Denis O Hare

Denis O’Hare was born Denis Patrick Seamus O’Hare on January 17, 1962, in Kansas City, Missouri. He spent his youth in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, notably Southfield and Bloomfield Hills. His mother was a musician, and O’Hare developed an early interest in music, playing the church organ. In 1974, he secured a chorus role in a community theatre production of ‘Show Boat,’ marking his first performance experience. He later pursued formal theatre education at Northwestern University in Chicago, graduating and subsequently moving to New York to begin his professional acting career.

O’Hare’s career began flourishing in theatre, where he made his Broadway debut in 1995 with ‘Racing Demon.’ He gained significant recognition and awards for his stage work, including a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his role in Richard Greenberg’s ‘Take Me Out’ in 2003. In 2005, he received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Oscar Lindquist in the Broadway revival of ‘Sweet Charity.’ His versatility extended to appearances in productions such as ‘Cabaret,’ where he performed as Ernst Ludwig and played clarinet with the Kit Kat Band.

Transitioning into film and television, O’Hare established himself as a character actor. He appeared in films such as ’21 Grams’ (2003), ‘Garden State’ (2004), ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’ (2007), ‘Milk’ (2008), and ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ (2013). On television, he gained widespread recognition for his role as the vampire king Russell Edgington in HBO’s ‘True Blood’ starting in 2010. He also became a recurring presence in the FX anthology series ‘American Horror Story,’ earning Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his roles as Larry Harvey in the first season (2011) and Stanley in ‘American Horror Story: Freak Show.’ His performance as Liz Taylor in ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ (2015) earned critical acclaim, further cementing his reputation for transforming into diverse characters.