{{Short description|American actor}} {{Use American English|date=July 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = John Mese |image=File:John Mese in the one-man show WILD SON.jpg |caption=John Mese in the one-man show ''Wild Son'' | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|11|04}} | birth_place = Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1987–present | spouse = {{marriage|Dawn Kelsey|2004}} | children = 1 }}
'''John R.<ref name="bradvocate1986initials">{{cite web |last1=Foil |first1=David |title=BR man finalist in GQ competition |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1006417D79E1C198&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB473D5A2C82ECD |website=Newsbank |publisher=Baton Rouge Advocate |access-date=24 April 2023 |date=17 April 1986 |quote=When John R. Mese decided to enter the "Face of the 80s for Men" contest, he was so secretive about it that he asked a buddy to drive him to Goudchaux to leave his entry.}}</ref><ref name="bradvocate12april1986">{{cite web |title=Semifinalists to be interviewed in N.O. |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1006417D79E1C198&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB473D44753333A |website=Newsbank |publisher=Baton Rouge Advocate |access-date=24 April 2023 |date=12 April 1986 |quote=John R. Mese}}</ref><ref name="bradvocate18april1986">Foil, David. (1986, April 18). "Faces' tell what it's like. The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.), pp. 1-C. Available from NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=news/0EB473D60DA95D8B.</ref> Mese''' (born November 4, 1963) is an American actor, producer, director, and writer. He has had roles in numerous films and television shows. Credited appearances on television include: ''Rizzoli & Isles'', ''Suits'', ''Castle'', ''The Mentalist'', ''Weeds'', ''Monk'', ''Law & Order'', ''Boomtown'', ''Without a Trace'', ''The X Files'', and ''Sex and the City''.<ref name="imdb">{{IMDb name |id=0581810}}</ref> Mese is also the writer of a children's book series that was featured in the March 2009 issue of ''Kiplinger's Personal Finance'' magazine.<ref name="kiplingers">Clark, Jane Bennett: "An Author Swims Against the Tide." Kiplinger's Personal Finance. March 2009.</ref>
==Early life and education== thumb|Actor John Mese in character as Christian Brando at Bistro Byronz, Baton Rouge, LA
John Mese is the son of J.D. and Kay Mese<ref name="bradvocate1986parents">{{cite web |last1=Foil |first1=David |title=BR man finalist in GQ competition |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1006417D79E1C198&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB473D5A2C82ECD |website=Newsbank |publisher=Baton Rouge Advocate |access-date=24 April 2023 |date=17 April 1986 |quote=His mother, Kay Mese of Baton Rouge, was thrilled. "Oh yes," she said. "John didn't know we were going to be here. His father (Dr. J. D. Mese) had a tennis game tonight. His regular foursome. But my other son and I are here and we're delighted."}}</ref> of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he was born and raised.<ref name="bradvocate1986" /> He finished his secondary education at Catholic High School<ref name="bradvocate1992" /> and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in advertising<ref>{{cite web | title = Interview with a Wild Son - by Ashley Rovira | url = https://heavycrownpress.substack.com/p/interview-with-a-wild-son | date = 2023-05-03 | archiveurl = https://archive.today/20230503010338/https://heavycrownpress.substack.com/p/interview-with-a-wild-son | archivedate = 2023-05-03 }}</ref> and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Theatre from Louisiana State University.<ref name="imdb" /> At LSU, he was a member of the Sigma Chi<ref name="batonrougeadvocate1986">{{cite news |last1=Foil |first1=David |title=BR man finalist in GQ competition |publisher=Baton Rouge Morning Advocate |date=April 17, 1986}}</ref> fraternity and performed in a number of LSU Theatre productions. In 1986, he was a finalist in the "Face of the '80s" contest organized by Ford Models and GQ Magazine.