Wikipedia / Conrad Dunn
Wikipedia / Conrad Dunn
Conrad Dunn (born March 9, 1950) is an American actor. He began his screen career with the role of Francis "Psycho" Soyer in Stripes (1981). Working for some ten years under the name George Jenesky, he achieved soap-opera stardom in Days of Our Lives as Nick Corelli, a misogynistic pimp who evolved from bad guy to romantic lead. He returned to the name Conrad Dunn and began working extensively in Canadian as well as U.S. film and television. He excels as a villain, and has found depth in such TV films as We the Jury (1996) and the miniseries The Last Don (1997–1998). For two seasons he portrayed the freelance detective Saul Panzer in the A&E TV series Nero Wolfe (2001–2002). He is also a veteran stage performer and director who studied at East Los Angeles College, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles and the Stella Adler Conservatory in New York.
Life and career
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Conrad Dunn studied at East Los Angeles College, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles, and with Stella Adler in New York. After seeing him on the stage, a casting director asked him to read for the role of Francis "Psycho" Soyer in Stripes (1981), his first feature film. His introductory speech, described by one reviewer as "Conrad Dunn's adroit tribute to Travis Bickle", was singled out by film critic Roger Ebert:
The response from drill sergeant Hulka, played by Warren Oates—"Lighten up, Francis"—became a popular movie quote.
Taking the name George Jenesky, Dunn performed over seven seasons (1981–1990) in the NBC daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives. His character, Nick Corelli, became a fan favorite, a despicable pimp who evolved into a romantic lead and one of the show's main characters. Nick's murder was one of the series' notable whodunits.
He has made numerous appearances in films and on television, frequently as the villain. In the mid-1990s he returned to the name Conrad Dunn and began working extensively in Canada as well as the U.S. Notable TV roles include an antagonistic juror in the USA Network film We the Jury (1996), a remorseless mobster in two CBS miniseries (1997–1998) adapted from Mario Puzo's The Last Don, and the arch villain in the 2000 pilot for TNT's supernatural drama series Witchblade. In 2001 he joined the principal cast of the A&E TV series Nero Wolfe (2001–2002), portraying the superlatively competent freelance detective Saul Panzer for two seasons. His later appearances include the films Chicago (2002), Owning Mahowny (2003) and Ving Rhames' Animal 2 (2007), and the TV series Suits (2012).
In addition to his work in film and television, Dunn was artistic director of three acting companies—The Frances Farmer Memorial Players (1977–1979), The Fly by Night Players (1981–1982) and The Dakota Repertory Theatre Company (1983–1991). He produced and performed in two notable Los Angeles productions—the award-winning Guests of the Nation (1989), and the first Equity performance of Seed of Darkness: The Final Tale of Edgar Allan Poe (1990)—that were both directed by Ron Burrus, leading exponent of the work of Stella Adler.
Dunn's other stage credits include a 1994 production of Edward Albee's The Zoo Story, simultaneously performed in American Sign Language. "Notwithstanding the value of bringing this important work to a non-hearing audience, the energy of the gestures generated by the actors actually underscores the emotional impact of their fateful encounter," wrote Variety. He later performed in Jim Garrard's Peggy's Song in Toronto (2012), North Hollywood (2019) and Kingston, Ontario (2020), and was recognized as best actor in a play at the 2019 Valley Theatre Awards. Dunn has also directed many original one-act plays showcasing the writers and actors at the Actors Workout Studio, in the NoHo Arts District of Los Angeles.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1981 | Francis "Psycho" Soyer | ||
1981 | Days of Our Lives (TV series) | Nick Corelli | as George Jenesky |
1983 | T.J. Hooker (TV series) | Douglas Nelson | "Too Late for Love" |
1983 | Buffalo Bill (TV series) | "Woody Quits" | |
1983 | Alice (TV series) | Customer | "The Robot Wore Pink" |
1984 | Days of Our Lives | Nick Corelli | as George Jenesky |
1985 | Hill Street Blues (TV series) | Sonny Murdo | "You're in Alice's" |
1986 | Referee | as George Jenesky | |
1986 | Man with Umbrella at Phone Booth | as George Jenesky | |
1986 | Amazing Stories (TV series) | Gas Station AttendantWarden's Guard | "Gather Ye Acorns", as George Jenesky"Life on Death Row", as George Jenesky |
1986 | Hunter (TV series) | Rocket | "The Set Up", as George Jenesky |
1986–1990 | Days of Our Lives | Nick Corelli | as George Jenesky |
1988 | Quint | as George Jenesky | |
1989 | Slim Jim | as George Jenesky | |
1988 | Hunter | Tommy Orlowski | "Presumed Guilty", as George Jenesky |
1990 | Konefke | as George Jenesky | |
1990 | Dark Justice (TV series) | Ted | "Prime Cuts", as George Jenesky |
1992 | Tequila and Bonetti (TV series) | Wayne | "Mama", as George Jenesky |
