Chris Messina

Chris Messina
Messina in 2014
Born (1974-08-11) August 11, 1974 (age 49)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • writer
  • producer
Years active1995–present
Spouses
(m. 1995; div. 2006)
Children2

Chris Messina (born August 11, 1974)[1] is an American actor, director, writer, and producer. He is best known for starring as Danny Castellano in the series The Mindy Project (2012–2017), which earned him two nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.

He has appeared in films such as Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), Julie & Julia (2009), Devil (2010), Argo (2012), Ruby Sparks (2012), Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012), Cake (2014), Birds of Prey (2020), I Care a Lot (2020), Call Jane (2022), Air (2023) and The Boogeyman (2023). Messina wrote, executive produced, and starred in the comedy film Fairhaven (2012). He also directed and starred in the drama film Alex of Venice (2014).

On television, Messina appeared as Ted Fairwell in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under (2005), Chris Sanchez in the Audience Network legal thriller series Damages (2011–2012), Reese Lansing in the HBO political drama series The Newsroom (2012–2014), Richard Willis in the HBO miniseries Sharp Objects (2018), Nick Haas in the USA Network crime drama series The Sinner (2020), Angelo Lano in the Starz political miniseries Gaslit (2022), and as Nathan Bartlett in the Peacock comedy thriller Based on a True Story (2023).

  1. ^ Hochberg, Mina. "Chris Messina stars in 'Ruby Sparks'". Newsday (Long Island, New York). August 8, 2012: "...the actor, who turns 38 Saturday [August 11, 2012]. After graduating from Northport [New York] High School, he enrolled in Marymount Manhattan College on a theater scholarship. Seized by doubts about acting, he dropped out….