<ref name="bradvocate1986">{{cite web |last1=Foil |first1=David |title=BR man finalist in GQ competition |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1006417D79E1C198&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB473D5A2C82ECD |website=Newsbank |publisher=Baton Rouge Advocate |access-date=24 April 2023 |date=17 April 1986 |quote=A few hours later, the handsome 6-foot-1 Baton Rougean was named one of the nation's 14 finalists in the "Face of the '80s for Men" competition presented by Gentlemen's Quarterly magazine and Ford Models, and sponsored by Gilette. "Face of the '80s for Men" is designed to select a male model to represent Ford Models and to appear in GQ magazine.}}</ref><ref name="timespicayune1986">{{cite web |last1=Bynum |first1=Chris |title=The Face |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1006417D79E1C198&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Aimage%252Fv2%253A1223BCE5B718A166%2540EANX-1336B479C85A5A29%25402446548-133676F9A334DA99%254033-133676F9A334DA99%2540/hlterms%3AFord%2520Models%252C%2520John%2520Mese%252C%2520GQ |website=Newsbank |publisher=The Times Picayune (New Orleans) |access-date=24 April 2023 |date=27 April 1986}}</ref>
==Career== ===Theatre=== At LSU, he acted in several theater productions, to name a few: ''The Tooth of Crime'' in 1986, in which he played Hoss; ''Sly Fox'' in 1982, and ''Death of a Salesman'' in 1986.<ref name="batonrougeadvocate1986" /> He played "Treat" in Lyle Kessler's play ''Orphans''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Foil |first1=David |title=LSU's "Orphans" a rewarding experience |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1006417D79E1C198&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB47547EEE25DFE |website=Newsbank |publisher=Baton Rouge Morning Advocate |access-date=29 August 2022 |date=8 April 1989 |quote=There were moments in Thursday's performance when it seemed Treat got so furious at his predicament that Mese let him go to the point of inchoate hurt. In its way, that stripping away of pretense was far more threatening than all the punk posturing Treat exhibits. Harold's emotional pummeling of Treat -- "tough love," maybe? -- is probably the play's most agonizing moment. McNeal's Harold is relentless. Mese's eyes betray Treat's flickering terror of opening up.}}</ref> He played Alvaro Mangiacavallo in the LSU Theatre main stage production of The Rose Tattoo, directed by John Dennis in 1987.<ref>{{cite news |title="The Rose Tattoo" |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1006417D79E1C198&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB4745AD5A79B54 |access-date=19 January 2023 |publisher=The Baton Rouge Advocate Magazine |date=26 April 1987 |language=English}}</ref>
He has the title role in an acclaimed<ref name="chazebert">{{cite web |last1=Ebert |first1=Chaz |title=Bravo for Champ Clark's Play, Wild Son: The Testimony of Christian Brando |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/chazs-blog/bravo-for-champ-clarks-play-wild-son-the-testimony-of-christian-brando |website=Chaz's Journal |publisher=RogerEbert.com |access-date=12 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505103530/https://www.rogerebert.com/chazs-blog/bravo-for-champ-clarks-play-wild-son-the-testimony-of-christian-brando |archive-date=5 May 2022 |language=English |date=10 May 2019}}</ref> one-man show written by Champ Clark, ''Wild Son: The Testimony of Christian Brando'',<ref name="Kogan">{{cite web |last1=Kogan |first1=Rick |title=Champ Clark has a new noir novel and a play about Marlon Brando's son and his own life is quite a story |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-bye-cruel-world-champ-clark-kogan-20220505-dfrdgooldfhcxl4yhhrlv2uady-story.html |publisher=The Chicago Tribune |access-date=12 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505101106/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-bye-cruel-world-champ-clark-kogan-20220505-dfrdgooldfhcxl4yhhrlv2uady-story.html |archive-date=5 May 2022 |language=English |format=Online |date=5 May 2022 |quote=It had its premiere at the Santa Monica Playhouse in 2019. Chicago’s Chaz Ebert called it “stunning,” elaborating by writing, “with a riveting performance by actor John Mese … I can’t recommend it highly enough.”}}</ref> which premiered at the Santa Monica Playhouse in 2019 and was praised by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley.