Clark Gregg
{{Short description|American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1962)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Clark Gregg
| image = Clark Gregg by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
| caption = Gregg in 2019
| birth_name = Robert Clark Gregg Jr.
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|4|2}}
| birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
|death_date =
| death_place =
| years_active = 1988–present
| alma_mater = New York University (BFA)
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Actor
- director
- screenwriter
}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Jennifer Grey|2001|2021|end=divorce}}
| children = 1
}}
Robert Clark Gregg Jr. (born April 2, 1962) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He portrayed Phil Coulson in films and television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 2008 to 2024, and voiced Coulson in an animated television series and video games.
Gregg played the role of FBI Special Agent Mike Casper on the NBC political drama series The West Wing (2001–2004) and as Richard, the ex-husband of Christine Campbell, in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2010).
He wrote the horror film What Lies Beneath (2000), and wrote and directed the black comedy Choke (2008) and the comedy-drama Trust Me (2013). He appeared in the films The Adventures of Sebastian Cole (1998), One Hour Photo (2002), We Were Soldiers (2002), In Good Company (2004), When a Stranger Calls (2006), 500 Days of Summer (2009), Much Ado About Nothing (2012), The To Do List (2013), Labor Day (2013), Live by Night (2016) and Being the Ricardos (2021).
Early life
Gregg was born April 2, 1962, in Boston, Massachusetts,[http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/187923/Clark_Gregg "Clark Gregg"]. Hollywood.com; retrieved January 13, 2012. the son of Mary Layne (née Shine) and Robert Clark Gregg Sr., an Episcopal priest and Stanford University professor.{{cite web|url=http://news.stanford.edu/pr/97/971105gregg.html|title=Priestly passions: Dean Robert Gregg talks about what's dear to his heart|date=November 5, 1997|publisher=Stanford University|access-date=May 9, 2022|archive-date=July 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730210517/http://news.stanford.edu/pr/97/971105gregg.html|url-status=dead}} His family relocated frequently and he had lived in seven cities by the time he was 17. He attended high school in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where his father was a professor at nearby Duke University.{{cite web|url=http://www.carrborocitizen.com/mill/2011/12/caught-on-film-5/ |title=CAUGHT ON FILM |publisher=Carrborocitizen.com |date=December 1, 2011 |first=Robert |last=Dickson |access-date=November 18, 2014 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/clark-gregg-avengers_n_1468283 |title=Clark Gregg, 'Avengers' Star, On Agent Coulson And Why He Hates The Los Angeles Lakers |website=HuffPost |date=May 1, 2012 |first=Mike |last=Ryan |access-date=May 9, 2022}}
He attended Ohio Wesleyan University for two years before dropping out and moving to Manhattan. He worked various jobs, such as being a bar back, a security guard at the Guggenheim Museum, and a parking valet at a restaurant.{{cite news|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2008/01/park-city-08-interview-choke-director-clark-gregg-73281/|title=Park City '08 Interview - "Choke" Director Clark Gregg |work=Indie Wire |date=January 3, 2008 |access-date=May 9, 2022}} He enrolled at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied drama and English, and graduated in 1986.{{cite journal|url=http://www.nyu.edu/alumni.magazine/issue22/culture_1.html|title=No Cape? No Problem|last=Alfuso|first=Renee|journal=NYU Alumni Magazine|publisher=New York University|issue=22|date=Spring 2014|access-date=May 13, 2014}}
Career
File:Clark Gregg by Gage Skidmore.jpg]]
Gregg was a founding member, and later artistic director, of the off-Broadway Atlantic Theater Company, which formed in 1983. Gregg has been featured in a number of supporting roles in films, such as Lovely & Amazing, The Human Stain, and In Good Company, and a number of guest spots on TV series, such as Will & Grace, Sports Night, Sex and the City and The West Wing. He wrote the screenplay for the 2000 thriller What Lies Beneath.
He is the director and screenwriter of the 2008 film Choke, based on the Chuck Palahniuk novel of the same name, starring Sam Rockwell.{{cite web|author=lovebomb |url=http://chuckpalahniuk.net/community/showthread.php?threadid=28409 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415151345/http://chuckpalahniuk.net/community/showthread.php?threadid=28409 |archive-date=April 15, 2012 |title=Forums | The Cult |publisher=Chuckpalahniuk.net |date=January 27, 2010 |access-date=May 7, 2012}} Gregg consulted his father, a retired religion professor at Stanford, for the quotation from Saint Paul's letter to the Galatians which Gregg used in Choke.DVD commentary for Choke, 2008; and [http://www.stanford.edu/dept/classics/cgi-bin/web/people/visitor/robert-c-gregg Robert C. Gregg] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119071157/http://www.stanford.edu/dept/classics/cgi-bin/web/people/visitor/robert-c-gregg |date=January 19, 2012 }}, Stanford Department of Classics bio page. Retrieved January 3, 2012. Gregg's father is the former chaplain at Stanford Memorial Church.
