Tony Torn
American actor, director, and producer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anthony "Tony" Torn (born 1965[2]) is an American actor, director, and producer. He has made extensive appearances across film, television, and theatre. Torn is best known for his long-running involvement in the New York experimental theater community,[3] having worked with avant-garde directors Richard Foreman[4] and Reza Abdoh, and served as one of the founding directors of long-running New York City performance community Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping.[5][6][7] Torn is also known for his roles in Law & Order (1997–2009), 30 Rock (2009), The Good Wife (2010), Jason and Shirley (2015), The Blacklist (2018), Teenage Bounty Hunters (2020), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2021). He is the son of actors Rip Torn and Geraldine Page.[8]
1965 (age 60–61)
Tony Torn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anthony Sarrazin Torn 1965 (age 60–61) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations | Actor, director, producer |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse | |
| Parents | |
Career
Torn has an extensive theatrical career, having performed at the Signature Theatre Off-Broadway,[9] Classic Stage Company,[10] American Repertory Theater, La MaMa,[11] and the Cort Theater on Broadway.
Known as "a stalwart of the experimental theater," [12] Torn worked extensively with experimental playwrights, directors, and filmmakers Reza Abdoh and Richard Foreman, and has even been called a "crucial muse" to the latter.[13][14][15] He appeared in Abdoh's Father Was A Peculiar Man (1990), The Law of Remains (1991),[16] The Blind Owl (1992),[17] Tight Right White (1993), and Quotations From a Ruined City (1994), as well as Foreman's The Universe (1996), Paradise Hotel (1999),[18] and Now That Communism Is Dead My Life Feels Empty! (2004).[19] Torn also collaborated with lead performer William Talen to develop the character of Reverend Billy for the Stop Shopping Choir.[6]
In 2014, Torn co-directed and starred in Ubu Sings Ubu, an immersive performance adapting Ubu Roi and incorporating the music of avant-garage rock band Pere Ubu.[13][20]
In 2019, Torn played a fictionalized version of performance artist Paul Swan with avant-garde theatre company The Civilians.[12]
In 2024, Torn played the Roaring Twenties Faust-analogue J. G. Conwell in the original cast of Off-Broadway site-specific immersive theater production Life and Trust, created by the producers of Sleep No More.[21]
In 2024, Torn directed the United States premiere of The Whole of Time, "a feminist reworking of The Glass Menagerie by Argentinian playwright Romina Paula" which was staged at The Brick Theater in 2025. The Whole of Time was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Adaptation, extended multiple times, and positively reviewed, with The New Yorker singling out Torn's "beautifu[l]" direction.[3][22][23]
Filmography
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Trip to Bountiful | Twin | |
| 1989 | Wicked Stepmother | Street Hustler (as Anthony Torn) | |
| 1992 | The Blind Owl | ||
| 1997 | Chasing Amy | Cashier | |
| 1997 | Ill Gotten Gains | The Vet | |
| 1998 | Claudine's Return | Roscoe Measles | |
| 1998 | Whatever | Mr. Stanley | |
| 2004 | The Stepford Wives | Additional Stepford Husband | |
| 2007 | The Grand Inquisitor | Bill | Short film, Torn also directed |
| 2006 | The Convention | Gordon | Short film, Torn also directed and produced |
| 2008 | Lucky Days | Bobby | Also co-directed |
| 2010 | All Good Things | Theater Manager (as Anthony Torn) | |
| 2012 | Unchained Melody | Wolf (voice) | Short film |
| 2014 | The Disinherited | Pofiry | |
| 2015 | Jason and Shirley | Saul | |
| 2015 | My Milonga | Spiro | Short film, also produced |
| 2016 | Custody | Byron | |
| 2016 | Idee Fixe | Short film | |
| 2017 | The Wilde Wedding | Store Owner | |
| 2019 | The Assistant | Boss | |
| 2021 | Buried | Brian | Short film |
| 2021 | Bobbin | Tom | Short film |
| 2023 | A Simple Stone | Tony | Short film |
| 2024 | Exhibiting Forgiveness | Arthur | |
| 2024 | Invention | Tony | |
| 2016 | The Dutchman | Janitor | |
| 2025 | Late Fame | Paulie |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–2009 | Law & Order | Dr. Voss, Court Clerk #2, Remy | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | 30 Rock | Bertram Geiss | Episode: "Sun Tea" |
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Professor Dunn | Episode: "Doubt" |
| 2014 | Good Medicine | Thomas Jefferson | Episode: "Atari" |
| 2016 | Banker Madness! | Milton | Recurring |
| 2016 | BrainDead | Scientist Man | Episode: "Playing Politics" |
| 2018 | The Blacklist | The Toymaker | Episode: "The Invisible Hand" |
| 2020 | Teenage Bounty Hunters | Sister Jim | Episode: "This Must Be How Dumb Kids Feel" |
| 2021 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Larry Hughes | Episode: "Turn Me On Take Me Private" |
| 2023 | Staging Film | John Sleight | Episode: "The Bad Infinity" |
| 2025 | FBI: Most Wanted | Lev Sussman | Episode: "Ars Moriendi" |
Theater (partial)
- The Picture (2000, chashama) (The Large Gentleman)
- The Tempest (2008, Classic Stage Company) (Trinculo)
- Breakfast at Tiffany's (2013, Cort Theatre) (Rusty Trawler)
- Ubu Sings Ubu (2014, Abrons Art Center) (Pa Ubu)
- The Tempest (2014, La MaMa) (Stephano)
- Venus (2017, The Signature Theatre) (Cyclops/Mother)
- Paul Swan Is Dead and Gone (2019, Torn Page) (Paul Swan)
- King Lear (2024, La MaMa) (Lear/Oswald)