<ref name="hollywoodtimes">{{cite web |title="Wild Son": The Testimony of Christian Brando - A World Premiere at Santa Monica Playhouse - ONLY Three Performances Left!! |url=https://thehollywoodtimes.today/wild-son-the-testimony-of-christian-brando-a-world-premiere-at-santa-monica-playhouse-only-three-performances-left/ |website=TheHollywoodTimes.Today |publisher=The Hollywood Times |access-date=13 July 2022 |language=English |date=May 10, 2019 |quote=Beth Henley, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright says, “Champ Clark’s play is a burning jewel. John Mese is mesmerizing. A rare theatre experience where the magic shimmers.”}}</ref> ''Wild Son'' is based on face-to-face interviews between the journalist Champ Clark and Christian Brando before the latter's death in 2008.<ref name="champclarkguestcolumn">{{cite web |last1=Clark |first1=Champ |title=My Surprising Bond with the Troubled Christian Brando |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/my-surprising-bond-troubled-christian-brando-guest-column-1203287/ |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=13 July 2022 |language=English |format=Online |date=April 19, 2019}}</ref><ref name="splashmags">{{cite web |last1=Benjamin Shifren |first1=Esther |title="Wild Son: The Testimony of Christian Brando" Review - A Compelling Performance of his Story |url=https://splashmags.com/index.php/2019/05/14/wild-son-the-testimony-of-christian-brando-review-a-compelling-performance-of-his-story/#gsc.tab=0 |website=Splash Mags |publisher=Splash Magazines Worldwide |access-date=13 July 2022 |language=English |format=Online |date=May 14, 2009 |quote=Mese, in a riveting one-hour solo performance, sits, or moves around the stage effectively while constantly sipping canned beer. He does a sterling job of acting out Christian’s tragic story, his rebellion and fractured relationship with his father....}}</ref> The show was performed at Bistro Byronz, a restaurant chain in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on June 19, 2022.<ref name="rovira">{{cite web |title=Brando at Byronz - by Ashley Rovira – Heavy Crown Press |url=https://heavycrownpress.substack.com/p/brando-at-byronz |date=2022-07-12 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20220712013506/https://heavycrownpress.substack.com/p/brando-at-byronz |archivedate=2022-07-12}}</ref> The show ran at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from August 15-20, 2022.<ref name="Kogan2">{{cite web |last1=Kogan |first1=Rick |title=Champ Clark has a new noir novel and a play about Marlon Brando's son and his own life is quite a story |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-bye-cruel-world-champ-clark-kogan-20220505-dfrdgooldfhcxl4yhhrlv2uady-story.html |publisher=The Chicago Tribune |access-date=12 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505101106/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-bye-cruel-world-champ-clark-kogan-20220505-dfrdgooldfhcxl4yhhrlv2uady-story.html |archive-date=5 May 2022 |language=English |format=Online |date=5 May 2022 |quote=The one-man play has been selected for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world. It will be performed there in August and Clark will be in Scotland for it.”}}</ref><ref name="hcp">{{cite web |last1=Rovira |first1=Ashley |title=Boomers and Zoomers |url=https://heavycrownpress.substack.com/p/boomers-and-zoomers?r=g5hgt&s=w |website=Heavy Crown Press |access-date=29 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828013503/https://heavycrownpress.substack.com/p/boomers-and-zoomers |archive-date=28 August 2022 |date=27 August 2022 |quote=For the Festival Fringe this year, Mese performed in Venue 16, Greenside at Riddle’s Court.}}</ref>
===Film=== Mese had the starring role as Richard Broderick in the film ''Noise in the Middle'' (2020), also starring Tara Buck as Richard’s deceased wife.<ref>{{cite web | title = Noise in the Middle Film Threat | url = https://filmthreat.com/reviews/noise-in-the-middle/ | date = 2022-07-12 | archiveurl = https://archive.today/20220712023620/https://filmthreat.com/reviews/noise-in-the-middle/ | archivedate = 2022-07-12 }}</ref> He played Augie in ''King of Herrings'' (2013), an indie film directed by Eddie Jemison and also starring Mese's fellow LSU alumnus Joe Chrest.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rovira |first1=Ashley |title=King of Herrings: A throwback review (with spoilers) |url=https://heavycrownpress.substack.com/p/king-of-herrings?r=g5hgt&s=w |website=Substack |publisher=Heavy Crown Press |access-date=16 July 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220716125920/https://heavycrownpress.substack.com/p/king-of-herrings?r=g5hgt&s=w |archive-date=16 July 2022 |language=English |format=Online |date=16 July 2022 |quote=John Mese gives a silently penetrative performance as Augie.