{{short description|American actor, writer, and screenwriter|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{about|the actor|the astronomer|Craig Chester (astronomer)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Craig Chester | image = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1965|11|8}} | birth_place = West Covina, California, US | birth_name = | occupation = Actor, writer, screenwriter | education = The American Academy of Dramatic Arts }} '''Craig Chester''' (born November 8, 1965) is an American actor, writer, and screenwriter.
==Early life== Chester was born in West Covina, California, the son of Cecil, lead singer in the rock band "Whiskey", and Linda, a homemaker. He moved with his family to Carrollton, Texas at the age of twelve when his father accepted a corporate job with Nestlé. At age fifteen, Chester was diagnosed with the facial deformity long face syndrome.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHo2JDdbuxwC|title=Why the Long Face?: The Adventures of a Truly Independent Actor|last=Chester|first=Craig|date=April 1, 2004|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=9781429971980|language=en}}</ref> The condition's most striking symptom is an excessively long lower face height. At eighteen, Chester spent a year undergoing multiple reconstructive surgeries. Chester moved to New York City in 1985, with a new face, to study at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Following graduation, he performed in various stage productions in New York, including a play written by Joanne Woodward who, upon noticing his naturalistic acting style, encouraged Chester to pursue a career in film.
==Career== Chester's acting debut was in the feature film ''Swoon'', a contemporary re-telling of the infamous Leopold & Loeb murder case, which earned Chester an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actor. Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' described the film as "dazzling".<ref>{{cite web|first=Janet|last=Maslin|author-link=Janet Maslin|date= March 27, 1992|url=http://www.movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E0CEEDB1E3AF934A15750C0A964958260|title=Review/Film Festival; A New Vision of Leopold and Loeb|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Peter Travers of ''Rolling Stone'' described ''Swoon'' as "a great film...haunting and visionary".<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Peter|last=Travers|author-link=Peter Travers|date=September 11, 1992|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/swoon-19920911|title=Swoon|magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> Chester went on to act in a string of critically acclaimed independent films.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Face-to-Face-Gay-Actor-and-Writer-Craig-Chester/3319.html|title='Face' to Face: Gay Actor and Writer Craig Chester Windy City Times|first=Gregg |last=Shapiro|date=June 25, 2003|work=Windy City Times}}</ref> He has been openly gay since the inception of his career, rare at that time.<ref name="Advocate 2003">{{cite magazine|title=Agent provacateur|magazine=The Advocate|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2QEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA59|date=February 18, 2003|publisher=Here Publishing|pages=59–}}</ref>
As a result, St. Martin's Press approached Chester to write about his life and experiences. His memoir ''Why the Long Face?: The Adventures of a Truly Independent Actor'' was published in 2003. In 2009, Showtime optioned the book with Chester set to adapt it into a television pilot with Don Roos, Dan Bucatinsky and Lisa Kudrow as producers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2009/scene/news/kudrow-bucatinsky-feel-rapture-1118010228/|title=Kudrow, Bucatinsky feel 'Rapture'|first=Cynthia|last=Littleton|date=October 22, 2009|magazine=Variety}}</ref> ''Publishers Weekly'' described ''Why The Long Face'' as "witty, absorbing" with Chester an "engaging storyteller with a fresh voice".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-312-28713-9|title=Nonfiction Book Review: Why the Long Face? by Craig Chester, Author L.A. Weekly Books $23.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-312-28713-9|magazine=Publishers Weekly}}</ref> ''Kirkus Reviews'' described Chester's memoir as an "intriguing midpoint autobiography sure to rouse curiosity about what the next half has in store."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/craig-chester/why-the-long-face/|title=WHY THE LONG FACE? by Craig Chester - Kirkus Reviews|website=kirkusreviews.com}}</ref>
Chester transitioned into screenwriting with ''Adam & Steve'', which he also directed and starred in with Parker Posey, Chris Kattan and Malcolm Gets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.about.com/od/directorinterviews/a/adamsteve032506.htm|title=A Tangy Twist of Love & Humor: Funny Quotes About Love|website=about.com|access-date=October 10, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113540/http://movies.about.com/od/directorinterviews/a/adamsteve032506.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Pasolini|first1=Antonio|title=An interview with Craig Chester|url=http://www.kamera.co.uk/article.php/731|website=kamera.co.uk|date=August 24, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Chemistry+lesson:+in+Adam+&+Steve,+Craig+Chester+and+Malcolm+gets...-a0144295533|title=Chemistry lesson: in Adam & Steve, Craig Chester and Malcolm gets explore a screen romance grounded in the chemistry of two actual gay actors! Hollywood, are you getting this? - Free Online Library|website=thefreelibrary.com}}</ref> The film was released on April 24, 2005. Writing for ''The Village Voice'', Melissa Levine described writer-director Chester's debut as "truly enjoyable",<ref>{{cite news|last1=Levine|first1=Melissa|title='Adam and Steve'|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2006/03/21/adam-and-steve/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218025414/https://www.villagevoice.com/2006/03/21/adam-and-steve/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 18, 2018|work=The Village Voice|date=March 21, 2006}}</ref> while Ronnie Scheib of ''Variety'' praised his performance: "Chester's Adam, effortlessly able to slide from bathos to pathos and back again with none of the smarmy schmaltz of sitcom humanism, is a marvel of nuanced comic timing."