1993 | Inside Edge | Hip-Hop | as George Jenesky |
1993 | as George Jenesky | ||
1995 | Highlander: The Series (TV series) | Matthew | |
1995 | The Marshal (TV series) | Louie-Louie | "Rainbow Comix" |
1995 | Due South (TV series) | Siracusa | "The Witness" |
1996 | Side Effects (TV series) | Dr. Irwin Pfaff | "Behind the Scenes" |
1996 | Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice (TV) | Henry Gore | |
1996 | Mask of Death | Frank Dallio | |
1996 | Klein "Supervisor" | ||
1996 | We the Jury (TV) | Rafael Ramos | |
1996 | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (TV series) | Mr. Marsden | "Who Is Kwai Chang Caine?" |
1997 | The Last Don (TV miniseries) | Lia Vazzi | |
1997 | F/X: The Series (TV series) | "Script Doctor" | |
1997 | Goosebumps (TV series) | Grimm | "The Barking Ghost" |
1997 | The New Ghostwriter Mysteries (TV series) | Harry | "Designer Crime" |
1998 | Mr. Headmistress | Farley | |
1998 | The Last Don II (TV miniseries) | Lia Vazzi | |
1999 | Traders (TV series) | "Eat the Loss" | |
1999 | Vendetta (TV) | Pasquale Corte | |
1999 | The Famous Jett Jackson (TV series) | Marley | "Saving Mr. Dupree" |
1999 | Black and Blue (TV) | Enrique | |
1999 | Execution of Justice (TV) | Gay Teacher | |
2000 | Harry's Case (TV) | ||
2000 | La Femme Nikita (TV series) | The Director of Red Cell | "Sleeping with the Enemy" |
2000 | Witchblade (TV) | Tommy Gallo | |
2000 | Urie | ||
2001 | Haven (TV miniseries) | Josef | |
2001–2002 | Nero Wolfe (TV series) | ||
2002 | Witchblade (TV series) | Tommy Gallo | "Emergence""Hierophant" |
2002 | Martin and Lewis (TV) | Lou Perry | |
2002 | Doctor | ||
2003 | Control Factor (TV) | Thrillkill | |
2003 | Edgar | ||
2003 | Blue Murder (TV series) | Kenney Roswell | "John Doe" |
2003 | Veritas: The Quest (TV series) | Moondawg | "Skulls" |
2004 | Direct Action | Captain Stone | |
2004 | Mr. Valenti | ||
2004 | Clubhouse (TV series) | Defense Lawyer | "Road Trip" |
2004 | The Eleventh Hour (TV series) | "Megan Ice Cream" | |
2005 | Cool Money (TV) | City | |
2006 | Puppets Who Kill (TV series) | Plumber | "Mr. Big" |
2006 | At the Hotel (TV series) | Señor Arioso | "Modern Solutions to Modern Problems" |
2006 | Covert One: The Hades Factor (TV miniseries) | Ghalib Hassan | |
2006 | Jeff Ltd. (TV series) | Vincent | "Ali Baba and the 40 Carpets""Nightmare on Stevens Street" |
2007 | Animal 2 | Kasada | |
2007 | Degrassi: The Next Generation (TV series) | Vlad | "Don't You Want Me?" |
2007 | The Dead Zone (TV series) | Frankie Toro | "Drift" |
2009 | Murdoch Mysteries (TV series) | Professor Otranto | "Snakes and Ladders" |
2011 | XIII: The Series (TV series) | Peralta | "Costa Verde" |
2012 | Suits (TV series) | Oscar Mendoza | "Break Point" |
Select theatre credits
Date | Title | Author | Role | Notes |
June 1977 | Venture Theatre, West HollywoodDirected by Joe Ivy | |||
October – October29, 1978 | ensemble cast | Stage 13, West HollywoodDirected by John Karlen | ||
September – October 1979 | The Girl Who Loved The Beatles | ensemble cast | Stage 13, West HollywoodDirected by Sam O'Neal | |
September – October 1979 | At Home | Conrad Bromberg | Stage 13, West HollywoodDirected by Conrad Dunn | |
August – September 12, 1982 | Split | Michael Weller | ensemble cast | McCadden Place Theater, Los AngelesDirected by Ron Burrus |
July – July16, 1983 | Jerry | The Gardner Stage, WestHollywood | ||
February – March29, 1986 | Neil McKenzie | Jeremiah | Night Flight Theatre, BurbankProduced and directed by Conrad Dunn | |
May 11 – June11, 1989 | Guests of the Nation | Neil McKenzie | 'Awkins | Court Theatre, Los AngelesDirected by Ron BurrusProduced by Conrad Dunn |
October – October20, 1989 | Domino Courts | Roy | Actors Forum, HollywoodDirected by Ron Burrus | |
April 6 – May28, 1990 | Seed of Darkness | Lawrence Riggins | Tamarind Theatre, HollywoodDirected by Ron BurrusProduced by Conrad Dunn | |
February – March 15, 1992 | Harry Roat Jr. | Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, Simi ValleyDirected by Frederick Hoffman | ||
April – May2, 1993 | The Zoo Story | Edward Albee | Jerry | Los Feliz Playhouse, LosAngelesDirected by Jodi Binstock |
March 25 – July30, 1994 | The Zoo Story | Edward Albee | Jerry | Actors Workout Studio, North HollywoodDirected by Jodi BinstockProduced by Conrad Dunn |
September 13–30, 2001 | The Uninvited Guest | Bonnie Anderson | Tarragon Extra Space, TorontoDirected by Conrad Dunn | |
November 8–12, 2012 | Peggy's Song | Jim Garrard | Patterson | Red Sandcastle Theatre, TorontoDirected by Conrad Dunn |
February 16 – March24, 2019 | Peggy's Song | Jim Garrard | Patterson | Actors Workout Studio, NorthHollywoodDirected by Conrad DunnProduced by Lisa Howard Cerone and Conrad DunnBest Lead Actor in a Play, 2019 Valley Theatre Awards |
January 23 – February9, 2020 | Peggy's Song | Jim Garrard | Patterson | Baby Grand Theatre, Kingston, OntarioDirected by Jacob James |
November 6–21, 2021 | The Uninvited Guest | Bonnie Anderson | The Sherry Theater, NorthHollywoodDirected by Conrad Dunn |
Notes
References
External links