Biography
This tall, darkly handsome character actor first came to attention as Al Pacino's overwrought gay lover in Sidney Lumet's "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975), a role that earned him an Oscar nomination, and later was amusingly wonderful as the villainous prince in Rob Reiner's "The Princess Bride" (1987). Chris Sarandon came out of a decade of stage roles before working in front of the cameras. He first toured the US as a member of the Catholic University Players, performing works by Moliere and Shakespeare and later marked time with an improvisational company in Washington, DC, and with the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, CT. Sarandon made his Broadway debut in 1970 as Jacob Rothschild--the brother who takes France--in the musical "The Rothschilds," with Hal Linden and Robby Benson. In 1972, Sarandon replaced Raul Julia as Proteus in the Tony-winning Broadway musical "Two Gentlemen of Verona," John Guare's musical adaptation of the Shakespeare play. Five years later, he was part of an all-star ensemble (including Madeline Kahn and Joel Grey) in Guare's "Marco Polo Sings a Solo" at the Public Theatre. Sarandon has continued to work on stage between film and TV assignments, including the ill-fated 1991 musical "Nick and Nora."
