Chris Noth Bio - Chris Noth Biography

Chris Noth: Biography

Chris Noth was born in Madison, Wisconsin on 13 November 1954. In his youth, he traveled and lived in England, Yugoslavia, and Spain but never stayed in the same place for too long. Chris studied with Sanford Meisner before attending the Yale School of Drama.

The first time Chris Noth was noticed was in the movie Off Beat in which he played a minor role as Ely Wareham Jr. (the screen brother of Meg Tilly's character). Noth played bit parts for the next four years such as Baby Boom and the TV mini-series I'll Take Manhattan both in 1987, until Wolf Productions offered him a feature role in the TV series Law & Order. Noth played Detective Mike Logan from the summer of '89 to the summer of '95. Noth made this role his own and played it to the brilliance of any great actor. The character Det. Mike Logan is a young cop who is hailed as the "soul" of the series. Through the years, the character Logan was to become a very strong presence due to the talented Noth and the the great story lines in which Logan got into a number of close calls.

Noth was aided by a great cast of characters which included George Dzundza (season one), Paul Sorvino (season two and three), Michael Moriarty (season one to four), Richard Brooks (season one to three), Dann Florek (season one to three), Jill Hennessy (season four to six), and Steven Hill (season one to present). Many characters came and went while Noth starred in Law & Order, but at its peak in season two and three, Noth seemed at home in his role. Chris Noth's and Paul Sorvino's intimidating appearance, (each standing at 6'4" inches tall) made them an excellent "Batman and Robin" partnership together.

In 1995, Noth's contract was not renewed. This came as a shock to fans of the series as they saw the "heart" (Moriarty) forced out over TV violence and now the "soul". Noth continued to work in movies as well as TV, and in 1996 he starred in the successful TV movie Abducted: A Father's Love (which also starred Peter MacNicol) and in 1998 he became a regular on the smash hit series Sex and the City.

Chris: (on a Sex and the City: The Movie sequel) We are doing a sequel right here in London. I don't know, I'm just kidding - it's up to the writer, Michael Patrick King. I think it would be a great place to make it. If Woody Allen can make films in London, why can't we?(edit)
Chris: (on doing "Law & Order") An hour-long procedural program can be deadening-and you have to fight it, you really have to fight it. It's excruciating hours and it's tough to do, but given what I just talked about, with all the factors and the people, I think we're doing some worthwhile stuff and I think people are starting to pay attention to that.(edit)
Chris: New York used to be so much more than just a place to shop. It was life on the street for the eccentrics; it was an eccentric city. It had many different tastes. Now it's just one-a really rich one-with big tall glass buildings.(edit)
Chris: (on getting involved with Rainforest Action Network) I'm an actor, and I'm not going to go off and be an activist for them because I'm doing my thing. But I just want to support people who have a commitment that is so strong-I want people to know, to join them.(edit)
Chris: (on the movie "Sex and the City") I never, ever been on a set where there was that much interest in trying to figure out what was going on. Everyone got it in the papers completely wrong because everything is so out of context they don't understand just because they see someone in a wedding dress, it doesn't necessarily mean what they think it's going to mean. That's the beauty of the movie.(edit)
Chris: (on closure between Mr. Big and Carrie in "Sex and the City: The Movie") It's a continuation. I mean, I'm not sure anything needs to be resolved. They're a part of each other's lives, through all the twists and turns, and there's a lot of different twists and turns, but it's life I guess. He's a big part of her life.(edit)
Chris: I never talk about my private life. When you're in this business it becomes so precious. I don't understand when people open up about themselves to the press – it's so strange to me.(edit)
Chris: Since women ask me about male motives all the time, I can offer a bit of advice. If you feel like you're going to get hurt then you shouldn't be there in the first place. That's the way I look at relationships.(edit)
Chris: People are so phobic and crazed about this word commitment. It's weird. Everyone has taken this word to a new height of morality.(edit)
Chris: We want to find a quick and easy solution to love like they offer in Cosmo magazine. We want to solve our lives in an article titled 'How to Please Your Man and Keep Him Happy.' Please! Nothing is quick and easy in this life.(edit)
Chris: (on why he left "Law & Order") Law & Order is completely story-driven and completely characterless, really. If you do that format for five years and you're an actor, you're bound to get bored. It wears on you. And it was really wearing on me. But you need a job, and I felt awfully blessed to be in New York City and to be doing a show that was considered intelligent in the world of TV. But hey, five years is enough time.(edit)
Chris: I don't like NYPD Blue because it tries to pretend it's a New York show. You know it's shot in a Hollywood back-lot. It's so LA, so un-New York. They all try to talk New York. They all sound stupid. Law & Order is one hundred times more authentic.(edit)

His favorite restaurants in New York are Da Marino (on 49th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue), Knickerbocker, for its steaks, and Gotham, a Greek place in his neighborhood.(edit)
Chris' last name is pronounced as rhyming with "both".(edit)
In July 2004, Chris did an advertising campaign for a famous hand cream company in Israel.(edit)
In 2001, Chris visited land mine victims in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as part of the awareness camapaign of the non-profit, non-governmental organization Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) on banning the use of land mines.(edit)
Chris read for the audiobook The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton in 2004. He also read for the audiobook "Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross Novels)" by James Patterson.(edit)
Chris appeared in several stage productions including Just a Little Bit Less Than Normal, Arms and the Man, Gore Vidal's The Best Man, What Didn't Happen, The Torch, Hamlet, and Patronage among others.(edit)
Chris and his girlfriend Tara Wilson welcomed their first child on January 18, 2008. Born in Los Angeles, Orion Christopher Noth weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces.(edit)
Chris starred in the Emmy considered TV movie Bad Apple, which aired February 15, 2004.(edit)
Chris is a writer and producer, in addition to being an actor.(edit)
In 2001, Chris appeared in a print ad campaign for Lane Bryant clothing. He has stated he finds fuller figured women quite attractive. (edit)
Chris appeared in TV commercials for PSINet (an internet service provider) in 1998. Chris appeared in a TV commercial for MicroWarehouse in 2000.(edit)
In 2000, Chris was nominated for a Golden Globe for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV" for his work on Sex and the City. He was also nominated for a Golden Satellite Award for the same role in 2003.(edit)
Chris was ranked #8 one of Tropopkin's Top 25 Most Intriguing People in Issue #100.(edit)
Unlike his Law & Order character, Chris is not of Irish-American descent.(edit)
Chris gained notoriety in his long lasting role as Mike Logan on Law & Order.(edit)
Chris dated Sarah Jessica Parker for a time. He was also in a long-term relationship with model/actress Beverly Johnson.(edit)
Chris co-owns a bar called The Cutting Room in Manhattan. He also co-owns the semi-private Manhattan club, The Plumm. He and his girlfriend Tara Wilson also owns Once Upon A Tea Cup in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.(edit)
Chris attended three years at Marlboro College in Vermont as an undergraduate. (edit)
Chris is 6’1 ½" tall.(edit)
Chris is the son of CBS-TV European news reporter Jeanne Parr and Charles, an insurance salesman. His father passed away when he was just eight.(edit)