Ed Begley, Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For his father, see Ed Begley.
| Ed Begley, Jr. | |
 Begley Jr. and Penny Marshall on the red carpet at the 40th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, August 28, 1988 |
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| Born | Edward James Begley, Jr. September 16, 1949 Los Angeles, California, United States |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Film, television, voice actor |
| Years active | 1970-present |
| Spouse(s) | Ingrid Taylor (1976-1989) Rachelle Carson (2000-present) |
| Official website | |
Edward James Begley, Jr. (born September 16, 1949) is an American actor, game show panelist and environmentalist. Begley is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Craig's intern, Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series St. Elsewhere, for which he received six consecutive Emmy Award nominations. He currently has a reality show about green living called Living With Ed on Planet Green with his wife, actress Rachelle Carson.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Personal life
Begley, Jr. was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Allene Jeanne Sanders and Academy Award winner Ed Begley, both actors (although at the time, Ed Begley was married to Amanda Huff).[1][2] He grew up on Merrick, Long Island, New York where he attended Stella Niagara Education Park Cadet school in Lewiston, New York. In 1962 the family moved back to California where he graduated from Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, California and Los Angeles Valley College in North Hollywood, California.[3]
He married his first wife, Ingrid Taylor, on October 31, 1976 and together had a daughter, Amanda Begley (born on October 3, 1977), and a son, Nicholas Taylor Begley (born on January 4, 1979). Ed and Ingrid divorced in October 1989. He then married Rachelle Carson on August 23, 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Together they had a son, Marc, born in 1989 and a daughter named Hayden.
[edit] Acting career
Begley, Jr.'s numerous works in television and film include one of his earliest appearances as a guest actor on Maude. He had recurring roles on Mary Hartman, 7th Heaven, Arrested Development and Six Feet Under, and starring roles in Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital, St. Elsewhere, and Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central). He has played significant roles in the mockumentary films Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration. Additionally, Begley played Viper pilot Greenbean on the original Battlestar Galactica TV series, Boba Fett in the radio adaptation of Return of the Jedi and Seth Gillette, a fictional Democratic U.S. senator from North Dakota in the television drama The West Wing. Since 2000, he has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
He has guest-starred on shows such as Scrubs, Boston Legal and Star Trek: Voyager, (Future's End, parts I and II). He had a recurring guest role in season three of Veronica Mars. Most recently, he appeared in the 2008 HBO film Recount, which profiled the 2000 Presidential Election and its aftermath, which was decided by the state of Florida's electoral votes. Begley, Jr. also made an appearance on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Season 3, episode 3 as a spokesman for Cinco.
In 2003, Begley wrote and directed the musical, Cesar and Ruben, at the El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles. The play was revived in 2007.
Begley's latest acting endeavor is on the new CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried. Begley plays Dr. Walter Krandall, the protagonist's former marriage counselor and fiancee of his ex-wife.
[edit] Environmental activism
Since 1970, he has been an environmentalist beginning with his first electric vehicle, a Taylor-Dunn[4] golf cart style vehicle, recycling, and becoming a vegan.[5] He promotes eco-friendly products like the Toyota Prius and Begley's Best Household Cleaner.
The Begley home is a modest 1,585 square feet (147.3 m2) in size utilizing solar power and also uses wind power via a PacWind vertical-axis wind turbine; an air conditioning unit cooled by Greenway Design Group, LLC.; an electricity generating bicycle used to toast bread, and he pays around $300 a year in electric bills.[6] Though he is noted for riding bicycles or uses public transportation, he owns a 2003 Toyota RAV4 EV electric powered vehicle.
His hybrid electric bicycle was often featured on his television show, Living With Ed. Begley also spoofed his own environmentalist beliefs on an episode of The Simpsons by showing himself using a nonpolluting go-cart that is powered by his "own sense of self-satisfaction."
Begley and friend Bill Nye, a fellow environmental activist, are in a competition to see who can have the lowest carbon footprint.
Begley also appeared in the Earth Day edition of The Price is Right. He announced the final showcase, which included a solar powered golf cart, and a Toyota Prius.
[edit] Environmental affiliations
- Environmental Media Association[7]
- Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
- The American Oceans Campaign[8]
- League of Conservation Voters
- Environmental Research Foundation
- Walden Woods Project
- Thoreau Institute
- Earth Communications Office
- Tree People
- Friends of the Earth
- Green Wish Inc[9]
As of 2007, Begley and his wife Rachelle Carson star in their own reality television series, Living With Ed, on HGTV and Discovery's Planet Green channel.[10] He received the prestigious "Thomas Alva Edison Award" for Energy Independence by the American Jewish Congress, the first of this award to be presented. Begley has been a leader in this field and was recognized November 2007 for his life's work to the planet.
