JEREMY JOHNSON'S BIOGRAPHY Jeremy began stage acting when he was a mere wisp of a lad at his hometown,
New Bedford, Massachusetts, the Whaling City. Then he became a radio actor
at the station there with a comedy program. It was filled with improvised -
on - the - spot wacko characters, all played by Jeremy and his partner Pete
Mandell.
Jeremy's radio work continues to this day with frequent radio drama
appearances for Stage Shadows Productions, performed before live audiences
in New York City at The Museum of Television and Radio. One of his
favorites is CAT WIFE, which also starred the invincible Tammy Grimes and
Brian Murray. You can hear the shows on WFUV -FM 's Classic Radio.
His first community theatre role -- at Your Theatre, Inc. in New Bedford -- was the Reverend Anthony Anderson in Shaw's THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE.
Jeremy attended The Leland Powers School of Theatre in Boston on a
full-tuition scholarship, in competition with students from all over the
world. His audition piece was a speech from CYRANO DE BERGERAC.
Upon graduation he became the juvenile lead at The Lakewood Summer Theatre
in Maine, which was the oldest, most venerable summer theatre in the
country. It is now gone. There he performed his first professional stage
role - Sandy Tyrell in Noel Coward's HAY FEVER with the immortal Billie
Burke. He also performed there with other theatrical legends - Lillian and
Dorothy Gish, Edward Everett Horton and others. Jeremy was with Rudy Vallee
and James Broderick in Jean Kerr's JENNY KISSED ME (as the teen who got
kissed) in 1956 -- when he was drafted into the Army! Yikes! "What
happened to my career?"
Not to worry. As a soldier-actor Jeremy toured American army bases in
Germany for two years in Special Services. He entertained our troops with
such characters as Dr. Einstein in ARSENIC AND OLD LACE. The shows toured
all of southern Germany for three month stretches.
After the army, Jeremy truly became a legend in his own mind. He became a
director-actor at the legendary Caffe Cino in Greenwich Village. (One of
his best memories about those days is his direction of Fred Willard in
George S. Kaufman's IF MEN PLAYED CARDS AS WOMEN DO. Jeremy remembers it as second funniest to a play he was in only a few years ago at the American
Globe Theatre, THE WILD PANTALETTES OF VERONA, directed by the incomparable
Jacqueline Lowry.)
The Caffe Cino was also the place where he broadened his base and began to
promiscuously embrace drama and tragedy, after having been mainly a comic
actor. As a result of his liaison with tragedy, he directed (and played
Creon) in two totally different productions of Jean Anouilh's ANTIGONE at
the Cino. Some kind of obsessive-compulsive, I guess, in recent years he
mounted a third production of the play at The Players Club in Gramercy Park.
This was occasioned by his friendship with and resultant casting of the
brilliant French actress Tatiana Abbey in the title role. (Tatiana felt
this to be her signature role.) Jeremy again played Creon. Why not? He
directed it!
During the Cino years, happily with his friend the late Neil Flanagan as
Hogan, Jeremy played James Tyrone Jr. in Eugene O'Neill's A MOON FOR THE
MISBEGOTTEN. His second role in a Eugene O'Neill play was Chris in ANNA
CHRISTIE, some years later though.
Before leaving acting for some years, he played the recurring role of Larry
(his real name by the way) in SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, James Madison in THE
ADAMS CHRONICLES and The Doctor in the Morgue in the nighttime series ANDROS
TARGETS.
Jeremy went to college also, majoring in psychology. He got a Master's
degree in Social Work at Columbia University. He left acting for about
twenty years, with occasional forays back into it. He won't tell you about
his private life. Nonetheless, his miraculous and remarkable, dynamic son
is here and much on the scene being everything a son could be, Andrew Dylan
Johnson.
In 1989 Jeremy returned to acting -- off-Broadway with Robert Sean Leonard
in Charles Keating's production of ROMEO AND JULIET, playing Lord Capulet.
The run was three months. His reviews were outstanding. Check them out.
Since then he has done a good deal of stage work. Among the shows are:
Senator Tom Jordan in John Lahr's updated THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE;
Chebutykin in Chekhov's THE THREE SISTERS; Ernest in Ayckbourn's BEDROOM
FARCE; Deloss Brown expertly directing him as Dogberry in MUCH ADO ABOUT
NOTHING, Old Shepherd in THE WINTER'S TALE, and Boyet in LOVE'S LABOUR'S
LOST.
John Regis directed Jeremy in a very fine production of Jean Anouilh's EURYDICE for Storm Theatre. He played The Father.
Then he was really batty and off-the-wall wild in AN ORDINARY MIRACLE at
Medicine Show Theatre.
Jeremy's most recent performance was as Al in Marc Palmieri's new play CARL
THE SECOND for whatmanwhatcar Productions, directed by George Demas and
sound and music by the great Kramer. The play is published by Dramatists'
Play Service. It was a terrific experience. We await Marc's next jewel...
For the last few years. Jeremy has been doing readings of new plays at The
Actors Studio, produced by Patricia Bosworth and directed by Tom Palumbo:
some of them have been CHASING THE TIGER by Gail Sheehy; BLONDE by Joyce
Carol Oates; LOOK, EUROPE, by Ghazi Rabihavi, a dissident Iranian
playwright -- with Ron Rifkind, Brian Murray At the same time that Jeremy was
performing LOOK, EUROPE, Harold Pinter directed and acted the lead role in a
production in London. As a result of the publicity, the playwright was
released from prison. It was Mr. Pinter's idea that both productions be performed simultaneously. In New York Jeremy played the role of the Iranian Security Chief.
Jeremy recently did a reading at The Actors Studio, playing a Southern
bigot, in a new musical, still in the writing stage -- A GOOD MAN, book by
Phillip S. Goodman and music by Ray Leslee.
Jeremy has a role in the 2003 Charles Schwab SUPERBOWL commercial JOIN
THE MOVEMENT. This is his latest commercial.
Jeremy studied acting with Herbert Berghof, Uta Hagen, and other respected
teachers. Most recently, he was fortunate to study with the world-renowned
Shakespearean director and teacher, John Barton, formerly with the Royal
Shakespeare Company, when Mr. Barton has had workshops in this country
-teaching a melding of the two traditions, British and American, as far as
Shakespearean acting is concerned.
A source of continuing fun and pleasure for him is working with BOGIE'S
MYSTERY TOURS. Bogie's improvises mysteries at dinners and parties around
town. Aside from actors, the troupe is comprised of well-known mystery and
science fiction novelists, such as Parnell Hall and Bill McCay. If you have
a function, call them at 212-362-7569! If you need a band or string
quartet, call Jeremy. He'll introduce you to his son whose work is with
Situation Events Jeremy had a role in the 2003 Charles Schwab Superbowl commercial JOIN THE MOVEMENT. Then in 2005 he became Pops in the Guinness beer commercial THE DROP. currently airing in Ireland and the UK.
His last stage performance was as Father Hubbard in Mark Jay Mirsky's Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, directed by Marc Palmieri for the 2007 International Fringe Festival It played at the Soho Playhouse.
.
Right now Jeremy is ready for anything.
Jeremy Johnson
Call: (718)625-2706 or (917)623-0090
Email: jeremyjohnson77@hotmail.com
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