In 2008, Gregg appeared in the film Iron Man as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson.{{cite news|access-date=May 8, 2008 |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/person/28638/Clark-Gregg/biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223132100/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/28638/Clark-Gregg/biography |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 23, 2010 |title=Clark Gregg | first=Julie |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=The New York Times |date=2010 | last=Bloom}} In 2010, Gregg reprised his role as Agent Coulson for Iron Man 2. Gregg had since signed up for a multiple film deal as the character with Marvel Studios. In 2011, he returned again as Coulson for Thor.{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/gregg-pulls-double-duty-1118013952/ |title=Gregg pulls double duty |author=Marc Graser |magazine=Variety |date=January 18, 2010 |access-date=January 18, 2010 }} Gregg noted his being a part of the expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe as being very exciting; "Agent Coulson was one of the guys who wasn't really in the comic books, and he was a very kind of small role in Iron Man," he said, "and I was just very lucky that they chose to expand that character and chose to put him more into the universe of it. It's really a blast!"{{cite news |url=http://www.superherohype.com/features/articles/100689-exclusive-clark-gregg-on-his-marvel-universe-future |title=Exclusive: Clark Gregg on His Marvel Universe Future |work=Superhero Hype! |author=Edward Douglas |date=April 27, 2010 |access-date=May 8, 2010}} Following on from his appearance in Thor, he again reprised his role in The Avengers. Gregg stars in a series of short films, Marvel One-Shots, that center around his character and can be seen on the Blu-ray releases of the films.
In October 2010, Gregg was part of the cast of a staged reading of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart alongside Dylan Walsh, Lisa Kudrow, and Tate Donovan, presented in Los Angeles on the occasion of the play's 25th anniversary (and preceding the play's 2011 Broadway premiere, which retained elements of this staged reading); the reading was directed by his then-father-in-law, Joel Grey.{{cite web|last=Gans|first=Andrew|title=Dylan Walsh, Tate Donovan, Jon Tenney and More Join Cast of Normal Heart Reading|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/dylan-walsh-tate-donovan-jon-tenney-and-more-join-cast-of-normal-heart-reading-com-168231|work=Playbill|access-date=March 28, 2022|date=May 6, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509052458/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/139314-Dylan-Walsh-Tate-Donovan-Jon-Tenney-and-More-Join-Cast-of-Normal-Heart-Reading|archive-date=May 9, 2010|df=mdy-all}}
From 2013 to 2020, Gregg portrayed Agent Phil Coulson in the ABC television superhero drama series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., set within the MCU, alongside Ming-Na Wen and Chloe Bennet.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/nycc-coulson-lives-in-whedons-s-h-i-e-l-d-updated-with-photos/|title=NYCC: Coulson Lives In Whedon's "S.H.I.E.L.D." (Updated with Photos)|work=Comic Book Resources|date=October 13, 2012|access-date=March 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008032643/https://www.cbr.com/nycc-coulson-lives-in-whedons-s-h-i-e-l-d-updated-with-photos/|archive-date=October 8, 2021|df=mdy-all}} He directed episodes in seasons five{{cite web|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/director-of-shield-clark-gregg-goes-behind-the-camera-on-marvels-flagship-series?amp|title=Director Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Clark Gregg Goes Behind The Camera On Marvel's Flagship Series|website=Syfy Wire|first=Mike|last=Avila|date=January 4, 2018|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-date=January 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104214444/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/director-of-shield-clark-gregg-goes-behind-the-camera-on-marvels-flagship-series?amp|url-status=dead}} and six.{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/comic-con/2018/07/21/marvel-agens-of-shield-season-6-clark-gregg-directing/|title=Clark Gregg returning to Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to direct season 6 opener|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|first=Joey|last=Nolfi|date=July 21, 2018|access-date=January 28, 2019}}
On April 20, 2013, Trust Me, a film written, produced, and directed by Gregg, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.{{cite web|url=https://www.filmofilia.com/trust-clip-146809|title=Trust Me First Clip|publisher=Filmofilia|date=April 17, 2013|access-date=April 21, 2013}} The film found limited release in the United States in June 2014.