[edit] Political Activism
[edit] 2004 Racism Watch
Begley was also on the advisory committee for the group 2004 Racism Watch, founded by fellow actor Ed Asner. The group was formed to respond to activities of the George W. Bush/Dick Cheney presidential campaign that they saw as encouraging racism.[11]
[edit] Filmography
- The Lottery (1969), Jack Watson
- Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972), Druffle
- Cockfighter (1972), Tom Peeples
- Goin' South (1978), Whitey Haber
- Elvis (1979), D. J. Fontana
- The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979), Rescuer #1
- The In-Laws (1979), Barry Lutz
- Private Lessons (1981), Jack Travis
- Buddy Buddy (1981), Lieutenant #1
- Cat People (1982), Joe Creigh
- Eating Raoul (1982), Hippie
- Get Crazy (1983), Colin Beverly
- Streets of Fire (1984), Ben Gunn
- Protocol (1984), Mr. Hassler
- This Is Spinal Tap (1984), John "Stumpy" Pepys
- Transylvania 6-5000 (1985), Gil Turner
- Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Griffin
- The Accidental Tourist (1988), Charles Leary
- She-Devil (1989), Bob Pattchet
- In The Best Interest of the Child (1990), Lawyer Howard Feldon
- Meet the Applegates (1991), Richard Applegate
- Dark Horse (1992), Jack Mills
- Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993), Rupert
- Renaissance Man (1994), Jack Markin
- The Pagemaster (1994), Alan Tyler
- Greedy (1994), Carl McTeague
- Batman Forever (1995), Fred Stickley
- Santa with Muscles (1996), Ebner Frost
- Addams Family Reunion (1998), Dr. Phillip Adams (of the single "D" Adams')
- The Simpsons - Homer to the Max (1998), Himself
- Best in Show (2000), Mark Schafer
- Get Over It (2001), Frank Landers
- Back by Midnight (2002), Robert Wade
- The Weakest Link (2002), Himself (NBC All-Stars Edition, Winner)
- A Mighty Wind (2003), Lars Olfen
- Raising Genius (2004), Dr. Curly Weeks
- Alone in a Crowd (2005), Unknown
- Arrested Development (2005-2006), Stan Sitwell
- Eco 4 the World (2006), Himself
- For Your Consideration (2006), Sandy Lane
- Pittsburgh (2006), Himself
- Veronica Mars (2006), Dean Cyrus O'Dell
- CSI Miami (2007), Supervisor O' Shay
- Fly Me to the Moon (2008), Poopchev (voice)
- Recount (2008), David Boies
- Pineapple Express (2008), Robert Anderson
- Gary Unmarried (2008), Dr. Walter Krandall
- Whatever Works (2009), TBA
[edit] References
- ^ Ed Begley, Jr. Biography (1949-)
- ^ Rooted to the Cause; Ed Begley Jr. shines in a world in which some stars are environmentalists only when the cameras are on. He lives what he preaches
- ^ Hollywood.com, Ed Begley, Jr.
- ^ The Free Library: Ed Begley, Jr.
- ^ "Ed Begley Jr.: Actor and Environmentalist". VegFamily. http://www.vegfamily.com/interviews/ed-begley-jr.htm. Retrieved on 2008-08-19.
- ^ The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, April 25, 2008
- ^ EMA - Environmental Media Association
- ^ Oceana – Protecting the World’s Oceans: International Protection and Restoration
- ^ Green Wish | Seeding the Future | Getting Green Going Non-profit Charity
- ^ "Living With Ed". HGTV.com. http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/pac_ctnt_988/text/0,,HGTV_22056_56190,00.html. Retrieved on 2006-12-27.
- ^ "2004 Racism Watch Calls On Bush-Cheney Campaign to Change or Pull Offensive Ad". Common Dreams. http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0331-04.htm. Retrieved on 2008-10-04.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ed Begley, Jr. |
- Ed Begley, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
- Ed Begley, Jr. at Allmovie
- Ed Begley, Jr. at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
- Ed Begley, Jr. official site
- Begley's Best Household Cleaner
- http://www.myspace.com/livingwithed
- The TreeHugger Interview: Ed Begley, Jr.
- Currie Technologies
option=com_search&Itemid=5&searchword=Ed+Begley&submit=Search&searchphrase=exact&ordering=newest Writings at One For The Table]
