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Josh Charles

Highest Rated: 92% Framing John DeLorean (2019)

Lowest Rated: Crossworlds (1996)

Birthday: Sep 15, 1971

Birthday:

Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Actor Josh Charles enjoyed early success with roles in "Dead Poets Society" (1989) and "Threesome" (1994) but was perhaps best-known for his Emmy-nominated turn as womanizing lawyer Will Gardner in political drama "The Good Wife" (CBS, 2009-2016). Born in Baltimore, MD in 1971 to a gossip columnist mother and ad executive father, Josh Charles began performing as a nine-year-old and while attending the Baltimore School for the Arts made his screen debut playing a council member in John Waters' cult classic "Hairspray" (1988). A year later, he was cast as prep school romanticist Knox Overstreet in inspirational drama "Dead Poets Society" (1989) while in TV movie "Murder in Mississippi" (1990) he portrayed Andrew Goodman, the real-life civil rights activist killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan. After playing Christina Applegate's love interest Bryan in comedy "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" (1991), Charles shared the screen with Stephen Baldwin in both drug-smuggling tale "Crossing the Bridge" (1992) and love triangle dramedy "Threesome" (1994), showed up in sporting drama "Cooperstown" (1993) and took minor roles in "Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead" (1995) and "Coldblooded" (1995). Charles then played Marilyn Monroe's rumored lover Eddie Jordan in "Norma Jean & Marilyn" (HBO, 1996), was cast as the romantic lead in "Pie in the Sky" (1996) and added buried treasure adventure "The Grave" (1996), sci-fi thriller "Crossworlds" (1996) and relationship drama "Little City" (1997) to his filmography. Charles landed his first recurring role, sports news anchor Dan Rydell, in the Aaron Sorkin-created "Sports Night" (ABC, 1998-2000), before playing an agent in "Muppets from Space" (1999), aspiring writer in "Meeting Daddy" (2000) and real-life radio producer Dave Isay in "Our America" (2002). Charles continued to rack up the credits with supporting parts in actioner "S.W.A.T." (2003), open relationship comedy "Seeing Each Other People" (2004), vengeance tale "Four Brothers" (2005) and rom-com "The Ex" (2007) before landing an eight-episode stint as couples therapy patient Jake on "In Treatment" (HBO, 2008-2010). A year later Charles was cast as Alicia's old law school friend Will Gardner on "The Good Wife" (CBS, 2009-2016), famously being fatally shot in the fifth season in one of the decade's most shocking TV deaths. During his six-year spell on the hit legal drama, Charles also showed up in psychological horror "After.Life" (2009), John Krasinski's directorial debut "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" (2009) and dramedy "Adult Beginners" (2015) took top billing as businessman Gary Newman in arthouse two-hander "Bird People" (2014) and guested on ten episodes of period drama "Masters of Sex" (Showtime, 2013-16) as perfume mogul Dan Logan. After playing Sarah Silverman's husband in indie drama "I Smile Back" (2015) and lawyer Bryan Kelder in LGBT tale "Freeheld" (2015) Charles got the chance to showcase his comic talents as rich brat Duke Snyder in "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" (Netflix, 2015-19), rival camp leader Blake in "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp" (Netflix, 2015) and the boyfriend of Tina Fey's war reporter in "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" (2016). But he soon returned to more dramatic fare, playing a financier in political drama "Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer" (2016), a child psychiatrist haunted by his past in "The Journey" (2018) and a basketball coach in "Amateur" (2018), as well as enjoying a seven-episode spell as Dr. Jerome Oziel in "Law & Order True Crime" (NBC, 2017). After being cast as sports agent Casey Close in Roger Ailes biopic "The Loudest Voice" (Showtime, 2019), Charles played another real-life figure, automotive engineer Bill Collins, in docudrama "Framing John DeLorean" (2019).

