Skeet Ulrich is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in popular 1990s films, as Billy Loomis in Scream and Chris Hooker in The Craft. Since 2017, he has starred as FP Jones on The CW's Riverdale. His other television roles include Paul Callan in the short-lived ABC drama Miracles, Johnston Jacob "Jake" Green, Jr. in the television series Jericho, and L.A.P.D. Detective Rex Winters, a Marine veteran from the Law & Order franchise.
Early life
Bryan Ray Trout was born on January 20, 1970, in Lynchburg, Virginia. His mother, Carolyn Elaine Wax, owns the special events marketing agency Sports Management Group, and his father is a restaurateur. His first stepfather was D. K. Ulrich, a NASCAR driver and team owner. His mother has since remarried to Edward Lewis Wax. However, he still regards D. K. Ulrich as his father. Ulrich's maternal uncle is retired NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd, and his maternal grandfather was Alvin Ray Rudd, Sr., the president of Al Rudd Auto Parts. Ulrich claims his father kidnapped him and his brother when he was six years old, and they spent the next three years moving from Florida to New York and then to Pennsylvania. They were reunited with their mother in North Carolina, where his father disappeared from his life. The nickname "Skeet" originated from the nickname "Skeeter" he was given by his Little League coach because of his small stature. Along with his slight frame, he had poor health, including numerous bouts with pneumonia; he underwent open heart surgery to repair a defective ventricle at the age of 10. Ulrich graduated from Northwest Cabarrus High School. After enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to study Marine Biology, he switched to New York University, where he was noticed by playwright David Mamet.
Career
In his earliest screen appearances, Ulrich was an uncredited extra in films Weekend at Bernie's and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. After joining the Atlantic Theater Company as an apprentice, Ulrich performed with the group, which got him noticed by director Stacy Cochran. She cast him in a CBS Schoolbreak Special. With her help he also received his first notable role on screen in 1996 as the loutish boyfriend of Winona Ryder in Boys. That same year he appeared in The Craft opposite Robin Tunney and Neve Campbell. He was also cast that same year to star alongside Neve Campbell, again, in Wes Craven's hit slasher filmScream. In 1997, he had a small role as an emotionally conflicted gayhustler in As Good as It Gets. He appeared in films like The Newton Boys and Chill Factor. He starred as Juvenal, a young man with stigmata and healing powers in the Paul Schrader film Touch, and he appeared in Ride with the Devil, an American Civil War drama directed by Ang Lee. In 2000, he played computer hackerKevin Mitnick in the film Takedown. On television, Ulrich starred in the short-lived ABC series Miracles and appeared in TNT's multiple Emmy-nominated miniseriesInto the West. Also in 2005, Ulrich acted with Keri Russell in the television filmThe Magic of Ordinary Days. Ulrich starred as Jake Green on the CBS post-apocalyptic drama Jericho, which premiered on September 20, 2006 and ended its run on March 25, 2008. Ulrich is a recurring guest voice actor on the Adult Swim animated stop-motion sketch comedy series Robot Chicken. In sketches based on G.I. Joe, Ulrich voices the character Duke. Ulrich guest starred in three episodes of ' as a complex and disturbed killer. The episodes began airing October 7, 2009. He signed on to star in ' as LAPD Detective Rex Winters but was released from his contract. His character was killed in a drive-by shooting of his house in the ninth episode. As of 2017, he stars as Forsythe Pendleton Jones II, the father of Jughead Jones, in Riverdale on The CW, loosely based on the Archie comic book series. On February 23, 2020, Ulrich announced that he would be leaving Riverdale ahead of its fifth season, making season four his last on the show. Ulrich appeared in the 2017 Lifetime film I Am Elizabeth Smart as Brian David Mitchell, based on the 2002 abduction and captivity of Elizabeth Smart. He also played as Brice in the horror movieEscape Room.
Personal life
In 1997, Ulrich married English actress Georgina Cates, whom he met at an Academy Awards party. Their wedding was a small ceremony held on their farmland in Madison County, Virginia, with only the preacher and their canine companions as guests. Together, the couple have twins, son Jakob Dylan and daughter Naiia Rose, born in 2001. Skeet and Georgina divorced in 2005, citing irreconcilable differences. In February 2013, Ulrich was in court for a contempt hearing in which it was alleged he owed his former wife $284,861.84 in missed child support payments, to which he pled not guilty. He married Amelia Jackson-Gray in 2012, and they divorced in 2015. In 2016, Ulrich became engaged to model Rose Costa but the couple split in November 2017. Ulrich avoided walking red carpets in the past as he hates getting his picture taken, and he felt ambivalent to the fame claiming it was "...not something I was interested in, I was really interested in doing things that challenged me." Throughout his life he was into building things such as a tree house and furniture, which he enjoys as, "...with woodworking, I'm in control. That's something I don't get in acting."
