hot Shots! (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
17. Lurie, Karen (2002). "Brat Pack". St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Gale Group. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
18. "Anytime with Bob Kushell feat. Jon Cryer". Anytime with Bob Kushell. Season 2. Episode 1. March 17, 2009.
19. "Went to Coney Island on a Mission From God... Be Back By Five (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
20. "The Cover of 'Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five'". HD Magazine. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
21. Coleridge, Daniel R. (July 23, 2003). "Sheen and Cryer: Sitcom Survivors". TV Guide. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
22. "Jon Cryer Emmy Award Nominee". emmys.com. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
23. Cowell, Maria (November 27, 2012). "How 'Two and a Half Men' Star Became a 'Paid Hypocrite.'". Christianity Today.
24. Vary, Adam B. (March 20, 2009). "The Beginning of the End: A 'Battlestar Galactica' Oral History". Entertainment Weekly. p. 42. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
25. Kit, Borys (May 15, 2007). "Cryer, Denton 'Tortured' by thriller". The Hollywood Reporter. Reuters. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
26. Hilton, Beth (May 30, 2008). "Cryer, Spader join Rodriguez's 'Shorts'". Digital Spy. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
27. "Hollywood Stars Drop in on Male Newylweds in 'Husbands'". Tubefilter.com. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
28. DeMott, Rick (August 23, 2011). "Jon Cryer Leads Voice Cast For DisneyToon's Planes". DisneyToon Studio. Retrieved November 5, 2011 – via Animation World Network.
29. "Disney Sets Theatrical Release Date For 'Planes'". Retrieved January 16, 2013.
30. "Dane Cook Leads the Voice Cast for Disney's Planes". Retrieved February 28, 2013.
31. "Planes Review". Screendaily.com. August 7, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
32. Agard, Chancellor (November 16, 2018). "'Supergirl' casts 'Two and a Half Men' star Jon Cryer as Lex Luther". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
33. Andreeva, Nellie. "Writers Share Signed Termination Letters As Mass Firing Of Agents Begins After WGA-ATA Talks Fail". Deadline Hollywood.
34. April MacIntyre (June 17, 2007). "Jon Cryer marries Lisa Joyner". Monstersand Critics. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
35. Wang, Cynthia (April 13, 2007). "Jon Cryer of Two and a Half Men to Wed in Summer". People. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
36. Everett, Cristina (September 29, 2009). "'Two and a Half Men' star Jon Cryer and wife Lisa Joyner adopt baby girl". Daily News. New York: Tronc. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
37. "Two and a Half Men star Jon Cryer wants his ex-wife left homeless, lawyer claims". May 8, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
38. James, Diego (May 23, 2012). "Jon Cryer: Duckie Wasn't Gay". Out. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
39. The Jeff Probst Show. xfinitytv.comcast.net. September 27, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
40. Wong, Curtis M. (October 30, 2014). "Jon Cryer On His Sexuality: I'm Just an 'Effeminate Heterosexual Dork'". HuffPost. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
41. Dinan, Stephen & Hallow, Ralph Z. (August 22, 2008). "Hollywood conservatives to rally for McCain". The Washington Times. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
42. "Celebrity endorsements in the 2012 presidential campaign". The Hill. November 17, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
43. Goodin, Emily (November 17, 2011). "Conservative celebs mostly not yet committed for 2012 presidential race". The Hill. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
44. Pardo, Jimmy (May 5, 2016). "Jon Cryer, NEVER NOT FUNNY #1812". Never Not Funny. Retrieved June 1, 2016.

External links

• Jon Cryer Bio at CBS – Two and a Half Men
• Jon Cryer on IMDb
• Jon Cryer at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jon Cryer at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Jon Cryer at AllMovie
• Jon Cryer at Emmys.com