Callie Thorne Biography
Callie Thorne
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Birth Name: Calliope Silver Thorne
Birth Place: Lincoln, MA
Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 11/20/1969, Scorpio
Profession: Actor
A sultry stage player with a blue-collar vibe, Thorne honed her acting skills on New York's theater scene, working with a number of prestigious off-Broadway companies including the Public Theater, the Atlantic Theatre Company, Naked Angels and Manhattan Theater Club. With only a few screen credits under her belt, Thorne began a two-season stint as a detective on Homicide: Life on the Street and stayed with the gritty drama until its 1999 demise. Frequently cast as civil servants---or their significant others---she had recurring roles on The Wire as a detective's ex and Prison Break as an FBI agent's wife. But her scary signature part came as an alcoholic fireman’s psycho girlfriend (not to mention his cousin-in-law) on Rescue Me.
Trivia
She is British, Armenian, Assyrian, Italian and Portuguese.
Played the role of Anita in her high school production of "West Side Story".
Graduated from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in 1987.
Graduated from Wheaton College in Massachussetts, where she majored in Dramatic Literature.
An actress whose capability to seamlessly alternate between roles that call for unchallenged authority figures and vulnerable, coyly girlish types, Callie Thorne is equally comfortable on small-screen crime and police dramas (Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The_Wire, and Prison_Break) and big-screen comedies (Next_Stop_Wonderland, Wirey_Spindell, and Strangers_With_Candy). It was her recurring role as Sheila Keefe on the hit FX series Rescue_Me, however, that truly allowed Thorne to gain considerable notice as an actress.
A graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury High School who went on to study at Wheaton College, Thorne credits much of her success to Wheaton theater director Pamela Bongas. While early roles in such features as Turbulence and Next_Stop_Wonderland served well to get the emerging actress comfortable in front of the camera, it was her performance as Detective Laura Ballard on Homicide: Life on the Street that truly propelled Thorne's career to the next level. After breaking the glass ceiling on the series by becoming the first female homicide detective to be paired with another female on a case, Thorne displayed her indie side with commendable roles in Ed_Burns' Sidewalks of New York and Tim McCann's Revolution_9. But Thorne truly shined on the small screen, and despite the occasional appearance in such big-budget efforts as Analyze_That, recurring roles on The_Wire, ER, Prison_Break, and, of course, Rescue_Me made her a favorite of television viewers who liked their drama served with a side of grit. Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Actress Callie Thorne has made a name for herself appearing in many of television's most celebrated series. She is perhaps best known for her performance as Sheila Keefe on the critically acclaimed, Emmy-nominated FX drama "Rescue Me," starring Denis Leary. Callie has had multi-episode arcs on FOX's "Prison Break" and NBC's "ER," and starred as the estranged wife of Jimmy McNulty on the acclaimed HBO series "The Wire." She also memorably appeared as series regular Det. Laura Ballard on NBC's critically acclaimed series "Homicide: Life on the Street." Other television credits include guest-starring roles on USA's "Burn Notice," "White Collar" and "Royal Pains," appearances in three of NBC's "Law & Order" franchises, and performances on "Third Watch" and "Ed." Callie has also recently guest-starred opposite David Duchovny on Showtime's hit series "Californication."
Calliope Silver Thorne was born on November 20, 1969. Her mother, Karen Thorne, is a celebrity astrologer. She grew up in Lincoln, Massachusetts, where she had hoped to play varsity soccer, but when she didn’t make the team she tried drama instead. She attended Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts where she majored in Theatre and Dramatic Literature, and also went to the The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, in New York City.
While in New York, Thorn worked with a NYC acting troupe called Naked Angels, where she met Ethan Hawke. He later directed her in the play, "Veins and Thumbtacks".
She appeared in the films Ed's Next Move (1996), and Turbulence (1997), and not long after was cast as Detective Laura Ballard on the show, Homicide: Life on the Street, on NBC.
She was also in Next Stop Wonderland (1998) and had a small role playing an FBI agent in Analyze That (2002). Most recently, she is known for playing Sheila Keefe on the critically acclaimed firefighter drama, Rescue Me on F/X.
As the widow of a firefighter who perished on 9/11, Callie Thorne was at the center of the controversial FX drama, “Rescue Me” from the beginning. She played Sheila Keefe, and her deceased husband was lead character Tommy Gavin’s cousin and best friend, who speaks to him like a conscience from time to time. Sheila and Tommy, played by series star and co-creator Denis Leary, soon began a controversial romance, breaking an unwritten firefighter’s code.