}}</ref> Mese played "Crow" in Derek Sitter's award-winning short, ''Bugtussle'' (2022).<ref name="indieshortsmag">{{cite web |title=Short Film Review: Bugtussle: A Doomed Dash for a Better Life |date=March 6, 2022 |url=https://www.indieshortsmag.com/reviews/2022/03/bugtussle-a-doomed-dash-for-a-better-life/ |publisher=Indie Shorts Mag |access-date=12 July 2022}}</ref> ''Bugtussle'' was recognized by the Accolade Global Film Competition for "Awards of Merit" in August 2022, notably for Leading Actor (Mese), Supporting Actor (Sitter), Film Short, Script/Writer (Sitter), Original Score, composed by James Hutchens and Johnny Bourbon.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://accoladecompetition.org/awards-of-merit-august-2022/ | title=Awards of Merit August 2022 | }}</ref> {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |1998 |''Dangerous Proposition'' |Darby |Dir. Brad Sanders |- | rowspan="3" |2005 |''Pizza My Heart'' |Jean Paul Veber |Dir. Andy Wolk |- |''Gone But Not Forgotten'' |Randy Highsmith |Dir. Armand Mastroianni |- |''Jane Doe: Vanishing Act'' |Lloyd McMasters |Dir. James Contner |- |2007 |''Perfect Day'' |'''Executive Producer/Writer''' |Dir. John Mese |- |2008 |''Pillow Talk'' |'''Executive Producer/Writer''' |Dir. John Mese |- |2013 |''King of Herrings'' |Augie + '''Producer''' |Dir. Eddie Jemison & Sean Richardson |- |2020 |''Noise in the Middle'' |Richard Broderick |Dir. Marcus McCollum |- |2022 |''Bugtussle'' |Crow |Dir. Derek Sitter |- |}
===Television=== Mese was featured alongside Mark Harmon and Frederic Lehne in a Lili Fini Zanuck-directed production called "We Have Cleared the Tower," in which Mese played the role of Donn Eisele of the Apollo 7 mission; Harmon played Wally Schirra, and Lehne played Walt Cunningham.<ref name="markee">{{cite news |last1=Tucker |first1=Ken |title=Shoot the Moon |publisher=Markee (Regional America's Magazine for Film Production) |date=October 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mark Harmon, Fredric Lehne, and John Mese in From the Earth to the Moon (1998) |url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0120570/mediaviewer/rm3416284160?ref_=ext_shr_lnk |website=IMDb |publisher=From the Earth to the Moon (1998) |access-date=13 July 2022}}</ref> Mese was a cast member for Episode 1 ("Can We Do This?") and Episode 3 ("We Have Cleared The Tower") of ''From the Earth to the Moon'' (1998).<ref name="imdb" /> His "first big job"<ref name="bradvocate1992" /> for television was in 1992 as the love interest of Marlee Matlin on ''Reasonable Doubts''.<ref name="bradvocate1992">{{cite web |last1=Lamb |first1=Madelyn |title=Doubts making career for BR native |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1006417D79E1C198&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Aimage%252Fv2%253A138F0D9908AC8D5F%2540EANX-14ADB848068B3043%25402448697-14ADB4B911A60035%2540126-14ADB4B911A60035%2540/hlterms%3AJohn%2520Mese |website=Newsbank |publisher=Baton Rouge Advocate |access-date=29 August 2022 |date=15 March 1992}}</ref> Prior to that, his TV roles (on shows like The Fanelli Boys, Matlock, and Northern Exposure) were relatively minor.<ref name="bradvocate1992" /> He was "the Congo Man"<ref name="bradvocate1994">{{cite web |title=LSU alumni finding success in acting careers |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1006417D79E1C198&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Aimage%252Fv2%253A138F0D9908AC8D5F%2540EANX-14AC10E2B901F146%25402449546-14ABE5AEB822E2BC%25409-14ABE5AEB822E2BC%2540/hlterms%3A |website=Newsbank |publisher=Baton Rouge Advocate |access-date=24 April 2023 |date=12 July 1994 |quote=Many people would recognize Mese as "the Congo Man" from a Budweiser Beer commercial. His line: "There I was, there I was, there I was....in the Congo."}}</ref> in a Budweiser Beer commercial narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker (in character as Carrie Bradshaw). In 2000, Mese played Sheriff Phil Adderly on Chimera (The X-Files), one of the "Monster of the Week" episodes in the seventh season of The X Files. He played the baseball coach, in season 2 episode 10 of Ghost Whisperer.
