Minneapolis Guthrie Theater Alumni Can be Seen All Over Television & Movies

I tuned into FOX TV's new cop thriller, "K-ville" yesterday evening, and I was delighted to see an old friend, John Carroll Lynch, starring in a lead role (Captain James Embry).  John is a Guthrie Theater alumnus and colleague of mine from the 1990s and we worked together at the old Guthrie when the late Garland Wright was Artistic Director.  I was Music Director at the time I worked with John on Peter Weiss' Marat/Sade at the Guthrie in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

You'll see a great many Guthrie alumni on television and in movies.  John appeared in the movie "Fargo", along with former Guthrie acting company members Bruce Bohne and Sally Wingert.  Bruce has also appeared on NBC's Law & Order series. 

John Carroll Lynch's wife, actress Brenda Wehle, was also working at the Guthrie at the same time I was there.  The last time I ran into Brenda (eight or nine years ago) she was jogging on Madeline Island, near Big Bay State Park!  Brenda and John currently reside in Los Angeles.

The Guthrie has long been a magnet for top-quality actors and actresses from all over the United States.  Notable past members of the Guthrie acting company have included Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Peter Michael Goetz, Jerry Stiller, Zoe Caldwell and Joan van Ark.

Here's what a few other Guthrie colleagues from the 1980s and 1990s are doing now:

• Don Cheadle has become a well-known television and movie actor.  He appeared in Oceans 11 (and in Oceans 12 & 13), alongside George Clooney.
• Isabell Monk has appeared on The Equalizer
• Lauren Tom has made many television and movie appearances, including Chicago Hope and Batman Beyond
• Amy Aquino has made guest appearances on Shark, ER, Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal and CSI
• Stephen Yoakam recently appeared in the movie Arnold's Park 
• Peter Thoemke was in the film Detective Fiction
• Jacqueline Kim has made numerous appearances in film and on television, including The West Wing and ER

The Guthrie is our Minneapolis connection to Hollywood and Broadway, to film, television and touring theater.  Next time you attend a production at the Guthrie Theater, the chances are good you'll be watching future film and television stars!