Jason Gedrick (Actor)

Jason Gedrick as Danny Rooney in EZ Streets. (Photo: Sleuth)

A native Chicagoan who entered films as an extra in the Sean Penn-starrer "Bad Boys" (1983), Gedrick credits Penn as influential in his decision to act. Honing his craft in local stage productions, the young actor attended college to pacify his parents, but dropped out once he was offered roles in such diverse fare as the fantasy "The Heavenly Kid" (1985) and the actioner "Iron Eagle" (1986). The dark-haired, boyish actor continued appearing in features that won critical kudos but few viewers: "Stacking", "The Promised Land" (both 1987) and "Queens Logic" (1991). Gedrick appeared in small roles in two popular successes: Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) and as a rookie firefighter in Ron Howard's "Backdraft" (1991).

Gedrick fared only slightly better when he segued to TV. He headlined the Fox drama "Class of '96" (1993) which earned respectable reviews but few viewers. The same fate befell his second attempt, "Sweet Justice" (1994-95). With his third try ABC's "Murder One" (1995-96), Gedrick hit paydirt. As Neil Avedon, the spoiled, drug and alcohol addicted superstar embroiled in a murder case, the handsome actor demonstrated a range and depth untapped by his previous film work. After his one season stint as a murder defendent, Gedrick was cast opposite Ken Olin in the CBS drama series "EZ Streets" (1996-97), in which he played a man with potential ties to the Mob. Acclaimed by critics, the show faltered in the ratings, was pulled from the schedule and later aired in the spring. Ratings were still low, so the network cancelled the series.

Gedrick next appeared in the Emmy nominated miniseries "The Last Don" in 1997 and its sequel ("The Last Don II") in 1998. In 2001, he was cast in the highly anticipated but poorly performing television drama "The Beast." Hoping for a longer lasting network stint, he signed on to the LA crime drama series "Boomtown" in 2002.