Christian Clemenson
Christian Clemenson is an accomplished American actor born on March 17, 1958, in Humboldt, Iowa. He developed a passion for theater during his education at Phillips Academy and Harvard University, later honing his craft at the Yale School of Drama. Clemenson's career began with minor roles on television and in films, where he became recognized for his portrayals of reserved, intelligent characters. His breakthrough came with the role of Jerry "Hands" Espenson in the acclaimed legal dramedy *Boston Legal*, where his character's struggles with Asperger syndrome brought significant attention to autism spectrum disorders.
Throughout his career, Clemenson has appeared in numerous popular television shows, such as *CSI: Miami*, *American Crime Story*, and *Veronica Mars*, in addition to films like *Apollo 13* and *United 93*. Known for his ability to infuse depth and nuance into his performances, he has received critical acclaim, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor. Beyond his acting, he actively supports autism-related causes and hunger relief organizations like Meals on Wheels, demonstrating his commitment to social issues. Clemenson's work has left a lasting impact on both the entertainment industry and the communities he supports.
Subject Terms
Christian Clemenson
Actor
- Born: March 17, 1958
- Birthplace: Humboldt, Iowa
Contribution: Christian Clemenson is an Emmy Award–winning American actor best known for his performance as Jerry Espenson in the legal dramedy Boston Legal.
Background
Christian Clemenson was born on March 17, 1958, in Humboldt, Iowa. His parents, Ernest and Ruth, both worked in the drug store they owned.
An industrious student in junior high school, Clemenson was awarded a scholarship by the Des Moines Register, for which he delivered newspapers. The scholarship allowed him to attend the illustrious preparatory school Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where Clemenson developed a love of theater and acting. He brought this new interest back to Humboldt with him and participated in local stage productions at the town's Castle Theater during his summer vacations.
Clemenson graduated from Phillips Academy in 1976 and went on to attend Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He continued to develop his acting skills in the school's theater productions and soon joined the comedy group the Harvard Lampoon. Clemenson next studied at the Yale School of Drama before moving to Los Angeles to begin his career as a professional actor.
Career
Clemenson's earliest acting jobs came in the form of bit parts on television shows such as Fame and The Paper Chase. He soon transitioned into film, obtaining minor roles in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Legal Eagles (1986), Black Widow (1987), and The Fisher King (1991).
Early on, Clemenson's careful, articulate performances led him to be primarily offered roles as reticent professional types. Because Clemenson exuded this persona naturally, he became a popular character actor, portraying such characters as a stuffy English teacher in NBC's Family Ties, a news reporter in the film Broadcast News (1987), and a flight surgeon in the Tom Hanks drama Apollo 13 (1995). Clemenson began to show his versatility with his performance as lawyer Socrates Poole in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993–94), a series blending elements of the western, science fiction, and comedy genres. In 1999, he played a demon named Balthazar in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
With the arrival of the new millennium, Clemenson began to appear in guest roles in hugely popular series such as Ally McBeal, NYPD Blue, The West Wing, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He appeared in several episodes of the mystery drama Veronica Mars in 2004 and 2005 and was widely praised for his performance as a murder suspect, a character dramatically different from his earlier roles.
In 2005, Clemenson was cast in what would become his breakthrough role—that of Jerry "Hands" Espenson in the legal dramedy Boston Legal. Espenson is an intensely intellectual lawyer who has a plethora of psychological quirks and obsessions. Introduced while in a fury over being snubbed for a partnership with his legal firm, Espensen is later defended by fellow lawyer Alan Shore, played by Clemenson's real-life friend James Spader, who discovers that Espenson has Asperger syndrome, now considered part of autism spectrum disorder.
Though Espenson was originally intended to be only a recurring role, Clemenson's performance became a hit with both audiences and critics. He joined the main cast of the show by its fourth season, and Espenson's battles with his unusual habits and obsessions allowed for an abundant flow of new plotlines for the character. Clemenson's performance garnered critical praise and earned him the Emmy Award for outstanding guest actor in 2006 and nominations for outstanding supporting actor in 2007 and 2009.
In 2006, Clemenson also played Thomas Burnett in the Paul Greengrass film United 93, which tells the story of United Airlines Flight 93, a plane that was hijacked by terrorists and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Burnett was one of the passengers who stormed the cockpit and foiled the terrorists' plan to crash the plane in Washington DC.
After Boston Legal ended, Clemenson appeared in episodes of high-profile television shows such as NCIS, ER, and Grey's Anatomy. In 2009, he joined the cast of CSI: Miami as a medical examiner. In this recurring role, Clemenson appeared in more than fifty episodes of the show between 2009 and 2012. He went on to play an inspector in the 2011 Clint Eastwood–directed biopic J. Edgar and the following year took on a recurring role in the legal dramedy Harry's Law.
Clemenson continued to have numerous guest or minor roles through the 2010s. His television credits included Shameless in 2013; Dallas, Californication, Manhattan, and Legends in 2014; and Masters of Sex in 2015. He also had recurring roles on the Revolutionary War drama TURN: Washington's Spies from 2014 to 2017 and the sci-fi series Colony in 2017. However, Clemenson's most substantial part around this time was on the first season of the anthology series American Crime Story, titled The People v. O. J. Simpson, in 2016. He played deputy district attorney Bill Hodgman in the dramatization of the infamous O. J. Simpson trial, and the show won considerable critical acclaim. Meanwhile, in 2016 he also had his first theatrical role in thirty years in a production of the Harvey Fierstein play Casa Valentina.
Impact
Throughout his career, Clemenson become known for deftly playing characters infused with his signature touch of quiet, reserved intelligence. His portrayal of Jerry Espenson in Boston Legal in particular solidified his status as a well-known character actor and won the praise of both audiences and critics. Clemenson has been credited with helping to raise awareness of autism spectrum disorder through his performance as Espenson.
Personal Life
Clemenson lived in California. He was known to support the hunger-relief organization Meals on Wheels and appeared at a number of autism-related events because of his well-known performance as Espenson.
Principal Works
Television
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., 1993–94
Veronica Mars, 2004–5
Boston Legal, 2005–8
CSI: Miami, 2009–12
Harry's Law, 2012
Manhattan, 2014
American Crime Story, 2016
Colony, 2017
TURN: Washington's Spies, 2017
Film
The Fisher King, 1991
Apollo 13, 1995
United 93, 2006
J. Edgar, 2011
Bibliography
Barron, Margie. "An Emmy Nod to a Handy Journeyman Christian Clemenson." Tolucan Times. Tolucan Times, 2 Sept. 2009. Web. 9 July 2013.
"Christian Clemenson." Television Academy, www.emmys.com/bios/christian-clemenson. Accessed 12 Dec. 2019.
Egner, Jeremy. "Know Your Emmy Hopefuls: Christian Clemenson." New York Times. New York Times, 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 9 July 2013.
Mendoza, N. F. "With an Eye On . . . : Christian Clemenson on the Virtues of Playing Socrates to 'Brisco.'" Los Angeles Times 15 May 1994 (TV Times Orange County Ed.): 80+. Print.
Truitt, Brian. "TV's CSI Secrets Uncovered." USA Weekend. Gannett, 14 Apr. 2010. Web. 11 July 2013.
Whipp, Glenn. "'Boston' at Hub of Eclectic Group." Daily Variety 12 Aug. 2009: A4. Print.