Tim Griffin(I)
- Actor
Chicago native Tim Griffin, often known as, "the actor who is in
everything," has amassed a dizzying list of credits, and over the years
has solidified his reputation as one of Hollywood's nicest, most
charming and versatile actors.
The son of a pediatric cardiologist, he first discovered acting after
being cast as Oliver Twist in a school performance of the musical
"Oliver!" As a teen Griffin would star in numerous theatrical
productions for "The Body Politic" and "New Haven Playhouse," as well
local movies and commercials. After graduating from Francis Parker High
School (among classmates Paul Adelstein, Anne Heche, and novelist Brad
Thor), Griffin made the choice to put acting on the back-burner to
enroll in the University of Vermont (UVM) where he graduated with a
double major in political philosophy and English literature.
Griffin performed as a regular member of the UVM Players (as Claudio in
"Much Ado About Nothing" and Riff in "West Side Story"). Fate
intervened his sophomore year while driving back to Chicago when his
car broke down outside New York City. While waiting for it to be
repaired, his agents asked him to audition for a TV movie called
"Taking A Stand." He was cast in the leading role of the all-star
production (Betty Buckley, Jane Adams, Michael Beach). The show went on
to win a Daytime Emmy for "Outstanding Children's Special."
Following this success, Griffin turned down a scholarship to study
abroad at the University of Kent in England, and went to Hollywood.
Giving himself the extreme grand total of one year to make or break his
career, he enrolled in classes at UCLA and signed with Writers and
Artists. He quickly went on to star in high-profile TV shows and movies
of the week, including "China Beach," "In The Heat of the Night," and
Michael Zinberg's autobiographical, coming-of-age drama "For The Very
First Time."
Rejecting the advice of his agents, he elected to return to the
University of Vermont to finish up his Bachelor's Degree. He considered
attending graduate school for political philosophy, but his academic
mentor convinced him to return to the West Coast and continue to pursue
his acting career, noting that the scholarly life would always be there
to fall back on if "things didn't pan out."
Unsure whether working as a "teen actor" came with an expiration date,
he picked up right where he left off, landing recurring stints on
"General Hospital," the critically acclaimed "Against The Grain"
(co-starring "Southland's" Mike Cudlitz, and Ben Affleck), and a
near-unrecognizable turn as the autistic Richie Grayson on "Party of
Five." His reputation as a multi-talented actor began to grow, and in
1996, director John Singleton gave Griffin his first break into
features, casting him in "Higher Learning" (Jennifer Connelly, Lawrence
Fishburne) as the orientation announcer at a pep rally whose booming
message was "How many people came here to change the world?!"
In his hilarious recurring role as T.R. Knight's brother, Ronny
O'Malley," on "Grey's Anatomy," Griffin is best know for shooting his
own dad in the butt. He became even more recognizable in 2004 when he
was cast in "The Bourne Supremacy," the second installment of the
legendary franchise. As "Nevins", a hapless CIA agent who interrogates
the eerily silent Bourne (Matt Damon), he's repeatedly stonewalled and
smugly says "You're going to play ball one way or another..." During
filming, Damon (by pure accident) really cracked Griffin across the
bridge of his nose, giving him a deviated septum.
Griffin's blockbuster streak continues with credits that include Jon
Favreau's "Iron Man," and more than a few projects for the brilliant
J.J. Abrams, such as "Cloverfield," "Star Trek"(where Abrams directed
him as the doomed UFSS Kelvin's Chief Engineer in the opening sequence)
and in the upcoming "Super 8"(Elle Fanning).
Being handpicked to star alongside and be directed by George Clooney in
the 1920's football romp, "Leatherheads" (also starring Renee
Zellweger) was a huge thrill. He re-teamed with Clooney again in the
comedy "The Men Who Stare at Goats" (featuring Academy Award winners
Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges). Griffin earned critical praise for his
work in Doug Liman's true-life spy drama "Fair Game" as Paul, the lead
CIA analyst charged with the unenviable task of taking on Scooter Libby
(David Andrews) over the now infamous "yellow cake uranium." Starring
Academy Award winner Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, "Fair Game" was awarded
screen writing honors by the Writer's Guild of America, and a New York
Film Critics award.
In addition to multiple recognizable commercial campaigns and television spots, Griffin has had numerous high profile projects in the past few years, including roles in feature films such as Chris Weitz's "A Better Life," John Singleton's "Abduction" starring Taylor Lautner and Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper."
On television, Griffin has starred in the Peter Berg produced NBC primetime drama "Prime Suspect," with Maria Bello and Aidan Quinn and had a major arc on the hit USA drama "Covert Affairs" opposite Kari Matchett. Up next, Griffin will play Special Agent "Adam Hassler" in the Fox event series "Wayward Pines" from M. Night Shyamalan.
