"I'm a city kid," says actor Raphael Sbarge. "Moved 10 times by the time I was in high school, lived in a commune on the Lower East Side, where I learned to shoplift from the neighborhood kids by the age of five."
An only child, Sbarge was born into an eccentric, theatrical family. His mother was a Broadway costume designer and his father a writer, artist and filmmaker. Sbarge got an early start when he began working at the age of four on a new PBS show, Sesame Street. "I have vivid memories of being on the show, meeting Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, but I didn't want to be an actor" Sbarge says. "I was just having a good time."
Currently on production hiatus from the acclaimed CBS drama series The Guardian, which will begin its fourth season in July, Sbarge most recently completed work on the independent feature The Assassination of Richard Nixon. The film was co-written by Kevin Kennedy and Niels Mueller, and directed by the latter. Sbarge joins an impressive cast including Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Don Cheadle, appearing in a pivotal role as the pilot of a plane hijacked by Penn's character.
A series regular on The Guardian, one of the highest-rated new dramas of the year in a very competitive timeslot, Sbarge has spent years preparing to get to this successful point in his career.
It wasn't until he was 13-years-old that he decided to be an actor. "My mother was always working. I was one of those little kids who ran around backstage with the actors, played with fabrics in the costume shop, sometimes got cast because they needed a kid but generally just watched the shows over and over again."
At 16 he was appearing on Broadway opposite Faye Dunaway and two years later after graduating high school he flew to Chicago to co-star in Risky Business. Now, almost 20 years later, with over 30 movies under his belt, Sbarge says "I grew up backstage, so really, theater will always be home."
Indeed his theater work is extensive, including five Broadway shows ranging from the sweet romantic lead in Eugene O'Neil's Ah, Wilderness! with Jason Robards to the psycho-killer in Voices in the Dark. Sbarge has performed on stage with Al Pacino, Gwyneth Paltrow, Frank Langella, Mercedes Ruehl and Colleen Dewhurst, among many others. He's won the L.A. Drama critics' award, the San Francisco Circle Critics Award, Garland Awards and The Fany Award (Broadway's people's choice award).
"I never went to college. My mother had been a professor at the Yale Drama School when Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, and Christopher Durang were students. At 14, I already was working, and studying individually with teachers in and around New York City."
Sbarge remained on the East Coast, honing his craft with work in television, film and theater, including a production of Hamlet directed by Joseph Papp. Eventually an offer too good to pass up came his way.
"I first came to L.A. because I fell in love with this woman," he explains. Secondarily, it was a chance to explore other film and television work as well. He was part of such respected projects as A Streetcar Named Desire with Ann-Margaret, the NBC mini-series, The Billionaire Boys Club, and the features Vision Quest and My Science Project, among others.
Living back and forth between New York City and Los Angeles, he has worked in supporting roles in such films as Independence Day, Pearl Harbor and Message in a Bottle along with roles in smaller independent films such as Dog's Tale, Home Room, Carnasaur and Abuse. He's also worked extensively in television with over 50 episodic appearances including recurring roles in Star Trek Voyager and Profiler.
"I think the 'theater ethic' that got handed down is to work. Work as much as you can. Small, large, pay, no pay, find ways to hone your craft, and just keep going" Sbarge says. Indeed, true to her own advice, his mother designed nine plays last year at the age of 72.
Sbarge recently starred in the role of Jake Straka on The Guardian, a sharp and gritty drama that aired three highly successful seasons on CBS.
But the actor hasn't forgotten where he's come from. He recently simultaneously performed in a production of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party with the highly acclaimed Matrix Theater Company. L.A. Magazine called his performance "stunning."
Sbarge is married to actress Lisa Akey. They met while on tour, both with plays headed to Broadway, and began dating as their shows opened in theaters across Shubert Alley from each other. In June of 2004 they opened a hip, new children's boutique on the legendary Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Called Sugar Baby, the store is aimed for "rocker moms, not soccer moms." They now live in Los Angeles with two-year old daughter Gracie, and newborn son Django. Sbarge is also the proud "parent" of Willow, a border collie.
Sites in the 2004-2005 Restore America: A Salute to Preservation campaign.
WINDOWS MEDIA VIDEO