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Highest rated movies

92% 64% Framing John DeLorean Watchlist 87% 57% Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer Watchlist 86% 72% Memory Watchlist 85% 92% Dead Poets Society Watchlist 68% 54% Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Watchlist 63% 58% Muppets From Space Watchlist
60% 42% Norma Jean & Marilyn
Watchlist
67% Amateur
Watchlist
59% 40% Bird People
Watchlist
53% 80% Four Brothers Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
53% 44% Mothers' Instinct Damian (Character) - 2024
86% 72% Memory Isaac (Character) $378.7K 2023
92% 64% Framing John DeLorean Bill Collins (Character) $145.6K 2019
No Score Yet 67% Amateur Coach Gaines (Character) - 2018
46% 18% The Drowning Tom (Character) - 2016
87% 57% Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer Taub (Character) $3.8M 2016
68% 54% Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Chris (Character) $23.0M 2016
49% 62% I Smile Back Bruce (Character) $57.7K 2015
49% 54% Freeheld Bryan Kelder (Character) $533.0K 2015
49% 31% Adult Beginners Phil (Character) $104.4K 2014
59% 40% Bird People Gary Newman (Character) $14.2K 2014
No Score Yet 41% Weakness Bart (Character) - 2010
24% 33% After.Life Tom Petersen (Character) - 2009
40% 32% Brief Interviews With Hideous Men Subject 2 (Character) $27.9K 2009
25% 45% The Darwin Awards Paramedic (Character) - 2006
53% 80% Four Brothers Detective Fowler (Character) $74.5M 2005
41% 34% Seeing Other People Lou (Character) $86.6K 2004
48% 52% S.W.A.T. T.J. McCabe (Character) $116.6M 2003
No Score Yet 61% Our America David Isay (Character) - 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet Zog's Place Unknown (Character) - 2001
63% 58% Muppets From Space Agent Barker (Character) $16.3M 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet Meeting Daddy Peter Silverblatt (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet 64% Little City Adam (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Underworld Ehrlich (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet 48% The Grave Tyn (Character) - 1996
60% 42% Norma Jean & Marilyn Eddie Jordan (Character) - 1996
No Score Yet 40% Crossworlds Joe Talbot (Character) - 1996
No Score Yet 42% Pie in the Sky Charlie Dunlap (Character) - 1995
No Score Yet 68% Coldblooded Randy (Character) $8.4K 1995
26% 55% Threesome Eddy (Character) $14.0M 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cooperstown Jody (Character) - 1993
No Score Yet 53% Crossing the Bridge Mort Golden (Character) $430.4K 1992
35% 57% Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead Bryan (Character) $23.0M 1991
No Score Yet 59% Murder in Mississippi Andrew Goodman (Character) - 1990
85% 92% Dead Poets Society Knox Overstreet (Character) $94.5M 1989

TV

Credit
54% 52% The Veil Max Peterson (Character) 2024
No Score Yet 44% The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Guest 2014 2017 2019-2020 2022 2024
93% 78% We Own This City Daniel Hersl (Character) 2022
60% 59% Away Matt Green (Character) 2020
55% 94% The Loudest Voice Casey Close (Character) 2019
No Score Yet 81% Drunk History Unknown (Guest Star) 2016 2018
64% 86% Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murderers Dr. Jerome Oziel (Character) 2017
No Score Yet 80% Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Forensic Scientist (Guest Star) 2017
No Score Yet 57% Wet Hot American Summer - Ten Years Later Blake (Character) 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet Match Game Guest 2016
93% 91% The Good Wife Will Gardner (Character),
Unknown (Guest Star),
Director
2009-2014 2016
84% 85% Masters of Sex Unknown (Guest Star) 2015
No Score Yet 18% The Late Late Show With James Corden Guest 2015
No Score Yet 61% Late Night With Seth Meyers Guest 2014
100% 78% Late Show With David Letterman Guest 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Chew Guest 2013
No Score Yet No Score Yet Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Guest 2009-2011 2013
No Score Yet No Score Yet Curiosity Narrator 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Talk Guest 2011
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rachael Ray Guest 2010
78% 83% Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Sean Kelley (Guest Star) 2008
90% 57% In Treatment Jake (Character) 2008
90% 93% Sports Night Dan Rydell (Character) 1998-2000
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Daily Show Guest 1999
42% No Score Yet Six Degrees Unknown (Guest Star)