Prior Walter

Background:

"If you want to be a theater actor, where do you live now? Young actors struggle on a Broadway salary. A lot of them live in shoe boxes; some of them are literally three to a shoe box. New York has gotten prohibitively expensive." Stephen Spinella.

Two-time Tony winner Stephen Spinella, who has long displayed his versatility with a wide range of roles in film, television and the theater, has been vaulted from obscurity with his frighteningly realistic portrayal of AIDS-ravaged Prior Walter in Tony Kushner's two-part stage epic, "Angels in America." The lanky, light-haired, openly gay actor has since played in a number of gay-related themes on stage, film and TV, including as an AIDS victim in the Emmy-winning HBO movie "And the Band Played On" (1993), as a gay real estate agent in the film "Tarantella" (1995), and as Perry Sellars, half of a long-term gay couple in Off-Broadway production of Terrence McNally's "Love! Valour! Compassion!" and in Joe Mantello's 1997 feature adaptation. He also played Thomas, the longtime lover of an AIDS patient, in David Rabe's play "A Question of Mercy" (1997).

Meanwhile, the Italy-born, Arizona-raised Tisch School of the Arts graduate also appeared in the films "Virtuosity" (1995), "The Jackal" (1997), "Great Expectations" (1998), "Ravenous" (1999), "Cradle Will Rock" (1999), "Connie and Carla" (2004), and "House of D" (2004). Next, he will be seen in the upcoming film "Milk," Gus Van Sant-directed biographical drama about California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk (portrayed by Sean Penn).

On stage, Spinella's other theater credits include “James Joyce's The Dead” (with Christopher Walken), “A View from the Bridge,” “Our Town” (with Paul Newman), “Electra” (with Claire Bloom), and “Troilus and Cressida.”

As for his TV works, Spinella has appeared as a guest in such popular TV shows as “Alias,” “Frasier,” “Law & Order,” and “Ed.” He also co-starred with Richard Dreyfuss in the short-lived CBS drama series "The Education of Max Bickford" (2001-2002) and had a recurring role as Miles Papazian (2006) on FOX critically-acclaimed action drama "24."

Arizona Native

Childhood and Family:

Born in Naples, Italy, on October 11, 1956, Stephen Nicholas Spinella was raised in Glendale, Arizona. Son to a father who was an America naval airplane mechanic, he attended Glendale High School in Glendale, Arizona, and then Phoenix College and the University of Arizona, where he graduated from the drama department. He later moved to New York in 1979 and studied at New York University (NYU). He received an MFA degree in Acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 1982.

Spinella currently resides in New York and Los Angeles.

Angels in America

Career:

Moving to New York in 1979, Stephen Spinella studied at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and received his MFA degree in Acting in 1982. During this time, he supported himself by working in restaurants while acting in regional theater and off off Broadway shows. It was also at the NYU where he met the budding playwright Tony Kushner, who, after seeing Spinella in a university production, offered him to appear in his play, "The Age of Assassins." Since that time, Kushner began writing parts specifically for Spinella.

In 1989, Spinella originated role of AIDS-ravaged Prior Walter in readings of Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning two-part stage epic "Angels in America" at San Francisco's Eureka Theatre. He subsequently played the Prior Walter character in first workshop production of "Angels" at L.A.'s Mark Taper Forum in 1990 and later in seven-hour marathon of "Angels" at Taper in 1992.

Spinella eventually brought his Prior Walter character to Broadway in "Angels in America: Millenium Approaches" (May 4, 1993 – December 4, 1994), for which he won a Tony Award for Best Actor (Featured Role – Play). He would later reprise the role of Prior Walter in the second part of Kushner's epic, "Angels in America: Perestroika" (December 14, 1997 - August 30, 1998), which won him another Tony Award, this time for Best Actor (Play).

