Jonathan Tucker

Jonathan Moss Tucker (born May 31, 1982)^[1] is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films The Virgin Suicides (1999), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), Hostage (2005), In the Valley of Elah (2007), The Ruins (2008), and Charlie's Angels (2019). He has appeared in the television series The Black Donnellys (2007), Parenthood (2011–2013), Kingdom (2014–2017), Justified (2015), Snowfall (2018), Westworld (2018–2022), City on a Hill (2019), and Debris (2021).

Early life

Tucker was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to parents Maggie Moss, a public relations and marketing analyst and executive, and Paul Hayes Tucker,^[2] a professor of art at the University of Massachusetts Boston and a leading expert on Claude Monet.^[3] His paternal great-grandfather was historian and ambassador Carlton J. H. Hayes.^[4] His aunt and uncle, Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, founded and co-direct the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology.^[5]

His father is Irish Catholic and his mother is Jewish and of Romanian Jewish descent.^[6]

Tucker was raised in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and attended The Park School in Brookline, Massachusetts.^[7] He attended the Boston Ballet and played Fritz in their production of The Nutcracker for 5 years starting when he was in the third grade.^[7] He was featured in a Boston Ballet calendar and attended The Thacher School in Ojai, California.^[8] Tucker said of his ballet experience, "Ballet is one of the more difficult rigors that I've ever done. The Ballet instructors are some of the most intimidating people I've met."^[7]

Career

Tucker first started off in film by appearing in the early 1990s films Botte di Natale (1994), Two If by Sea (1996) and Sleepers (1996) before being cast in the 1999 film The Virgin Suicides as Tim Weiner.^{[7][9][10][11]}

He starred as Matthew in the 2000 comedy film 100 Girls.^[12] A year later, he co-starred in Sundance hit The Deep End with Tilda Swinton and Josh Lucas.^[13] In 2003, Tucker was cast in the much anticipated re-imagining of the 1974 horror film of the same name, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre produced by Michael Bay and directed by Marcus Nispel.^[8] In 2004, he appeared in the films Stateside and Criminal.^[14][15]

In the 2005 film Hostage, Tucker worked alongside Bruce Willis and Ben Foster. Tucker plays Dennis Cooper, one of the brothers that, along with their mysterious accomplice Mars, holds a family hostage.^[16] Tucker was directed by Paul Haggis twice in 2007: he starred as Tommy Lee Jones's son in the film In the Valley of Elah as a soldier who is permanently changed by war after returning from Iraq;^[17] he also played Tommy Donnelly in the NBC TV series The Black Donnellys.^[18]

In 2008, he was cast in The Ruins, a thriller based on the novel by Scott Smith and directed by Carter Smith.^[19]

He portrayed emerging artist Patrick Angus in the 2009 film An Englishman in New York, opposite John Hurt as Quentin Crisp. The biographical drama chronicles Crisp's later years spent in New York City. He then appeared in the 2010 film The Next Three Days with Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks, marking his third collaboration with Haggis.^[20]

It was announced in November 2011 that Tucker had signed on to the TV series Parenthood.^[18] He played the role of Mayor Bob Little from 2011 to 2014.

Tucker had a main role on the 2014 DirecTV drama series Kingdom. He played Jay, a mixed martial artist and son of trainer, Alvey Kulina,^[21] for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor by Entertainment Weekly, which described his work as "one of the most electric performances on television."^[22]

In 2015, Tucker also appeared in the final five episodes of the TV series Justified on FX as the crazy-eyed Boon — a cross between Billy the Kid and Travis Bickle.^[23]

Continuing his collaboration with Bryan Fuller, having appeared in the second season of Hannibal, Tucker starred as Low-Key Lyesmith in Starz's American Gods, adapted from Neil Gaiman's 2001 novel.^[24]

Tucker co-wrote the song "Champagne Problems" on Nick Jonas' 2016 album Last Year Was Complicated.^[25]

Beginning in 2019, Tucker played Frankie Ryan, a Boston gangster, in the Showtime crime drama City on a Hill.

