Jeffrey Carlson
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Carlson is a Broadway
, film
, television
actor
and singer, best known for his role as the transgender
Zarf/Zoe
on the long-running daytime soap opera
All My Children
.
Carlson debuted on Broadway in Edward Albee
's The Goat or Who is Sylvia? in 2002 and also appeared in the Broadway revival of Tartuffe
in 2003. He later appeared in the short-lived Boy George
Broadway musical Taboo
in 2003 and 2004. He was nominated for the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for the role of Marilyn in Taboo. In 2005, he had a small role as Egon in the Will Smith
romantic comedy Hitch
.
In August 2006, he appeared in a daytime role on All My Children
, as a British rock star named Zarf. In late November 2006, he returned to the role. In the course of the storyline, Zarf was revealed to be a transgender
woman named Zoe, who also happened to be a lesbian
. All My Children won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Daily Drama in 2007 for this storyline.
Carlson studied acting at the University of California Davis and graduated with a B.A in Dramatic Art. Classically trained at Juilliard, he has also appeared in the title role of Lorenzaccio at the Shakespeare Theatre Company
in Washington, D.C.
and returned in June 2007 to play Hamlet
.
His mother named him Jeffrey because she was a fan of All My Children and of the character Jeff Martin on the show.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and singer, best known for his role as the transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
Zarf/Zoe
Zoe (All My Children)
Zoe is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama All My Children, and is credited as the first transgender character to appear on a soap opera at the beginning of a male to female gender transition. She was portrayed by actor Jeffrey Carlson in August 2006 and then again from November 29,...
on the long-running daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
.
Carlson debuted on Broadway in Edward Albee
Edward Albee
Edward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often...
's The Goat or Who is Sylvia? in 2002 and also appeared in the Broadway revival of Tartuffe
Tartuffe
Tartuffe is a comedy by Molière. It is one of his most famous plays.-History:Molière wrote Tartuffe in 1664...
in 2003. He later appeared in the short-lived Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
Broadway musical Taboo
Taboo (musical)
Taboo is a stage musical with a book by Mark Davies , lyrics by Boy George, and music by George and Kevan Frost....
in 2003 and 2004. He was nominated for the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for the role of Marilyn in Taboo. In 2005, he had a small role as Egon in the Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
romantic comedy Hitch
Hitch (film)
Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays a professional matchmaker who makes a living teaching men how to woo women...
.
In August 2006, he appeared in a daytime role on All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, as a British rock star named Zarf. In late November 2006, he returned to the role. In the course of the storyline, Zarf was revealed to be a transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
woman named Zoe, who also happened to be a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. All My Children won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Daily Drama in 2007 for this storyline.
Carlson studied acting at the University of California Davis and graduated with a B.A in Dramatic Art. Classically trained at Juilliard, he has also appeared in the title role of Lorenzaccio at the Shakespeare Theatre Company
Shakespeare Theatre Company
The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. Their self professed mission "is to present classic theatre of scope and size in an imaginative, skillful and accessible American style that honors the playwrights’ language and intentions while viewing their...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and returned in June 2007 to play Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
.
His mother named him Jeffrey because she was a fan of All My Children and of the character Jeff Martin on the show.
External links
- Official Jeffrey Carlson website
- Jeffrey Carlson, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Hamlet
- Jeffrey Carlson,Digital Shakespeare, Hamlet Trailer, Shakespeare Theatre Company Washington, D.C., US,
- Jeffrey Carlson,NPR Weekend Edition Sunday, "Shakespeare Favorite Undergoes Another Adaptation", with Liane Hansen