ERIC CLOSE - (John Loengard)
As
an avid reader of history, Eric Close regards his most recent role as a
means of transporting himself back to the era of the Kennedys and Camelot
-- a perfect way to experience the 1960s after getting secondhand reports
from his Baby Boomer parents for years.
"Acting lets you travel around in time periods and locales much like a time machine," says Close, who co-starred last season on NBC's "Sisters." "My generation has always heard about the Kennedys from our parents; there's a definite aura about them. I've done some related research now that I'm going to be 'living' during that time."
The oldest of three brothers, Close was born on Staten Island in New York but moved to Indiana and Michigan before settling with his family in San Diego when he was seven. He began acting as a child in school plays, and while he loved the adrenaline rush of performing even then, he largely ignored the acting impulse through high school and college at USC. However, before Close graduated in 1989 with a B.A. in communications, he appeared in student films as a favor to cinema student friends.
Close actually intended to direct some day, but supported himself in commercials until he appeared in "Rat Songs," at a small theater in Los Angeles. He got an agent, continued studying, and won his first speaking part as a prison inmate in "American Me," a searing feature film starring Edward James Olmos. He also starred in the dramatic feature "Safe House," produced by documentarian Elena Mannus.
Close appeared in his favorite role to date as a "suicidal juvenile delinquent" in "Thanksgiving Cries," a play in a small Los Angeles theater. He was cast as athlete Sawyer Walker on NBC's daytime drama "Santa Barbara," then became a series regular on "McKenna" in 1994. Last season, he again was a series regular as a police officer in "Sisters." His TV movies include "Tell Laura I Love Her," "Stranger Beside Me," "Keeping Secrets"and "Without Consent."
As the idealistic Loengard, Close portrays a congressional aide who discovers the truth about a stealthlike extraterrestrial invasion -- and the equally clandestine government attempt to keep its investigation under wraps. "My character becomes a warrior because his beliefs in justice and his country are shattered by a top-secret agency more powerful than the government he serves," he says. "He's not a superman, but he just reacts and rises to the occasion while committed to protecting his girlfriend when she needs it."
An active outdoorsman, Close's arm-long list of leisure interests includes fly-fishing, skiing, sailing, surfing, rock-climbing, golfing, tennis, horseback riding, and traveling around the world. Close is married and lives in Los Angeles. He was born on May 24.