Gregg reprised his role as Agent Coulson in the 2019 superhero film Captain Marvel and the animated series What If...?, episodes "What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?" and "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?", released in 2021.{{cite magazine |last=Bucksbaum |first=Sydney |title=Clark Gregg talks returning to Marvel in 'What If...?' — and Phil Coulson's new crush on Thor |url=https://ew.com/tv/marvel-what-if-clark-gregg-phil-coulson/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=March 28, 2022 |date=August 24, 2021}}
In 2022, he joined the TNT series Snowpiercer for its fourth and final season.{{cite web |last1=Mitovich |first1=Matt |title=Snowpiercer Adds Clark Gregg to Cast for Season 4, Names New Showrunner |url=https://tvline.com/2022/03/28/snowpiercer-clark-gregg-cast-season-4-new-showrunner/ |website=TVLine |access-date=March 28, 2022 |date=March 28, 2022}} However, the series was dumped by the network before it could air there.{{cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |title='Snowpiercer' Season 4 Won't Air On TNT, Final Season Shopped By Tomorrow Studios Along With Potential Offshoots |url=https://deadline.com/2023/01/snowpiercer-canceled-final-season-4-tnt-shopped-tomorrow-studios-prequel-sequel-content-writeoffs-1235221699/ |website=Deadline |access-date=January 13, 2023 |date=January 13, 2023}} The fourth season was picked up by AMC, and aired in 2024.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/03/snowpiercer-amc-picks-up-season-4-1235858793/|title=Snowpiercer: AMC Picks Up Season 4 After TNT Scrapped Sci-Fi Drama|website=Deadline Hollywood|last=White|first=Peter|date=March 14, 2024|access-date=March 14, 2024}}
Personal life
File:11.30.10ClarkGreggJenniferGreyByLuigiNovi.jpg (right), at the November 30, 2010 Epic Mickey launch party in Manhattan.]]
Gregg married actress Jennifer Grey on July 21, 2001; the couple co-starred in the Lifetime TV movie Road to Christmas. They have a daughter Stella, born December 3, 2001."Briefly". USA Today. December 6, 2001, p. LIFE, 5D Gregg and Grey were two of the demonstrators at the 2017 Women's March held on January 21, 2017 in Washington, D.C.{{cite news|last1=Friedman |first1=Megan |last2=Matthews |first2=Lyndsey |title=Celebrities Hit the Streets for Women's Marches Around the World|url=http://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/news/g29350/womens-march-washington-celebrities/|access-date=January 29, 2017|work=Elle|date=January 21, 2017}} On July 3, 2020, Grey and Gregg announced they had separated amicably on January 18, 2020, and were in the process of divorcing.{{Cite web|author=Merrett, Robyn|title=Clark Gregg and Jennifer Grey Split After 19 Years Together: 'We Remain Close'|url=https://people.com/tv/clark-gregg-and-jennifer-grey-split-divorce/|date=July 3, 2020|access-date=August 5, 2020|magazine=People|language=en|archive-date=July 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703185409/https://people.com/tv/clark-gregg-and-jennifer-grey-split-divorce/}} Their divorce ruling was issued in November and that became finalized on February 16, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/movies/jennifer-grey-keeps-dirty-dancing-money-in-divorce-settlement-with-clark-gregg/|author=Fernandez, Alexia|title=Jennifer Grey Retains Dirty Dancing Earnings in Divorce Settlement with Ex Clark Gregg|magazine=People|date=November 18, 2020|access-date=November 21, 2020|archive-date=November 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118230902/https://people.com/movies/jennifer-grey-keeps-dirty-dancing-money-in-divorce-settlement-with-clark-gregg/}}
Gregg is a sober alcoholic and describes himself as a member of a Jewish family (his former wife's faith).Reddit AMA (June 5, 2014). [https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/27eaek/i_am_clark_gregg_you_probably_know_me_as_agent_of/chzz9fs "I Am Clark Gregg"], reddit.com; accessed June 6, 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/interfaith_celebrities_jennifer_grey_dances_again_stuff_his_dad_says/|title=Interfaith Celebrities: Jennifer Grey Dances Again, Stuff His Dad Says|website=InterfaithFamily|date=September 14, 2010 |access-date=2019-03-08}}
He has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.{{cite web|url=https://instagram.com/p/_U87DTid6c/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/_U87DTid6c |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |url-access=registration|title=Instagram}}{{cbignore}}Martin, Damon (December 18, 2013). [https://www.foxsports.com/stories/other/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-star-clark-gregg-earns-his-brown-belt-in-brazilian-jiu-jitsu "'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' star Clark Gregg earns his brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611101541/http://www.foxsports.com/ufc/haymaker/story/agents-of-shield-star-clark-gregg-earns-his-brown-belt-in-brazilian-jiu-jitsu-121813 |date=June 11, 2017 }}, Fox Sports. Accessed May 9, 2022
