Henry Ian Cusick is a Peruvian actor. He has had roles in Casualty, 24, and Scandal, but he is most known for playing Desmond Hume in Lost and Marcus Kane in the The 100.
Early life and education[]
Henry Ian Cusick was born in Trujillo, Peru, to a Peruvian mother (Esperanza Chávez) and a Scottish father (Harry Joseph Cusick). When he was two, his family moved to Madrid, Spain, then Glasgow, Scotland, before moving to Trinidad and Tobago where they lived for ten years.[1] There Cusick attended Presentation College, San Fernando. He moved to Scotland with his family at the age of fourteen.[3] Cusick attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and was asked to resign in his second year there. He got his first acting role at the Citizens' Theatre as an understudy in the Christmas Panto playing a polar bear.[3] He appeared in various productions for the Strathclyde Theatre Group in Glasgow.[4] He is fluent in both English and Spanish, and was raised Roman Catholic.[3]
Career[]
Cusick began his career as a classical theatre actor. His first leading roles on stage included: Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray with Rupert Everett, Hamlet in The Marovitz Hamlet with Helen Baxendale, and Horner in The Country Wife]. His performances as Torquato Tasso in the Edinburgh International Festival production of Torquato Tasso, and Creon in the Citizens' Theatre production of Oedipus earned him a special commendation for the 1995 Ian Charleson Award for outstanding performance by a young actor in a classical theatre role.
Cusick began taking television and film roles. After appearing in recurring roles in series such as Casualty and The Book Group, he starred as Jesus Christ in the 2003 film The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John.[3] His largest role to date came in 2005 when he was cast as Desmond Hume in the ABC series Lost. Originally a recurring guest star in the second season (for which he received an Emmy nomination), Cusick became a member of the main cast from seasons three to six.[5] Cusick won the role when, while staying at the home of his friend Brian Cox, he met Cox's next-door neighbor, Carlton Cuse, the executive producer of Lost. Cusick believes: "a seed (was) planted, because they had been looking for either a Scottish or Irish character."[5]
He also appeared as Theo Stoller in two episodes of season 5 of 24 and the 2007 film Hitman. He stars in the direct-to-DVD film Dead Like Me: Life After Death, a continuation of the cult classictelevision show of the same name.[citation needed]
Cusick appears in two episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the twelfth season, playing Erik Weber, a vigilante with a Citizens Organized Against Predators group. He was in ABC'sScandal in 2011, but left the following year.[citation needed]
>He also played Trent Marsh in Body of Proof and appeared in the show The 100 airing in October 2013.[citation needed] J
Cusick is also the director on a film called Dress, currently being filmed from his home town, Kailua, Hawaii.[6]
Personal life[]
Cusick and his wife Annie are parents to three sons, Eli (born 1994), Lucas (born 1998), and Esaú (born 2000). The couple were married in a civil ceremony following fourteen years of cohabitation on 15 July 2006. They now live in Kailua, Hawaii together.[5]
Trivia[]
- He is appointed the most funny person on set by Bob and Ricky.
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Possession | Toby Byng | Uncredited |
| 2003 | The Gospel of John | Jesus | |
| 2003 | Carla | Matt | Television film |
| 2004 | Perfect Romance | Peter Campbell | Television film |
| 2006 | Half Light | Brian | |
| 2006 | 9/Tenths | William | |
| 2006 | After the Rain | Adrian | Short film |
| 2007 | Hitman | Udre Belicoff | |
| 2009 | Dead Like Me: Life After Death | Cameron Kane | Direct-to-video release |
| 2014 | 10.0 Earthquake | Jack |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Taggart | Ian Gowrie | Episode "Fatal Inheritance" |
| 1997 | Richard II | Henry Green | TV adaptation of William Shakespeare's play |
| 2001 | Murder Rooms: The White Knight Stratagem | Sgt. Michael Clark | |
| 2001–02 | Casualty | Jason | Recurring role |
| 2002 | The Dinosaur Hunters | Gideon Mantell | |
| 2002–03 | Two Thousand Acres of Sky | Dr. Ewan Talbot | Appeared in three episodes |
| 2003 | Happiness | Phillip | Episode "A Nice Person" |
| 2003 | Adventure Inc. | Gavin Merrill | Episode "Echoes of the Past" |
| 2003 | The Book Group | Miles Longmuir | Appeared in every episode of the second series |
| 2004 | Midsomer Murders | Gareth Heldman | Episode "The Fisher King" |
| 2005 | Waking the Dead | Jeremy Allen | Episode "Towers of Silence: Part 1" |
| 2005–2010 | Lost | Desmond Hume | First appeared as a guest star in season 2, became a main cast member from season 3 onwards. Nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Drama Series; 44 episodes |
| 2006 | 24 | Theo Stoller | Episodes "Day 5: 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m." and "Day 5: 8:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m." |
| 2009 | Nova | Charles Darwin | Episode: "Darwin's Darkest Hour"[7] |
| 2010 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit[8] | Erik Weber | Episodes: "Locum" and "Bullseye" |
| 2012 | Scandal | Stephen Finch | Series regular |
| 2012 | Fringe[9] | Agent Simon Foster | Episode: Season 4, Episode 19 |
| 2012 | The Mentalist | Tommy Volker | Episodes: "If It Bleeds, It Leads","Days of Wine and Roses","Little Red Corvette" |
| 2013 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Dr. Jimmy | Episode: "Last Woman Standing" |
| 2013 | Body Of Proof | Dr. Trent Marsh | Season 3, Episode 5 "Eye for an Eye" |