Craig Sheffer

{{Short description|American actor (b. 1960)}}

{{about|the actor|the football player|Craig Shaffer}}

{{Infobox person

| birthname = Craig Eric Sheffer

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|04|23}}

| birth_place = York, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| alma_mater = East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

| occupation = Actor

| spouse = {{marriage|Leigh Taylor-Young|2003|2004|reason=divorced}}

| partner = Gabrielle Anwar (ended 1990s)

| years active = 1982–present

}}

Craig Eric Sheffer (born April 23, 1960) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his starring roles as Hardy Jenns in Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), Aaron "Cabal" Boone in Nightbreed (1990), Norman Maclean in A River Runs Through It (1992), Joe Kane in The Program (1993), Joseph in Bliss (1997), and as Keith Scott on the television series One Tree Hill (2003–12).

Early life

Sheffer was born in York, Pennsylvania, where his father worked as a prison guard. He began acting in school plays while attending York Suburban Senior High School,{{Cite web |last=McClure |first=Jim |title=Prominent actor Craig Sheffer hails from overlooked Windsor Park |url=https://www.ydr.com/story/news/history/blogs/york-town-square/2006/05/01/prominent-actor-craig-sheffer/31560257/ |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=York Daily Record |language=en-US}} competing regional and state drama competitions. He attended East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania for two years on a sports scholarship, playing baseball and football, until sustaining a knee injury. He dropped out in 1980 to pursue his acting career.{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Simon |title=Craig Sheffer On His 'The Shining' Inspiration For 'Widow's Point' And A 'Nightbreed' TV Series |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonthompson/2020/09/01/craig-sheffer-interview-widows-point-the-shining-nightbreed-tv-series-horror/ |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Report |first=Morning Call {{!}} Staff |date=1992-10-30 |title='KING OF THE B MOVIES' ACTOR CRAIG SHEFFER FINALLY EARNS HIS 'A' |url=https://www.mcall.com/1992/10/30/king-of-the-b-movies-actor-craig-sheffer-finally-earns-his-a/ |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=The Morning Call |language=en-US}}

Sheffer moved to New York City at the behest of his then-girlfriend, but they broke up shortly thereafter, and Sheffer spent some time homeless. He "slept under the marble staircase" in Grand Central Terminal for weeks while living off Unification Church spaghetti dinners, and made a living selling newspapers.{{cite news |last=Brunette |first=Peter |date=1992-10-04 |title=UP AND COMING: Craig Sheffer; Off Streets, Into Movies |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3DC133EF937A35753C1A964958260 |access-date=2010-09-30 |newspaper=The New York Times}}

Career

After appearing in commercials, Sheffer was first seen on a nationwide basis as Ian Hayden on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live in 1982, and on the short-lived primetime drama The Hamptons in 1983. In 1984, he was cast in his first film role, as the romantic lead opposite Pia Zadora in the genre-bending musical Voyage of the Rock Aliens. He also starred in the Broadway play Torch Song Trilogy, replacing Paul Joynt midway through its run.{{Cite web |title=Craig Sheffer – Broadway Cast & Staff {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/craig-sheffer-105043 |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=www.ibdb.com}}

He subsequently had starring roles in films as the best friend of troubled teenager Emilio Estevez in That Was Then... This Is Now (1985), a reformatory camp inmate in Fire with Fire (1986), an antagonistic rich kid in Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), and the romantic love interest of an overweight cosmetician in Baby Cakes (1989). In 1990, he played the leading role of Aaron "Cabal" Boone in Clive Barker's horror film Nightbreed.

In 1992, Sheffer starred as author Norman Maclean in the Oscar-winning biographical film A River Runs Through It, directed by Robert Redford. He then played Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Joe Kane in The Program in 1993.

Sheffer's other films include Fire in the Sky (1993), Head Above Water (1996), and Sleep With Me (1994) (as the apex of a romantic triangle which included Eric Stoltz and Meg Tilly). Sheffer played the leading role in Clive Barker's franchise sequel, Hellraiser: Inferno. He also played the main character in 1997's Bliss which starred Sheryl Lee, Terence Stamp and Leigh Taylor-Young.

Sheffer played Constant Bradley in the 1996 miniseries A Season in Purgatory. He played Keith Scott on the CW Network series One Tree Hill for three seasons before his character was killed off halfway through season 3 (he also had several guest appearances in season 4). He directed the feature film American Crude, a dark comedy starring Ron Livingston and Rob Schneider; it was released straight to DVD in June 2008. Sheffer had a cameo appearance in the movie Stand Up Guys.

In 2016, Sheffer starred alongside Steven Seagal in Code of Honor.

In 2021, he was cast to play American President Richard Nixon on the horror anthology American Horror Story: Double Feature.