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2005/film/reviews/adam-and-steve-1200525016/|title=Adam and Steve|first=Ronnie|last=Scheib|date=June 22, 2005|website=Variety}}</ref> Chuck Wilson, writing for ''LA Weekly'' described the film as "something certain to make John Waters cackle with glee."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tlareleasing.com/films/adam-steve/|title=TLA Releasing US - Adam & Steve|website=tlareleasing.com}}</ref> ''Adam & Steve'' has since developed a cult following.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}
Since adapting his book for Showtime, Chester has been writing for television. He wrote for season seven of the hit HBO series, ''True Blood''{{citation needed|date=January 2014}} and has developed pilots with NBC and Ryan Seacrest for ''E!'' amongst others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2013/04/e-developing-scripted-projects-from-diane-warren-josh-schwartz-kevin-spacey-mark-schwahn-ryan-seacrest-gale-anne-hurd-480431/|title=E! Developing Scripted Projects From Diane Warren, Josh Schwartz, Kevin Spacey, Mark Schwahn, Ryan Seacrest & Gale Anne Hurd|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|date=April 22, 2013|website=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref> On the June 5, 2013, edition of NPR's "Moth Radio Hour", Chester recounted how he has been haunted by the Academy Award-nominated actor, Montgomery Clift, who has been dead for over 40 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://themoth.org/posts/stories/montgomery-clift-the-sequel|title=The Moth - Stories - Montgomery Clift: The Sequel|website=The Moth}}</ref>
In 2021, Chester shared that he had experienced homelessness for several months, beginning in mid-2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://greginhollywood.com/actor-writer-craig-chester-opens-up-about-homeless-nightmare-this-was-the-defining-experience-of-my-life-211358|title=Actor-writer Craig Chester opens up about homeless nightmare: "This was the defining experience of my life"}}</ref>
In early 2024, Michael Musto announced that a sequel to "Adam & Steve" was in development and that Chester had penned the screenplay, titled "Adam & Steve 55+".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.queerty.com/adam-steve-sequel-broadway-tragedy-when-mary-met-sally-20240225 |title='Adam & Steve' sequel! Broadway tragedy! When Mary met Sally! |date=February 25, 2024 }}</ref>
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%" |- ! style="background:#b0c4de; width:70px;"| Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 1992 || ''Swoon'' | Nathan Leopold Jr. || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 1993 || ''Grief'' | Mark || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 1994 || ''Out of Darkness'' | Bill || TV film |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 1995 || ''Frisk'' | Henry || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 1996 || ''I Shot Andy Warhol'' | Fred Hughes || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 1997 || ''David Searching'' | Mercedes Guy || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 1997 || ''Kiss Me, Guido'' | Terry || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 1998 || ''The Misadventures of Margaret'' | Richard Lane || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 1998 || ''Shucking the Curve'' | Steven || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 1999 || ''Charlie!'' | || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2001 || ''The Anniversary Party'' | Party Guest || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2001 || ''Circuit'' | White Party Customer || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2001 || ''The Experience Box'' | Ryan || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2001 || ''Sex and the City'' : "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda" | <br /> Hermes Clerk || TV series |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2002 || ''Bumping Heads'' | Craig || short film, 22 minutes; released in 2003 in ''Boys Life 4: Four Play'' |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2002 || ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' : "Phantom" : "Anti-Thesis" | <br /> Thor <br /> Derek || TV series |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2003 || ''The Look'' | Henrik || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2003 || ''Quintessence'' | Thomas || short film, 25 minutes |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2004 || ''Anonymous'' | Auditor || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2004 || ''Out on the Edge'' | || writer |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2005 || ''Adam & Steve'' | Adam Bernstein || actor; writer; director |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2007 || ''Save Me'' | || writer |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2007–2008 || ''The Big Gay Sketch Show'' | || writer (9 episodes) |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2008 || ''Pedro'' | Counselor || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2013 || ''Kill Your Darlings'' | Businessman || |- valign="top" | style="text-align:center;"| 2021 || ''Cam Boy'' || Wegman || |}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb name|0156314}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chester, Craig}} Category:1965 births Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people Category:American gay actors Category:American male film actors Category:Living people Category:Male actors from Los Angeles County, California Category:People from West Covina, California