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Peter Sarsgaard

Peter Sarsgaard

Known for: Acting

Born 07/03/1971
Place of birth Belleville, Illinois, USA

John Peter Sarsgaard (born March 7, 1971) is an American actor. His first feature role was in Dead Man Walking in 1995. He then appeared in the 1998 independent films Another Day in Paradise and Desert Blue. That same year, Sarsgaard received a substantial role in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), playing Raoul, the ill-fated son of Athos. Sarsgaard later achieved critical recognition when he was cast in Boys Don't Cry (1999) as John Lotter. He landed his first leading role in the 2001 film The Center of the World. The following year, he played supporting roles in Empire, The Salton Sea, and K-19: The Widowmaker. For his portrayal of Charles Lane in Shattered Glass, Sarsgaard won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for the 2004 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sarsgaard has appeared in an eclectic range of films, including the 2004 comedy-drama Garden State, the biographical film Kinsey (2004), the drama The Dying Gaul (2005), and big-budget films such as Flightplan (2005), Jarhead (2005), The Skeleton Key (2005), Orphan (2009), An Education (2009), Knight and Day (2010), Green Lantern (2011), Lovelace (2013), Kelly Reichardt's Night Moves (2013), Blue Jasmine (2013), Black Mass (2015), and The Magnificent Seven (2016). Sarsgaard also appeared in the American TV series The Killing (2013) as a man on death row perhaps wrongfully convicted for the brutal murder of his wife—a performance which he says included "some of the best acting I have ever done in my life." In 2021, he had a recurring role on the Hulu miniseries Dopesick. Sarsgaard has appeared in Off-Broadway productions including Kingdom of Earth, Laura Dennis, Burn This, and Uncle Vanya. In September 2008, he made his Broadway debut as Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin in The Seagull. He is married to actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Filmography

Law & Order Series ★ 7,3

Law & Order

Josh Strand

1990

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Series ★ 5,8

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Self

2014

The Daily Show Series ★ 6,4

The Daily Show

Self

1996

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Series ★ 6,1

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Self

2015

Late Night with Seth Meyers Series ★ 5,2

Late Night with Seth Meyers

Self

2014

Saturday Night Live Series ★ 6,9

Saturday Night Live

Self - Host

1975

Saturday Night Live Series ★ 6,9

Saturday Night Live

Self - Cameo (uncredited)

1975

Conan Series ★ 7,2

Conan

Self

2010

Late Night with Conan O'Brien Series ★ 7,3

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Self - Guest

1993

The Batman Film ★ 7,7

The Batman

District Attorney Gil Colson

2022

The Bride! Film ★ 6,2

The Bride!

Jake Wiles

2026

The Killing Series ★ 7,8

The Killing

Ray Seward

2011

DTF St. Louis Series ★ 6,8

DTF St. Louis

'Modern Love' / Christopher Spurce

2026

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien Series ★ 7,1

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

Self

2009

Presumed Innocent Series ★ 7,8

Presumed Innocent

Tommasino 'Tommy' Molto

2024

The Magnificent Seven Film ★ 6,5

The Magnificent Seven

Bartholomew Bogue

2016

Dopesick Series ★ 8,0

Dopesick

Rick Mountcastle

2021

This Week Series ★ 9,0

This Week

1981

Interrogation Series ★ 6,8

Interrogation

David Russell

2020

Orphan Film ★ 7,0

Orphan

John

2009

Green Lantern Film ★ 5,2

Green Lantern

Hector Hammond

2011

Knight and Day Film ★ 6,2

Knight and Day

Fitzgerald

2010

The Slap Series ★ 5,9

The Slap

Hector

2015

Cracker Series ★ 7,2

Cracker

1997

Jarhead Film ★ 6,7

Jarhead

Alan Troy

2005

The Guilty Film ★ 6,4

The Guilty

Henry Fisher (voice)

2021

Lovelace Film ★ 6,0

Lovelace

Chuck Traynor

2013

The Man in the Iron Mask Film ★ 6,7

The Man in the Iron Mask

Raoul

1998

Flightplan Film ★ 6,4

Flightplan

Carson

2005

Indie Sex Series ★ 5,2

Indie Sex

Self

2007

Homemade Series ★ 5,5

Homemade

Frank

2020

Wormwood Series ★ 6,2

Wormwood

Frank Olson

2017

Black Mass Film ★ 6,5

Black Mass

Brian Halloran

2015

The Skeleton Key Film ★ 6,6

The Skeleton Key

Luke Marshall

2005

Rendition Film ★ 6,4

Rendition

Alan Smith

2007

Jackie Film ★ 6,5

Jackie

Robert Kennedy

2016

The Cell Film ★ 6,3

The Cell

Julia Hickson's Fiancee (uncredited)

