Anthony Edwards: biography

Anthony Edwards is an American actor and director famous for several roles in both films and television. Since leaving his most popular TV character behind in ER what has he been doing?

Beginnings

Born in Santa Barbara, California on 19 July 1962, Anthony Edwards was always a keen actor. However his parents were keen for him to finish his education before pursuing his dream of acting. He studied theater at the University of California but, by the time he turned 19 he was being offered so much acting work that he was able to leave and concentrate on his career.

Career

His first major film role came in 1984 when he played Gilbert Lowe in "Revenge Of The Nerds" . Then in 1986 the film role that he is most famous for came along. Starring alongside Tom Cruise he played Lieutenant Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, Mavericks navigator and best friend who was killed in an aviation accident in Top Gun. In 1988 he starred with Timothy Dalton (of James Bond fame) in the film Hawks as a terminally ill patient which along with Top Gun brought him world wide fame. He moved back into television work and in 1992 he starred in Northern Exposure, a TV show about a small town in Alaska. He played Mike Monroe and continued the part into 1993. A year later in 1994 Edwards took on his most famous television role as Doctor Mark Green in E.R. He starred in the first episode and played the character until the 8th season when he eventually asked to be written out of the show to spend more time with his young family. His character eventually died from brain cancer. Since then he has concentrated more on directing than acting, however he did take on a role in Motherhood, a film starring Uma Thurman as a single parent. The film went on to be one of the worst grossing films of all time taking only £88 in its first weekend in the UK selling just 11 tickets. Married since 1994 to Jeanine Lobell he has one son and three daughters. He is also a keen runner having completed the New York City Marathon to raise money for the charity. He is also the chairman of Shoe4Africa.

Achievements

Edwards has received four Emmy nominations as well as winning a Golden Globe for best performance from an actor in 1998. He has also won three Screen Actor Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance from a Male Actor in 1996,1998 & 1999.