In 2021, Tucker played the lead role of CIA operative Bryan Beneventi in the short-lived NBC science fiction series Debris.^[26]

Personal life

On June 16, 2012, Tucker married Tara Ahamed, daughter of economic historian Liaquat Ahamed.^[3] They have twins, a son and daughter born May 15, 2019.^[27]

Tucker practices Transcendental Meditation to offset loneliness on film locations.^[8] He is the founder of the nonprofit organization Pegasus Fund.^[3]

In 2023, Tucker wrote a letter of support for actor Danny Masterson before he was due to be sentenced for two counts of rape.^[28][29]

In June 2024, he helped evacuate a neighboring family from their home during a home invasion.^[30]

Works

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ Jonathan Tucker biography, filmreference.com, May 31, 1982; retrieved May 30, 2012.
2. ^ "Art Historian Paul Hayes Tucker - University of Massachusetts Boston". www.umb.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-02-26. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
3. ^ "Tara Ahamed, Jonathan Tucker Wedding Announcement". The New York Times. June 17, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
4. ^ Lisa Zwirn "An Art Historian Does Wonders With Wall Space", The Boston Globe.
5. ^ "The Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology". fore.yale.edu. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
6. ^ Chang, Kee (December 11, 2015). "Q&A with Jonathan Tucker". Anthem Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
7. ^ "The Gonz Show: Jonathan Tucker extended". Boston Magazine. January 2007. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
8. ^ Lance Avery Morgan (November 10, 2010). "Jonathan Tucker: Personal Best". The Society Chronicles. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
9. ^ Lancia, Enrico (2001). Dizionario del cinema italiano. 1. ed. Roma: Gremese. p. 119. ISBN 8884400856. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
10. ^ "Two if By Sea (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
11. ^ Jeremy Taylor (June 19, 2013). "See the Cast of 'The Virgin Suicides' Then and Now Read More: See the Cast of 'The Virgin Suicides' Then and Now". Screen Crush. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
12. ^ "100 Girls (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
13. ^ Roger Ebert (August 15, 2001). "The Deep End Movie Review & Film Summary (2001)". Roger Ebert Online. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
14. ^ "Stateside (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
15. ^ Stephen Holden (September 10, 2004). "Cons Meet Their Match: They Swindle Each Other". The New York Times. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
16. ^ "Hostage (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
17. ^ Wesley Morris (September 14, 2007). "After 'Crash,' directory explores Iraq war's emotional wreckage". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
18. ^ Natalie Abrams (November 2, 2011). "Black Donnellys' Jonathan Tucker Heading to Parenthood". TV Guide. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
19. ^ Mark Olsen (April 5, 2008). "Feeling stuck in 'The Ruins'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
20. ^ Jay A. Fernandez (November 9, 2010). "IT'S A SIGN: 'Potter' Star Rupert Grint Signs With Gersh, Jonathan Tucker with UTA, More". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
21. ^ "Stepping into the Cage with KINGDOM's Jonathan Tucker". DirecTV. November 5, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
22. ^ "Best Supporting Actor - Jonathan Tucker, Kingdom - Poppy Awards 2016 - Your drama nominees are...". EW.com. 2016-08-22. Archived from the original on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
23. ^ Teresa Jue (January 7, 2015). "Jonathan Tucker joins 'Justified' for final season". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
24. ^ Trumbore, Dave (2017-01-09). "'American Gods' Star Jonathan Tucker on Filming Alongside Death Row Prisoners". Collider. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
25. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: How 'Kingdom's' Jonathan Tucker Helped Nick Jonas Channel Heartbreak Into Song". Entertainment Tonight. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
26. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 11, 2020). "Jonathan Tucker To Star In NBC Sci-Fi Drama Pilot 'Debris'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
27. ^ "Kingdom Star Jonathan Tucker and Wife Tara Welcome Twins: 'We Cannot Believe Our Good Fortune'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
28. ^ Patten, Dominic (2023-09-08). "Danny Masterson Sentencing: Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Giovanni Ribisi & Others Praise “Good Friend”, Ask Judge For No Prison Time For Convicted Rapist". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
29. ^ Ortega, Tony (13 September 2023). "More letters — from Ethan Suplee and others — on behalf of Danny Masterson to Judge Olmedo". The Underground Bunker
30. ^ "Actor Jonathan Tucker rescues family during home invasion in Los Angeles". June 3, 2024.
31. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 11, 2020). "Jonathan Tucker To Star In NBC Sci-Fi Drama Pilot 'Debris'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 29, 2020.

External links

• Jonathan Tucker at IMDb