2000

Shattered Glass Film ★ 7,0

Shattered Glass

Charles 'Chuck' Lane

2003

Dead Man Walking Film ★ 7,3

Dead Man Walking

Walter Delacroix

1995

Elegy Film ★ 6,3

Elegy

Kenneth Kepesh

2008

Blue Jasmine Film ★ 7,0

Blue Jasmine

Dwight

2013

The Looming Tower Series ★ 7,3

The Looming Tower

Martin Schmidt

2018

Garden State Film ★ 7,1

Garden State

Mark

2004

K-19: The Widowmaker Film ★ 6,6

K-19: The Widowmaker

Vadim Radtchinko

2002

America Divided Series ★ 6,0

America Divided

Self

2016

The Survivor Film ★ 6,8

The Survivor

Emory Anderson

2022

An Education Film ★ 6,9

An Education

David Goldman

2009

Memory Film ★ 7,0

Memory

Saul

2023

The Lost Daughter Film ★ 6,5

The Lost Daughter

Professor Hardy

2021

Unconditional Love Film ★ 6,0

Unconditional Love

Window Washer

2002

The Lie Film ★ 6,4

The Lie

Jay Logan

2018

September 5 Film ★ 7,0

September 5

Roone Arledge

2024

Mr. Jones Film ★ 6,7

Mr. Jones

Walter Duranty

2019

Robot & Frank Film ★ 6,9

Robot & Frank

Robot (voice)

2012

Neuromancer Series

Neuromancer

John Ashpool

In the Electric Mist Film ★ 6,1

In the Electric Mist

Elrod Sykes

2009

Coup! Film ★ 6,5

Coup!

Floyd Monk

2024

Experimenter Film ★ 6,5

Experimenter

Stanley Milgram

2015

Pawn Sacrifice Film ★ 6,7

Pawn Sacrifice

Father Bill Lombardy

2015

Boys Don't Cry Film ★ 7,4

Boys Don't Cry

John Lotter

1999

Kinsey Film ★ 6,6

Kinsey

Clyde Martin

2004

Empire Film ★ 6,1

Empire

Jack

2002

Loving Pablo Film ★ 6,3

Loving Pablo

Shepard

2017

Subway Stories Film ★ 5,6

Subway Stories

Boy No. 1 (segment "Underground")

1997

Human Capital Film ★ 5,6

Human Capital

Quint Manning

2020

High Falls Film

High Falls

Pedro

2007

Very Good Girls Film ★ 5,8

Very Good Girls

Fitzsimmons

2013

The Salton Sea Film ★ 6,6

The Salton Sea

Jimmy the Finn

2002

Night Moves Film ★ 5,9

Night Moves

Harmon

2014

Pet Shop Days Film ★ 5,2

Pet Shop Days

2025

Starring Austin Pendleton Film ★ 6,7

Starring Austin Pendleton

Self

2016

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh Film ★ 4,2

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh

Cleveland Arning

2008

The Center of the World Film ★ 5,2

The Center of the World

Richard Longman

2001

Jake Gyllenhaal Challenges the Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Film ★ 3,8

Jake Gyllenhaal Challenges the Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

Alan Troy (archive footage)

2010

Year of the Dog Film ★ 5,5

Year of the Dog

Newt

2007

Another Day in Paradise Film ★ 6,2

Another Day in Paradise

Ty

1998

Desert Blue Film ★ 5,8

Desert Blue

Billy Baxter

1999

Death of a Dynasty Film ★ 6,1

Death of a Dynasty

Brendon III

2003

Wormwood Film ★ 6,9

Wormwood

Frank Olson

2017

The Sound of Silence Film ★ 5,8

The Sound of Silence

Peter Lucian

2019

Film

Zero K

The Dying Gaul Film ★ 6,0

The Dying Gaul

Robert Sandrich

2005

Ladygrey Film ★ 4,4

Ladygrey

Samuel

2015

Film

Road House 2

Housebound Film ★ 4,9

Housebound

Mignon

2000

Valley Uprising Film ★ 7,7

Valley Uprising

Self - Narrator (voice)

2014

Mama's Little Devils: Bad Seeds and Evil Children Film

Mama's Little Devils: Bad Seeds and Evil Children

Self

2009

Best Summer Ever Film ★ 6,7

Best Summer Ever

Camera Man

2020

Freak City Film ★ 5,7

Freak City

Cal Jackson

1999

Indie Sex: Teens Film ★ 3,5

Indie Sex: Teens

2008

Film

The Damning of a Country Merchant

Film

"Jarhead" Diaries

Self

Film

Erosion

Christian Andersen