User:Brianavers/sandbox

Brian Avers is an American actor and director, best known for performances on stage and television, including as Pierre in the Broadway version of Florian Zeller's Academy Award-winning The Father (opposite Frank Langella, 2016 Tony Award Winner for Best Actor, directed by Doug Hughes), and the American premiere of Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll (opposite Rufus Sewell and Brian Cox, directed by Trevor Nunn, nominated for 4 Tony Awards including Best Play  ), along with leading roles in notable off-Broadway productions including King Lear at the Public Theater (as Edgar, opposite Kevin Kline) , and premieres by celebrated playwrights Theresa Rebeck , Nell Benjamin , and Itamar Moses. Television appearances have included memorable guest-starring roles on Castle, Law & Order SVU, The Closer, Blue Bloods, Medium, and NCIS Los Angeles as Special Agent Mike Renko.

Early life & Career
Brian was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, first appearing on stage as an infant, in The Royal Family at Players Theater, before re-discovering acting at Thomas Worthington High School, performing in a number of classic plays including the title role in Tartuffe, as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1996. Receiving a BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College, Brian also trained in London before joining New York University's MFA program, where he earned the A.V. Global Fellowship in the Arts.

Brian debuted on Broadway in 2006, performing as an alternate in the lead role of Martin McDonagh's smash hit, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, before joining James Lapine's production of King Lear, as Edgar (featuring incidental music from Stephen Sondheim ). Brian's since appeared in leading roles for premieres at Manhattan Theater Club, Playwright's Horizons, Primary Stages, South Coast Repertory and Barrington Stage, returning to Broadway to play Stephen in Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll, Pierre in Florian Zeller's The Father and several weeks in the leading role of Scott, in American Son, opposite Kerry Washington.

Guest appearances on television have included Law & Order, Blue Bloods, Instinct, Life on Mars, Numbers, The Closer, Person of Interest, Unforgettable, Golden Boy, Law & Order Special Victim's Unit, FBI, and recurring roles on Medium, NCIS and NCIS Los Angeles (as Mike Renko). Brian's voice has been heard in national commercials, characters for Rockstar Games, and audiobooks in varying genres for Audible. As a director, writer and producer, Brian co-created independent comedy The Weekend (2013), featuring Heather Lind, Amber Gray and Bhavesh Patel. In 2019, he worked with celebrated physicist Brian Greene on a special production for PBS about the life of Albert Einstein, Light Falls.

Critics have praised Brian's stage work, calling him "a delicious stage creature, delivering sparks, laughs, and withering comebacks" (Los Angeles Times), "a standout" (Hollywood Reporter ), "excellent, a fine New York stage actor" (NBC New York) , "brilliant, bombastic, provocative and absolutely riveting to watch" (The Wrap) , "riotously funny; words roll off Avers' tongue like a dagger" (Broadway World). Regarding King Lear, Jeremy McCarter of New York Magazine wrote "Impressive is Brian Avers, who’s terrific as both Edgar and his mad alter ego, Poor Tom. When his blinded father appears, their recognition scene is genuinely heartbreaking", and David Rooney of Variety declared "the most stirring work comes from Kline, Larry Bryggman, and Brian Avers as his wronged son Edgar, growing from bookish nerd, to feral outcast, to noble survivor."

Brian's married to actress Amy Lynn Stewart; they have one son, Bodhi Robert.