===Writing=== Mese and his wife, Dawn Kelsey, are the authors of a children's book series called ''Flippy and Friends''.<ref name="kiplingers" /> The idea started in 2002; Mese and Kelsey worked with illustrator Chanler Holden and her husband, Major Mittendorf.<ref name="kiplingers" />
In 2017, Mese penned an editorial for the entertainment section of ''Purple Clover''; this was an autobiographical sketch about boyhood fantasy, titled "My First Playboy."<ref name="johnmese">{{cite web | title = My First Playboy (Purple Clover) | url = https://purpleclover.littlethings.com/entertainment/8044-my-first-playboy | date = 2017-09-28 | archiveurl = https://archive.today/20220714183323/https://purpleclover.littlethings.com/entertainment/8044-my-first-playboy | archivedate = 2022-07-14 }}</ref>
In 2025, Mese's short story "First Kiss" appeared in the debut issue of ''Heavy Crown Voices'', a free digital literary magazine from Heavy Crown Press.<ref name="hcpvoices">{{cite web |last1=Rovira |first1=Ashley |title=Heavy Crown Voices: The Launch |url=https://www.heavycrownpress.com/p/heavy-crown-voices-the-launch?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web |access-date=29 April 2026 |language=English |date=August 17, 2025 |quote=John Mese submitted the story First Kiss. It tells of middle grade puppy love. Boys don’t know girls; girls don’t know boys. It takes a lifetime, sometimes, to figure out the simplest things. How does anyone make it past puberty?}}</ref>
The same year, Mese debuted his one-man-show, which he wrote, ''Wild Son And Then Some''. It tells the story of his father through his eyes.<ref name="hcpwildson">{{cite web |last1=Rovira |first1=Ashley |title=In the Orbit of the Wild Son |url=https://www.heavycrownpress.com/p/in-the-orbit-of-the-wild-son |website=Heavy Crown Press |access-date=29 April 2026 |language=English |date=December 31, 2025 |quote=By October this year, Mese was recovered enough from his stroke to perform his paternal tribute at the UnUrban Coffee House in Santa Monica. On February 6 in the New Year, he will stage it again at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks.}}</ref> He performed it once in 2025, at the UnUrban Coffee House in Santa Monica, and then again in February 2026, at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks.<ref name="hcpwildson" />
==Awards== * Best Acting Performance for "Crow" in ''Bugtussle'' (Short 2022), Oregon Short Film Festival, Winter 2023 edition<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fair |first1=Mikel |title=Bugtussle, Directed by Derek Sitter - Oregon Short Film Festival #shorts |url=https://youtube.com/shorts/0zJA8aEN_qc |website=YouTube |publisher=@MikelFair YouTube |access-date=1 March 2023}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://twitter.com/mesejohn @mesejohn Twitter (official)] * [https://vimeo.com/johnmese John Mese on Vimeo (official)]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mese, John}} Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Male actors from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Category:Louisiana State University alumni Category:Catholic High School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) alumni Category:Film producers from Louisiana Category:American male stage actors Category:Writers from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Category:American writers of Italian descent