Anthony Edwards

From Goose to Dr. Mark Greene, Anthony Edwards has enjoyed a long, varied, and successful list of roles in both film and television. Working beside some of the biggest names in Hollywood, Edwards has established himself as a respected and accomplished character actor.

Anthony Charles Planck Edwards was born July 19, 1962 in Santa Barbara, California. His parents were Erika Planck and Peter Edwards, an artist and architect respectively. He is one of five children.

With two artistically minded parents, Edwards received a lot of positive support when he indicated his interest in acting. To that end, his parents were completely behind his decision to attend the University of Southern California, where he studied acting. He never finished, however, because parts in film and television quickly became available to him.

His onscreen debut came at a young age with Big Zapper (1973). A few years later came a small part in the drama The Killing of Randy Webster with fellow stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Sean Penn. The following year, Edwards would team up with these two actors again for his first truly successful film, the cult comedy classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The cast also included Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Vincent Schiavelli, and Forest Whitaker.

Two years later, Edwards took a memorable role in the slapstick comedy Revenge of the Nerds. Coming in the wake of similar college-centered movies like Animal House, Revenge of the Nerds remains (surprisingly) one of Edwards’ most well-known roles to date.

It wasn’t until 1986, however, Edwards earned a truly commercial and scene-stealing role. Playing Goose opposite Tom Cruise’s Maverick, Edwards won a role in the flyboy drama Top Gun. Costarring Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Tom Skerritt, Tim Robbins, and Meg Ryan, Edwards was well on his way to bigger roles and more notoriety.

That notoriety came with his critically lauded part opposite Timothy Dalton in Hawks (1988) as well as a stint on Northern Exposure from 1992 to 1993, where he acted beside series regular Rob Morrow.

But he truly captured the attention of America in 1994 when he was cast on the medical drama ER. His role as Dr. Mark Greene spanned the next eight years, in which time he became a household name. Other notable actors included Noah Wyle, Alex Kingston, Maura Tierney, Ming Na, George Clooney, William H Macy, Julianna Margulies, and Eriq La Salle.

Pursuing other creative outlets, Edwards also dabbled in directing, although his one and only film, Charlie’s Ghost Story with Cheech Marin, was ultimately a critical and audience failure. He did, however, direct four successful episodes of ER between 1996 and 2001.

His most recent film endeavor was the extremely well received crime drama Zodiac starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr, Brian Cox, and Chloe Sevigny.

Edwards married Jeanine Lobell on September 5, 1994. They have four children together, and they are still currently married. A dedicated family man, he prematurely ended his successful run on ER just to spend more time with them.