John Cariani
Biography
John Cariani is an American actor and playwright who grew up in Presque Isle, Maine, after being born in Brockton, Massachusetts. He began his career in New York with the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and Off-Broadway productions, landing his first break in 1999 in the play It's My Party (and I'll Die If I Want To). He broke into film and television with Scotland, PA (2001), opposite Christopher Walken, and guest-starred on Ed. In 2001 he appeared opposite Robert De Niro in Showtime. From 2002 to 2007 he played forensic expert Julian Beck on Law & Order. On Broadway, he earned a Tony Award nomination for Motel the Tailor in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof and later appeared in Something Rotten! and The Band's Visit. He wrote Almost, Maine, which became one of the most produced plays in American high schools.
57years old
Turns 58 on July 23in 255 days
- Born Brockton
- Star sign: LeoFirst day of the sign, on the Cancer cusp
- Also credited as John Edward Cariani
Movie Career
- Films
- 3
- Career span
- 0 years2001 to 2001
Every film, newest first
- 2001DownIMDb rating 4.7
- 2001Kissing Jessica SteinIMDb rating 6.5
- 2001Scotland, PAIMDb rating 6.6
Genres
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Big break
Cariani got his start in film and TV in 2000, appearing in the independent movie Scotland, PA with Christopher Walken and guest-starring on Ed. A year later he took his first big film part, playing opposite Robert De Niro in Showtime.
Early training
After earning a history degree from Amherst College in 1991, Cariani studied acting and directing at the now defunct StageWest in Springfield, Massachusetts, before moving to New York at age 27.
Behind the camera
Cariani turned his play Almost, Maine into a novel in 2020. Titled Almost, Maine: A Novel, the book came out from Macmillan.
Behind the camera
Cariani's play LOVE/SICK has been staged in Riga, Latvia and Mexico City, and it was turned into a Spanish language film titled Enfermo Amor on Vix+.
Behind the camera
Cariani's newest play, Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars, opened at Portland Stage on April 2, 2025. It grew from scrapped scenes of Almost, Maine, and Cariani directed its later premiere at Shadowland Stages in Ellenville, NY.
John Cariani movies on Netflix
Worked with
John Cariani made one film with each of them. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Christopher Walken's page
Ron Perlman's page
Michael Ironside's page
Naomi Watts's page
Kevin Corrigan's page
Edward Herrmann's page
Charles Herman-WurmfeldDirector, 1 film, 2001
All films by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Dick MaasDirector, 1 film, 2001
All films by Dick Maas
All films by Billy Morrissette
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.