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 | |
Anthony 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]
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 films 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)
References
- "WEDDINGS; Lee Ann Brown, Anthony Torn". New York Times. June 2, 2002. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- "WEDDING; Beth F. Milles, Anthony S. Torn". New York Times. October 8, 1995. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- Sims, Joey (September 2025). "Tony Torn Confronts His Family Legacy in The Whole of Time". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Simonson, Robert (April 26, 2000). "Tony Torn Appears in NYC Premiere of Ionesco's Picture, May 17". Playbill. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Josh, Godfrey (March 17, 2000). "Reviews: Reverend Billy". Theater Mania. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Buckley, Cara (July 31, 2024). "'Earthalujah!': A Rebel 'Pastor' Preaches for the Planet". The New York Times. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Kalb, Jonathan (February 27, 2000). "SPRING THEATER/VISIONS OF AMERICA; The Downtown Gospel According to Reverend Billy". The New York Times. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- Bromley, Kirk Wood (June 23, 2000). "Quick Wit: Tony Torn". Theater Mania. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Vine, Hannah (April 27, 2017). "Take a First Look at Suzan-Lori Parks' Venus at the Signature". Playbill. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Isherwood, Charles (September 19, 2008). "Music in Shakespeare's Island Chaos". The New York Times. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Collins-Hughes, Laura (October 14, 2014). "An Island of Eerie Lighting and Delightful Sounds". The New York Times. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Green, Jesse (May 2, 2019). "Review: 'Paul Swan Is Dead and Gone,' but First, He's Dévastaté". The New York Times.
- Shaw, Helen (April 24, 2014). "Review: 'Ubu Sings Ubu'". TimeOut.
- "A Theatrical Wunderkind, Gone Too Soon, Gets a Museum Show (Published 2018)". The New York Times. June 21, 2018.
- Arthur, Marc (June 4, 2018). "The Haunting of Reza Abdoh". BOMB Magazine. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- "Theater in Review (Published 1992)". The New York Times. February 26, 1992.
- "The Blind Owl. 1992. Written and directed by Reza Abdoh". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- "THEATER REVIEW; the Difference Between Sex and Sexy (Published 1999)". The New York Times. January 27, 1999.
- "THEATER REVIEW; Nothing is for Sure, Except All Isms Are Out (Published 2001)". The New York Times. January 17, 2001.
- Collins-Hughes, Laura (April 18, 2014). "Two Schemers, Crossing All Kinds of Boundaries". The New York Times.
- Alter, Rebecca (June 27, 2024). "Sleep No More Producers Return With New Show Life and Trust". Vulture. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- Rabinowitz, Chloe. "THE WHOLE OF TIME to Return For Encore Engagement at The Brick Theater". BroadwayWorld.com.
- Shaw, Helen (September 8, 2025). "The Whole of Time". The New Yorker.