Gregg is a cousin of New York State government official and former New York City mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia.{{Cite web|last=Dorman|first=Caitlin|date=2021-04-22|title=Who are celebrities endorsing for New York City mayor?|url=https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/personality/personality/who-are-celebrities-endorsing-new-york-city-mayor.html|access-date=2021-07-09|website=City & State NY|language=en}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
!Title !Role !class="unsortable"|Notes |
|---|
| 1988
| Stage Manager | |
| 1989
| Douglas Panton | |
| 1991
| Marty | |
| rowspan="3"|1994
| Ride Me | Jake Shank | |
| I Love Trouble
| Darryl Beekman, Jr. | |
| Clear and Present Danger
| Staff Sergeant | |
| rowspan="2"|1995
| Dr. Ridgly Walters | |
| Above Suspicion
| Randy | |
| rowspan="3"|1997
| FBI Sniper | |
| The Last Time I Committed Suicide
| Cop No. 1 | |
| Six Ways to Sunday
| Benjamin Taft | |
| 1998
| The Adventures of Sebastian Cole | Hank / Henrietta Rossi | |
| 1999
| Magnolia | WDKK Floor Director | |
| rowspan="2"|2000
| Doug Mackenzie | |
| What Lies Beneath
| {{n/a|None}} | Screenwriter |
| rowspan="2"|2001
| A.I. Artificial Intelligence | Supernerd | |
| Lovely & Amazing
| Bill | |
| rowspan="2"|2002
| Det. Paul Outerbridge | |
| We Were Soldiers
| Capt. Tom Metsker | |
| rowspan="3"|2003
| Mr. Hadfield | Uncredited |
| 11:14
| Officer Hanna | |
| The Human Stain
| Nelson Primus | |
| rowspan="3"|2004
| Spartan | Miller | |
| In Enemy Hands
| Executive Officer Teddy Goodman | |
| In Good Company
| Mark Steckle | |
| rowspan="3"|2006
| Ben Johnson | |
| Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas
| Publisher | |
| Hoot
| Chuck Muckle | |
| rowspan="2"|2007
| Nelson Hardwicke | |
| The Air I Breathe
| Henry | |
| rowspan="2"|2008
| Choke | Lord High Charlie | Also screenwriter and director |
| Iron Man
| |
| 2009
| Vance | |
| 2010
| rowspan="2"|Agent Phil Coulson | |
| rowspan="4"|2011
| Thor | |
| Mr. Popper's Penguins
| Nat Jones | |
| The Consultant
| rowspan="3"|Agent Phil Coulson | rowspan="2"|Short film |
| A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer |
| rowspan="3"|2012
| |
| Much Ado About Nothing
| Leonato | |
| Brightest Star
| Mr. Markovic | |
| rowspan="3"|2013
| Judge George Klark | |
| Labor Day
| Gerald Wheeler | |
| Trust Me
| Howard Holloway | Also screenwriter, producer, and director |
| 2014
| Edward Berger | |
| 2015
| Thrilling Adventure Hour Live | Mason Grantz | |
| 2016
| Chief Inspector Calvin Bordurant | |
| 2018
| Paul |
| 2019
| Agent Phil Coulson |
| 2020
| James R. Fuller |
| rowspan="2"|2021
| Moxie | John |
| Being the Ricardos
| Howard Wenke |
| 2022 |
| 2024
| Thelma | Alan |
| 2025
| G20 | Vice President Harold Mosely |
=Television=
=Video games=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Voice role ! class="unsortable"| Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="2"|2013
| rowspan="3"|Phil Coulson | |
| Marvel Heroes |
| 2016
| |
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| style="text-align:center;"
! Year ! Award ! Category ! Work ! Result |
| rowspan="2"|2000
| Film Independent Spirit Award | The Adventures of Sebastian Cole | {{nom}} |
| National Board of Review Award
| rowspan="3"|State and Main | {{won}} |
| rowspan="2"|2001
| Online Film Critics Society Award | Best Ensemble Cast Performance | {{won}} |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Award
| {{won}} |
| 2006
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | The New Adventures of Old Christine | {{won}} |
| rowspan="2"|2008
| rowspan="2"|Sundance Film Festival Award | rowspan="2"|Choke | {{nom}} |
| Special Jury Prize: Dramatic, Work by an Ensemble Cast
| {{won}} |
| 2013
| The Avengers | {{won}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|163988|Clark Gregg}}
- {{IBDB name}}
- {{Twitter}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregg, Clark}}
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American Episcopalians
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male screenwriters
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Category:Film directors from Massachusetts
Category:Film directors from North Carolina
Category:Male actors from Boston
Category:Male actors from North Carolina
Category:Ohio Wesleyan University alumni
Category:People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Category:People from Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Category:Screenwriters from Massachusetts