Personal life

Sheffer was in a relationship with Gabrielle Anwar from 1989 and until the early-1990s.{{Cite web |last=Register |first=Luaine Lee {{!}} Orange County |date=2007-06-19 |title=Gabrielle Anwar hopes to 'Burn' up the screen |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2007/06/19/gabrielle-anwar-hopes-to-burn-up-the-screen/ |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=Orange County Register |language=en-US}} Sheffer is the godfather to his ex-partner's children, Hugo and Paisley, from her subsequent marriage to John Verea.{{Cite web |date=2010-08-03 |title=Craig Sheffer reflects on his time in Wilmington, his new Hallmark movie and his role on "One Tree Hill" – We Love TV - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC - Archive |url=http://tv.blogs.starnewsonline.com/12537/craig-sheffer-reflects-on-his-time-in-wilmington-his-new-hallmark-movie-and-his-role-on-one-tree-hill/ |access-date=2024-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803044403/http://tv.blogs.starnewsonline.com/12537/craig-sheffer-reflects-on-his-time-in-wilmington-his-new-hallmark-movie-and-his-role-on-one-tree-hill/ |archive-date=2010-08-03 }}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1984

| Voyage of the Rock Aliens

| Frankie

|

1985

| That Was Then... This Is Now

| Bryon Douglas

|

1986

| Fire with Fire

| Joe Fisk

|

1987

| Some Kind of Wonderful

| Hardy Jenns

|

1988

| Split Decisions

| Eddie McGuinn

|

rowspan="2"| 1990

| Nightbreed

| Aaron Boone / Cabal

|

Instant Karma

| Zane

|

rowspan="2"| 1991

| Blue Desert

| Randall Atkins

|

Eye of the Storm

| Ray

|

1992

| A River Runs Through It

| Norman Maclean

|

rowspan="3"| 1993

| Fire in the Sky

| Allan Dallis

|

The Program

| Joe Kane

|

Fire on the Amazon

| R.J.

|

rowspan="2"| 1994

| The Road Killers

| Cliff

|

Sleep with Me

| Frank

|

rowspan="2" |1995

| Wings of Courage

| Henri Guillaumet

| Short film

The Desperate Trail

| Jack Cooper

|

rowspan="2"| 1996

| The Grave

| King

|

Head Above Water

| Lance

|

rowspan="2" |1997

| Executive Power

| Nick Seger

|

Bliss

| Joseph

|

1998

| Double Take

| Connor McEwen

|

rowspan="3"| 1999

| The Fall

| Adam Ellis

|

Flypaper

| Bobby Ray

|

Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying

| Martin

|

rowspan="5"| 2000

| Net Worth

| Woody Miller

|

Deep Core

| Brian Goodman

|

Hellraiser: Inferno

| Det. Joseph Thorne

|

Maze

| Mike

|

Merlin: The Return

| Mordred

|

rowspan="3"| 2001

| Ritual

| Paul Claybourne

|

Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal

| Nick Watts

|

Flying Virus

| Martin Bauer

|

rowspan="2" | 2002

| Truth Be Told

| Det. Stratten

|

Deadly Little Secrets

| Dr. Gordon Childs

|

rowspan="2" | 2003

| Water Under the Bridge

| Marco

|

Dracula II: Ascension

| Lowell

|

rowspan="3"| 2004

| Prodigal Son

| Alan

| Short film

The Pavilion

| Frank Cassilis

|

Berserker

| Boar

|

rowspan="2"| 2005

| Tom's Nu Heaven

| Tom Mitchell

|

The Second Front

| Frank Hossom

|

2006

| Find Love

| Interviewer

|

rowspan="2"| 2008

| Love Lies Bleeding

| Morton

|

While She Was Out

| Kenneth

|

2010

| Ashley's Ashes

| Bill

|

rowspan="3"| 2012

| Bad Ass

| Attorney

|

Stand Up Guys

| Jargoniew

|

The Mark

| rowspan="2" | Chad Turner

|

2013

| The Mark 2: Redemption

|

2016

| Code of Honor

| William Porter

|

2017

| Destruction: Los Angeles

| John Benson

|

2019

| Widow's Point

| Thomas Livingston

|

2023

| Velocity Girl

| Sheriff Earl Gentry

|

2024

|Guns & Moses

|Tibor Farkas

|

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1982

| One Life to Live

| Ian Hayden

| Unknown episodes

1983

| The Hamptons

| Brian Chadway

| Episode: "Pilot"

1986–88

| Teen Wolf

| Mick (voice)

| 21 episodes

1989

|Baby Cakes

|Rob

| rowspan="3" |Television film

rowspan="2" |1995

|In Pursuit of Honor

|Lt. Marshall Buxton

Bloodknot

|Mike

1996

| A Season in Purgatory

| Constant Bradley

| Miniseries

rowspan="2" |1997

|Miss Evers' Boys

|Dr. Douglas

| rowspan="3" |Television film

Merry Christmas, George Bailey

|Ernie Bishop / Ed / Bridgekeeper

1998

|Rhapsody in Bloom

|Jack Safrenek

2001

| Family Law

| Martin Antenelli

| Episode: "Separation"

rowspan="2" | 2002

| Fastlane

| Andrew Kane

| Episode: "Pilot"

Cabin Pressure

|Peter 'Bird Dog' Dewmont

| rowspan="2" |Television film

2003

|Without Malice

|Dr. Paul Venters

2003–07, 2012

| One Tree Hill

| Keith Scott

| 58 episodes

2005

| Into the West

| Older Robert Wheeler

| Episode: "Ghost Dance"

2006

|Long Lost Son

|Quinn Halloran / John Williams

|Television film

rowspan="3" | 2010

| Psych

| Federal Marshal Daniel Wayne

| Episode: "A Very Juliet Episode"

Criminal Minds

| James Thomas

| Episode: "Compromising Positions"

Lies Between Friends

|Sheriff Zach Watts

|Television film

rowspan="2"| 2012

| The Mentalist

| Gary Philo

| Episode: "Cheap Burgundy"

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

| Jack Gilmore

| 2 episodes

2013

|Battledogs

|Major Brian Hoffman

|Television film

2021

| American Horror Story: Double Feature

| Richard Nixon

| 3 episodes

References

{{reflist}}