Griffin lives with his wife and their two children in L.A. With his wife, he has built and remodeled several homes. He's a proud Irish-American ridiculously devoted to the Chicago Cubs.
everything," has amassed a dizzying list of credits, and over the years
has solidified his reputation as one of Hollywood's nicest, most
charming and versatile actors.
The son of a pediatric cardiologist, he first discovered acting after
being cast as Oliver Twist in a school performance of the musical
"Oliver!" As a teen Griffin would star in numerous theatrical
productions for "The Body Politic" and "New Haven Playhouse," as well
local movies and commercials. After graduating from Francis Parker High
School (among classmates Paul Adelstein, Anne Heche, and novelist Brad
Thor), Griffin made the choice to put acting on the back-burner to
enroll in the University of Vermont (UVM) where he graduated with a
double major in political philosophy and English literature.
Griffin performed as a regular member of the UVM Players (as Claudio in
"Much Ado About Nothing" and Riff in "West Side Story"). Fate
intervened his sophomore year while driving back to Chicago when his
car broke down outside New York City. While waiting for it to be
repaired, his agents asked him to audition for a TV movie called
"Taking A Stand." He was cast in the leading role of the all-star
production (Betty Buckley, Jane Adams, Michael Beach). The show went on
to win a Daytime Emmy for "Outstanding Children's Special."
Following this success, Griffin turned down a scholarship to study
abroad at the University of Kent in England, and went to Hollywood.
Giving himself the extreme grand total of one year to make or break his
career, he enrolled in classes at UCLA and signed with Writers and
Artists. He quickly went on to star in high-profile TV shows and movies
of the week, including "China Beach," "In The Heat of the Night," and
Michael Zinberg's autobiographical, coming-of-age drama "For The Very
First Time."
Rejecting the advice of his agents, he elected to return to the
University of Vermont to finish up his Bachelor's Degree. He considered
attending graduate school for political philosophy, but his academic
mentor convinced him to return to the West Coast and continue to pursue
his acting career, noting that the scholarly life would always be there
to fall back on if "things didn't pan out."
Unsure whether working as a "teen actor" came with an expiration date,
he picked up right where he left off, landing recurring stints on
"General Hospital," the critically acclaimed "Against The Grain"
(co-starring "Southland's" Mike Cudlitz, and Ben Affleck), and a
near-unrecognizable turn as the autistic Richie Grayson on "Party of
Five." His reputation as a multi-talented actor began to grow, and in
1996, director John Singleton gave Griffin his first break into
features, casting him in "Higher Learning" (Jennifer Connelly, Lawrence
Fishburne) as the orientation announcer at a pep rally whose booming
message was "How many people came here to change the world?!"
In his hilarious recurring role as T.R. Knight's brother, Ronny
O'Malley," on "Grey's Anatomy," Griffin is best know for shooting his
own dad in the butt. He became even more recognizable in 2004 when he
was cast in "The Bourne Supremacy," the second installment of the
legendary franchise. As "Nevins", a hapless CIA agent who interrogates
the eerily silent Bourne (Matt Damon), he's repeatedly stonewalled and
smugly says "You're going to play ball one way or another..." During
filming, Damon (by pure accident) really cracked Griffin across the
bridge of his nose, giving him a deviated septum.
Griffin's blockbuster streak continues with credits that include Jon
Favreau's "Iron Man," and more than a few projects for the brilliant
J.J. Abrams, such as "Cloverfield," "Star Trek"(where Abrams directed
him as the doomed UFSS Kelvin's Chief Engineer in the opening sequence)
and in the upcoming "Super 8"(Elle Fanning).
Being handpicked to star alongside and be directed by George Clooney in
the 1920's football romp, "Leatherheads" (also starring Renee
Zellweger) was a huge thrill. He re-teamed with Clooney again in the
comedy "The Men Who Stare at Goats" (featuring Academy Award winners
Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges). Griffin earned critical praise for his
work in Doug Liman's true-life spy drama "Fair Game" as Paul, the lead
CIA analyst charged with the unenviable task of taking on Scooter Libby
(David Andrews) over the now infamous "yellow cake uranium." Starring
Academy Award winner Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, "Fair Game" was awarded
screen writing honors by the Writer's Guild of America, and a New York
Film Critics award.
In addition to multiple recognizable commercial campaigns and television spots, Griffin has had numerous high profile projects in the past few years, including roles in feature films such as Chris Weitz's "A Better Life," John Singleton's "Abduction" starring Taylor Lautner and Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper."
On television, Griffin has starred in the Peter Berg produced NBC primetime drama "Prime Suspect," with Maria Bello and Aidan Quinn and had a major arc on the hit USA drama "Covert Affairs" opposite Kari Matchett. Up next, Griffin will play Special Agent "Adam Hassler" in the Fox event series "Wayward Pines" from M. Night Shyamalan.
Griffin lives with his wife and their two children in L.A. With his wife, he has built and remodeled several homes. He's a proud Irish-American ridiculously devoted to the Chicago Cubs.