Alexis Denisof | |
|---|---|
 Denisof at the May 2015Phoenix Comicon | |
| Born | (1966-02-25)February 25, 1966 (age 59) Salisbury, Maryland, U.S. |
| Alma mater | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Alexis Denisof (born February 25, 1966) is an American actor, primarily known for playingWesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television seriesBuffy the Vampire Slayer and itsspin-offAngel. He also had a recurring role onHow I Met Your Mother. His wife,Alyson Hannigan, starred in bothBuffy the Vampire Slayer andHow I Met Your Mother.
Denisof was born inSalisbury, Maryland,[1] the son of Christiana Taylor and Gerald Denisof.[2] He moved toSeattle,Washington, when he was three years old. He attendedHighline College, where his mother was head of the drama department. After graduating fromSt Paul's School inConcord, New Hampshire, at the age of 17, he moved toLondon, England, where he lived and worked for several years.[3] Denisof is listed as an Alumnus of theLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2017-18 'LAMDA Review of the Year'.[4]
Beginning his career in the film industry, Denisof was the fight director for a stage production ofHamlet, and in 1991 was the fight director for the BBC'sThe Other Side,Romeo and Juliet, andThe Soul's Dark Night.[5] His first lead role was alongside SirChristopher Lee in the feature filmMurder Story (1989) where he played an investigative reporter. One of his first known works in television was on the arcade version of the video for "Got My Mind Set On You" byGeorge Harrison. In 1995, he landed a small part in the 1995 filmFirst Knight, appearing as one of Arthur's round table knights in multiple scenes withSean Connery andRichard Gere.[1]
His best-known character, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, was introduced in 1999 in the third season ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer as Buffy's replacementWatcher. Originally, Wyndam-Pryce was supposed to be killed off in the season 3 finale but, due to Whedon's surprise at how well he fit into the series, Denisof was given the choice about his character's fate and chose for him to live. As a result, Wyndam-Pryce later arrived as a motorcycle-riding rogue demon-hunter in season one, episode 10 ofAngel, and was an official main cast member from episode 11 on, effectively replacing the characterDoyle. Wyndam-Pryce appeared in 100 out of the 110 episodes of the series.[citation needed]
The end of the series in 2004 saw a lag in Denisof's career. Save for appearing in three episodes of the hit seriesHow I Met Your Mother, as the goofy philandering Sandy Rivers, Denisof would not work as much as he used to for the next several years. During this time he appeared in several stage productions, includingRope atChichester Festival Theatre's Minerva Theatre withAnthony Head, who played Wesley's predecessorRupert Giles onBuffy. Denisof was among 200 actors considered for the role of James Bond inCasino Royale, but lost out toDaniel Craig. Later, in 2008, he appeared in season 2 ofPrivate Practice as a man named Daniel, a bigamist who has two pregnant wives who don't know about each other.[6] In 2009, he appeared in four episodes of Joss Whedon'sDollhouse as Senator Daniel Perrin.[7]
In 2011, Denisof reprised his recurring role as Sandy Rivers inHow I Met Your Mother; he ultimately appeared in 10 episodes in total, and his last appearance was in the episode "Gary Blauman". In a season 1 commentary, creatorsCraig Thomas andCarter Bays speculated that Denisof was initially reluctant to take the role back in 2006 because he feared it was just charity work on account of his wife, Hannigan, playing a main character on the show. They went on to state that he was not aware, until they actually told him, that they were huge fans of his work dating back to his time onAngel.[8][9]
Since 2011, Denisof has been relatively active. He played a voice role in the animated DC filmJustice League: Doom. He was featured in the majority of episodes in the AOL webseriesLittle Women, Big Cars. He was then cast as a lead inBryan Singer's new webseriesH+: The Digital Series. He then reunited withJoss Whedon for two different film projects. The first was a minor role in the summer blockbusterThe Avengers, as The Other, a servant of the characterThanos, and a cohort of Loki. The second was the lead male role in amodern version of Shakespeare'sMuch Ado About Nothing, which premiered at theToronto Film Festival, to positive reviews from critics. The film was released worldwide in June 2013.[10]
In August 2013 he was cast in the third season of NBC'sGrimm as a recurring character named Viktor Albert Wilhelm George Beckendorf.[11] In 2014, Denisof reprised his role as The Other inGuardians of the Galaxy. In the same year he began starring in theMTV television seriesFinding Carter as David Wilson.[12] As of 2018, Denisof starred in the web seriesI Love Bekka & Lucy as Glenn, and was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, his first such nomination.[13]
On November 28, 2018,Deadline Hollywood reported that Denisof would play the recurring role of Adam Masters in the second season ofNetflix'sChilling Adventures of Sabrina.[14] In 2019 he began playing the recurring role of Professor Vardemus in the supernatural television showLegacies.
