Reed Birney


Reed Birney is an American actor. He has worked both on Broadway and Off-Broadway.
In 2016, Birney won a Tony Award for his performance in the play The Humans. He also won three Obie Awards and four Drama Desk Awards throughout his career.

Career

Birney attended Boston University, the School of Fine Arts for two years. After moving to New York City, he attended classes sponsored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Birney appeared Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 1976 in Gemini by Albert Innaurato. He has appeared in many plays Off-Broadway since, including Bug and Circle Mirror Transformation.
He has performed on Broadway in Casa Valentina and The Humans. He appeared in the Annie Baker adaptation of Uncle Vanya at the Soho Rep in 2012. Charles Isherwood in his review for The New York Times wrote: "The indispensable Reed Birney is as vitally moving a Vanya as I’ve yet to see..." He was nominated for the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Actor in a Play, for Uncle Vanya.
He won the 2016 Tony Award, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, for The Humans; the 2014 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, for Casa Valentina; and the 2010 Obie Award, Performance, for Circle Mirror Transformation. He received a Special Drama Desk Award in 2011, honoring his career.
He appeared off-Broadway in the play by Tracy Letts, Man from Nebraska, which opened in January 2017 at the Second Stage Theatre. As of May 2017, he stars as O'Brien in the Broadway production of 1984.
His television performances include Matthew Lester in Kane & Abel, Mr. Prescott on Gossip Girl, Donald Blythe on the Netflix series, House of Cards, Tom Connolly in The Blacklist and Dr. Adamson on Titans.
Birney is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University.

Personal life

He is married to actress Constance Shulman, who appears in Orange is the New Black, and they have two children together. Their daughter Gus Birney is an actress and his son Ephraim Birney is also an actor.

Awards and nominations