Notable STA Alumnus: Jeffrey Wright

By Mannan Mehta '18

          If you aren’t already familiar with him as Bernard Lowe in the HBO hit series, Westworld, Jeffrey Wright (‘83) is one of STA’s most accomplished actors, starring in film, television, and on the stage. Wright was born in Washington, D.C. and came to St. Albans in sixth grade. A superstar athlete, he went on to play lacrosse at Amherst as a goalie. Though Wright planned to become a lawyer, following in his mother’s footsteps, he had a change in heart when he took an acting class during his senior year of college. Abandoning his plans to become a lawyer, he came back to D.C. in search of work on the stage. After obtaining several roles in productions on the Arena Stage, Wright enrolled in a graduate acting program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. After two years, however, he dropped out in pursuit of professional work, landing various small roles in off-Broadway productions, as well as shows at the Arena and Yale Repertory Theater. In 1990, he landed his first film role, a minor part in the movie Presumed Innocent. Since then, Wright has gone on to star in a variety of films, television shows, and plays, most notably The Hunger Games (2013, 2014), Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), and The Ides of March (2011) to name a few. Wright is also the recipient of a number of awards including a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in Angels in America: Perestroika (1994), and an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in the TV miniseries Angels in America (2004), among others. His notable résumé is only growing, and his current series, Westworld, is highly acclaimed, with a second season releasing shortly. We are proud to call Jeffrey Wright an STA Alumnus, and wish him the best in his future endeavours.

Sources:
https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/fuel/life-after-lax/jeffrey-wright-the-droid-who-played-lacrosse
​http://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/18/movies/one-artist-imitating-another.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Wright