An experienced stage performer, Thorne has worked frequently with the NYC acting troupe Naked Angels and at the now-defunct Malaparte., a theater company where actor Ethan Hawke directed her in Jonathan Marc Sherman's play "Veins and Thumbtacks". In 1997, the dark-haired actress joined the ensemble of NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street" as Detective Laura Ballard, a seasoned homicide detective recently transplanted to Baltimore from Seattle. She made her film debut, billed as Calliope Thorne, in "Ed's Next Move" (1996) and also appeared in "Turbulence" (1997), alongside Ray Liotta and Lauren Holly. She also had small roles in “Next Stop Wonderland” (1998) and “Sidewalks of New York” (2001) as well as a bit part as an FBI agent in “Analyze That,” (2002).
Before "Homicide" and "Rescue Me," Thorne was no stranger to critically acclaimed television drama. She also portrayed the ex-wife of Baltimore Detective James McNulty (played by Dominic West) in HBO’s “The Wire.” Other television appearances include USA’s “The Street” as well as NBC’s “Third Watch” (NBC) and two “Law & Order” spin-offs: “L&O: Special Victims Unit,” and “L&O: Criminal Intent.” She also appeared in the critically appraised Comedy Central series “Strangers with Candy,” and had a small role in the HBO original movie “Hysterical Blindness” (2002)
Callie Thorne Fast Facts:
* Turned to drama when she didn't make the varsity soccer team in high school.
* Her mother, Karen Thorne, is a celebrity astrologer.
* Studied at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York.
* Callie Thorne Relationships:
* Karen Thorne - Mother
* College:
* Wheaton College, Norton, MA; The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, New York, NY
Callie's film credits include lead roles in "Welcome to Academia," with James LeGros, "Watching the Detectives" opposite Cillian Murphy and Lucy Liu, and "Delirious," starring Steve Buscemi and Alison Lohman. Other film credits include "Analyze That" (Warner Bros.), "Hysterical Blindness" (HBO), "Sidewalks of New York" (Paramount), "Next Stop Wonderland" (Miramax) and "Nice Guy Johnny." She also starred opposite Sam Rockwell and Justin Long in the critically acclaimed short "Robin's Big Date."
Callie's theater credits include The Public Theater's "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" directed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman; Manhattan Theater Club's "Gone Home," directed by David Warren; The Atlantic Company's "Joe Fearless," and The Mark Taper Forum's "Slavs."
On the stage, she acted opposite Eric Bogosian and Sam Rockwell in “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,” directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, as well as “Gone Home,” “Joe Fearless” and “The Country Club.”
Education
* Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, Theatre/Dramatic Literature
* The Lee Strasberg Institute, New York
Milestones
* 1996 Film debut in the critically acclaimed indie feature Ed s Next Move (billed as Calliope Thorne)
* 1997 Appeared in the feature Turbulence, starring Ray Liotta
* 1997 Portrayed Detective Laura Ballard, a seasoned homicide detective transplanted to Baltimore from Seattle, on NBC s Homicide: Life on the Streets
* 1999 Played a single mother trying to raise her son in Double Parked
* 2000 Cast in the comedy Whipped starring Amanda Peet
* 2001 Co-starred in Ed Burns Sidewalks of New York
* 2002 Played the ex-wife of Baltimore Homicide Detective James McNulty (Dominic West) on the HBO series, The Wire
* 2002 Appeared in the HBO original movie Hysterical Blindness, directed by Mira Nair and starred Uma Thurman and Juliette Lewis
* 2004 Cast as Sheila Keefe, the 9/11 widow of Tommy s (Denis Leary) cousin Jimmy on the FX drama, Rescue Me
* 2005 Appeared in the independent film David & Layla, opposite David Moscow
* 2005 Appeared on stage in the production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, opposite Sam Rockwell and Eric Bogosian, directed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman
* 2006 Had a recurring role on Prison Break (Fox)
* Directed by actor Ethan Hawke in Jonathan Mark Sherman s play Veins and Thumbtacks (Malaparte Theater)
* Grew up in Lincoln, Massachusetts
* Joined the National Theatre Institute
* Performed in numerous productions with the NYC acting troupe Naked Angels and with the Malaparte Theater Company.
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