Occupation Poet, Actor Children Dylan Northup Spouse Holly Prado Northup | Role Actor Name Harry Northup | |
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Born September 2, 1940 (age 83) ( 1940-09-02 ) Amarillo, Texas Education California State University, Northridge Books Red snow fence, The Ragged vertical, Reunions, Where Bodies Again Recline: Poems Movies Taxi Driver, Over the Edge, Mean Streets, The Silence of the Lambs, Who's That Knocking at My Door Similar People Jonathan Kaplan, Kenneth Utt, Jonathan Demme, Edward Saxon, Ron Bozman | ||
Harry northup actor and don sherman comedian talk about life
Harry Northup (born September 2, 1940) is an American actor and poet. As an actor, he would make frequent appearances in the films of Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme.
Contents
- Harry northup actor and don sherman comedian talk about life
- Harry northup actor poet and don sherman comedian writer in conversation
- Life and career
- Style of poetry
- Awards and honors
- Poetry
- Anthologies
- Audio
- Filmography
- References
Harry northup actor poet and don sherman comedian writer in conversation
Life and career
Northup was born in Amarillo, Texas. He lived in seventeen places by the time he was seventeen, but mostly lived in Sidney, Nebraska, where he graduated from high-school in 1958. From 1958 to 1961, he served in the United States Navy, where he attained the rank of Second Class Radioman. From 1963 to 1968, he studied Method acting with Frank Corsaro, in New York City.
Northup received his B.A. in English from California State University, Northridge, where he studied poetry with poet Ann Stanford. He has made a living as an actor for over thirty years and has been in thirty-seven films including Martin Scorsese's first six feature films: Who's That Knocking at My Door, Boxcar Bertha, Mean Streets, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Taxi Driver and New York, New York. He had a role in Jonathan Demme's film The Silence of the Lambs. Harry starred in Over the Edge and Fighting Mad. Northup has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1976. He has the rare distinction of being a notable poet as well as a successful career actor. Northup currently lives in East Hollywood with his poet and novelist wife Holly Prado. His son Dylan was born on January 29, 1969. Dylan's mother is Rita Northup, Harry's first wife.
"Harry Northup is one of the actors I have worked with many times. I've worked with him for thirty years. He's a wonderful guy and a beautiful poet and a gifted actor." — Jonathan Demme "Latino Review" 2004
The poets Walt Whitman, Leland Hickman, Paul Blackburn, Ann Stanford, William Carlos Williams, and Holly Prado have influenced Harry Northup's poetry.
He conceived and coordinated the weekly poetry-reading-series, "Poetry on Melrose," at Gasoline Alley, in Los Angeles, from 1986 to 1988. Poets who read at the venue included Robert Peters, Jack Hirschman and Lewis MacAdams.
Style of poetry
The main themes in Northup's poetry are family, love, loss, work — in particular, acting in movies, place — the plains where he grew up. Harry is a lyrical realist who also explores mysterious and forceful imagery. One of his major interests is the long poem. The eminent critic Robert Peters has written, "Harry Northup is a wild language explosioneer."
Awards and honors
The City of Los Angeles, as represented by the L.A. City Council, awarded Harry Northup a "Certificate of Recognition" on November 15, 2006.