Evan Handler Biography

American actor Evan Handler is noted for his recurring roles in the television series It’s Like, You Know… and Sex and the City. He is perhaps equally as known, however, for his life-threatening battle with a rare form of leukemia.

Evan Handler was born January 10, 1961 in Queens, New York. His parents were Enid Irene (formerly Enid Ostrov) and Murray Raymond Handler, a medical administrator and ad agency owner respectively.

Knowing he wanted to enter the world of entertainment, Handler made his onscreen debut in 1981 with The Chosen.

Although he continued to win bit parts and small roles, Handler’s acting career had to be put on hold when he was diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia. He was only in his mid-twenties when he received the news of his illness.

Making an unexpected and highly unlikely recovery, Handler’s first major role after the illness came in the form of the 1996 drama Ransom opposite Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Gary Sinise, and others.

He also landed the role of Shrug on the sitcom It’s Like, You Know…with costars Jennifer Grey, Steven Eckholdt, AJ Langer, and Ernie Grunwald. The show lasted from 1999 to 2000 before receiving the ax from its network.

Handler also increased his visibility by portraying Larry Fine in The Three Stooges. The 2000 made for TV movie also featured Paul Ben Victor and Michael Chiklis.

Winning another high profile role, Handler’s career received a huge boost with a 2002 offer to play Harry Goldenblatt in Sex and the City. Cast opposite the Manhattan foursome (Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon), Handler was with the show until its conclusion in 2004.

He recently reprised his role for the 2008 film of the same name.

Ever since his time with the critically acclaimed series, Handler has been an increasingly in-demand commodity. He has made notable appearance on Hot Properties, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and most recently, Californication.

The last series has been particularly successful for Handler, and he looks to continue sharing the screen with costars David Duchovny, Natascha McElhone, Madeline Zima, and others.

Outside of acting, Handler is also noted for penning several books. The first was entitled Time on Fire: My Comedy of Terrors. It detailed his diagnosis and miraculous recovery from Acute myeloid leukemia.

He followed with It’s Only Temporary…The Good News and the Bad News of Being Alive.

In his personal life, Handler married Elisa Atti on October 12, 2003. They are currently still together.