Meanwhile, the openly gay actor, who has been vaulted from obscurity with his frighteningly realistic portrayal of AIDS-ravaged Prior Walter, has since played that kind of character in a number of film and TV. He appeared for the first time on TV in a cameo role as Brandy Alexander, a man dying from AIDS complications, in the Emmy-winning HBO movie "And the Band Played On" (1993). Afterwards, he had a small role as Frank, a gay real estate agent, in the 1995 film "Tarantella" with Mira Sorvino.

He also garnered praise for his work as Perry Sellars, a buttoned-up accountant, half of a long-term gay couple, in Off-Broadway production of Terrence McNally's "Love! Valour! Compassion!" He would later recreated the role of Perry Sellars in Joe Mantello's 1997 feature adaptation.

During this time, Spinella appeared as the villainous Lindenmayer, the creator of a vicious computer-generated serial killer (played by Russell Crowe), in Brett Leonard's sci-fi thriller movie "Virtuosity" (1995), had a small role in "The Jackal" (1997; starring Bruce Willis), and had a supporting role in the feature "The Unknown Cyclist" (1998).

He also has periodically returned to the NY stage, playing Thomas, the longtime lover of an AIDS patient who is contemplating suicide, in David Rabe's "A Question of Mercy" (1997) at the New York Theatre Workshop, and acted in the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge" (December 3, 1998 - March 21, 1999). In 1998, he also supported Claire Bloom and Zoe Wanamaker, playing Servant to Orestes, in "Electra" play by Sophocles, which was initially mounted at the McCarter Theatre in New Jersey before coming on Broadway.

Spinella wrapped the decade by appearing in Tim Robbins' period drama "Cradle Will Rock" and portraying an alcoholic medic in "Ravenous." He also made an NYC musical theater debut in a co-starring role in the limited Broadway musical "James Joyce's The Dead." Acting opposite Christopher Walken, Blair Brown, and Marni Nixon, Spinella scored a Tony nomination for Best Actor (Featured Role – Musical) for his performance in the play.

After acting in the New York Shakespeare Festival Central Park production of "The Seagull" (2001), which was helmed by Mike Nichols, Spinella co-starred as Simon Stimson, alongside Jane Curtin and Paul Newman, in Newman's return to live theater at Westport Country Playhouse, Connecticut, "Our Town" (June 2002), a play by Thornton Wilder. He then was cast as Robert/Peaches in the comedy movie written by Nia Vardalos, "Connie and Carla" (2004), and played Dominique de Villepin in "Stuff Happens" play by David Hare at Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, California, in June 2005.

In late 2006, Spinella played "The Adult Men" in the Tony-winning rock musical based on the controversial 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind, "Spring Awakening" at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on Broadway.

By this time, Spinella had added to his resume with guest spots in such TV shows as "Law & Order," "Ed," "Frasier," "Without a Trace," "Huff," "Alias," "Everwood," "Will & Grace," "Grey's Anatomy," "Nip/Tuck," and "Heroes." He also co-starred with Richard Dreyfuss in the short-lived CBS drama series "The Education of Max Bickford" (2001-2002) and had a recurring role as Miles Papazian (2006) on FOX critically-acclaimed action drama series starring Kiefer Sutherland, "24."

Spinella recently guest-starred in a September 2007 episode of NBC cop/crime drama "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," as well as appeared in the films "And Then Came Love" (2007), Richard Schenkman's romantic comedy starring Vanessa Williams, and "Stone & Ed" (2008), Adam Meyerowitz's comedy starring Travis Wester and Ian Reed Kesler.

He is currently on set and will soon complete his upcoming film, "Milk," Gus Van Sant-directed biographical drama about California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk (portrayed by Sean Penn). The film will also feature Emile Hirsch, James Franco, and Josh Brolin.

Awards:

• Tony: Lead Actor in a Play, "Angels in America: Perestroika," 1994

• Tony: Featured Actor in a Play, "Angels in America: Millennium Approaches," 1993