According to the DVD release ofAngel's season five, three weeks before the filming of the season premiere, Denisof was stricken withBell's palsy, from which he later recovered. Due to the paralysis of the left side of his face, scenes were structured to not show its effects.[6]
Denisof married past co-starAlyson Hannigan, who playedWillow Rosenberg inBuffy the Vampire Slayer, on October 11, 2003. The couple live inEncino, Los Angeles.[15] They have two daughters.[16][17]
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Murder Story | Tony Zonis | |
| 1991 | Dakota Road | Jacob | |
| Snow and Fire | David | ||
| 1995 | Innocent Lies | Christopher Wood | |
| First Knight | Sir Gaheris | ||
| 1996 | True Blue | Ed Fox | |
| 1998 | The Misadventures of Margaret | George | |
| 1999 | Rogue Trader | Fernando Gueller | |
| 2001 | Beyond the City Limits | Yuri | |
| 2002 | Tarzan & Jane | Nigel Taylor | Voice[18] |
| 2011 | Love, Wedding, Marriage | Lloyd | |
| All-Star Superman | Dr. Leo Quintum | Voice[18] | |
| 2012 | Justice League: Doom | Mirror Master | Voice[18] |
| The Avengers | The Other | ||
| Little Women, Big Cars | Woody | ||
| Much Ado About Nothing | Benedick | ||
| 2014 | Guardians of the Galaxy | The Other | |
| 2020 | Under My Skin | Mike |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Romeo and Juliet | Tybalt | Television film |
| Faith | Joel | ||
| Soldier Soldier | Lt. Bob Steadman | Episode: "Proud Man" | |
| 1997 | Crime Traveller | Episode "Fashion Shoot" | |
| Sharpe's Revenge | Lord John Rossendale | Television film | |
| Sharpe's Justice | |||
| Sharpe's Waterloo | |||
| Hostile Waters | John Baker | ||
| Highlander: The Series | Steve Banner | Episode: "Diplomatic Immunity" | |
| 1998 | Ghost Cop | Jonah Blade | TV pilot |
| The Orchard Walls | Dennis | Television film | |
| 1999 | Noah's Ark | Ham | |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Wesley Wyndam-Pryce | Recurring role (season 3), 9 episodes | |
| 1999–2004 | Angel | Main role, 100 episodes | |
| 2000 | Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | Richard Shelley | Episode: "Paranoia" |
| 2001 | Batman Beyond | Zander | Voice, episode: "Curse of the Kobra"[18] |
| The Legend of Tarzan | Nigel Taylor, Henry | Voice, episodes: "The Flying Ace" and "The New Wave" | |
| 2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Mirror Master | Voice, episode: "Flash and Substance"[18] |
| 2006–2014 | How I Met Your Mother | Sandy Rivers | 10 episodes |
| 2008 | Private Practice | Daniel | Episode: "Serving Two Masters" |
| 2009 | Dollhouse | Senator Daniel Perrin | 4 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | H+: The Digital Series | Conall Sheehan | Web series |
| 2013 | Perception | Dr. Randall Vetter | Episode: "Defective" |
| 2013–2015 | Grimm | Viktor Chlodwig zu Schellendorf von Konigsburg | 17 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | Finding Carter | David Wilson | 31 episodes |
| 2015 | Robot Chicken | Mr. Peanut,Michael Knight, Knife Shark Narrator | Voice, episode: "Cheese Puff Mountain" |
| 2017 | I Love Bekka & Lucy | Glenn | 11 episodes |
| 2019–2020 | Chilling Adventures of Sabrina | Adam Masters | 4 episodes |
| 2019–2022 | Legacies | Professor Vardemus | Recurring role, 9 episodes |
| 2023 | How I Met Your Father | Sandy Rivers | Episodes: "Ride or Die" and "Shady Parker" |
"Finding Carter" stars Kathryn Prescott as "Carter Stevens" (Skins), Cynthia Watros as "Elizabeth Wilson" (Lost), Anna Jacoby-Heron as "Taylor Wilson", Alexis Denisof as "David Wilson" (Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel) and Zac Pullam as "Grant". The series also features Milena Govich as "Lori", Meredith Baxter as "Grandma Joan" (Family Ties), Robert Pine as "Grandpa Buddy" (CHiPs), Eddie Matos as "Kyle", Alex Saxon (The Fosters) as "Max", Jesse Henderson as "Gabe" and Stephen Guarino as "Toby".
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