Kit Culkin
Kit Culkin | |
|---|---|
| File:Christopherculkin.jpg | |
| Born | Christopher Cornelius Culkin |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Website | www.kitculkin.com |
Christopher "Kit" Culkin (born December 6 1944 in New York, New York) is a former Broadway performer. Best known to people in the movie industry as that infamous scourge of Hollywood, "the stage father from hell". A title that was given to him by the press after a number of controversial decisions on behalf of his son Macaulay Culkin.
Biography
Christopher Culkin spent his youth in New York City, working on Broadway in theatre productions with legendary stars of the day such as Richard Burton, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, and Anthony Quinn. His brother, Terry, and sisters Bonnie and Candace, also worked in theatre and television, with Bonnie Bedelia Culkin going on to fame in films such as Die Hard, Die Hard 2, Presumed Innocent, Heart Like a Wheel, Salem’s Lot, and Gypsy Moths.
Kit credits one person for these early successes: his mother, Marian Wagner Culkin, who was their manager.
Kit is the father of Macaulay, Kieran, Rory, Christian, Shane, Quinn, and Dakota Culkin; three of his sons (Macaulay, Rory, and Kieran) have taken up acting.
At the time of Kit's mother's death (in 1964) Bonnie Bedelia was working on a soap opera and had plans to go out to Hollywood. Kit took his mother's death very hard and settled in their apartment alone with his father. He continued doing some Broadway productions, then went on to college, started his first family (which ended sadly) and then he went traveling America studying historical sites.
Kit was the sole manager of his acting children from the late 1980s to the mid 1990's. In just a few years the Culkin family went from extreme poverty to wealth. Macaulay became the first child in Hollywood to receive a million dollar salary for My Girl (1991). From 1995 to 1997 Kit was part of a child custody trial, and received a lot of negative press as a result of that. Macaulay's acting career however, never took off again after Kit quit being his manager.
Stage Career
New York City stage. Including Broadway and Lincoln Center.
- Hamlet (1964)
With: Richard Burton, Hume Cronyn, Alfred Drake.
Director: John Gielgud.
Role: Player Queen.
Location: Lunt - Fontanne Theatre.
- The Physicists
With: Robert Shaw, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn.
Director: Peter Brook.
Role: Adolph-Friedrich.
Location: Martin Beck Theatre.
- Becket
With: Lawrence Olivier, Anthony Quinn.
Director: Peter Glenville.
Role: Prince Richard.
Location: St. James, Royale and Hudson Theatres
- The Nutcracker
With: the New York City Ballet Company.
Choreographed by George Balanchine.
Role: Nutcracker prince.
Location: State Theatre
- Street Scene
With: the New York City Opera Company.
Director: Julius Rudel.
Role: Charles Hilderbrand.
Location: State Theatre
- The Ballad of Baby Doe
With: Beverly Sills and the NY City Opera Company.
Director: Julius Rudel
Role: Cousin Jake
Location: State Theatre
Off and Off Off Broadway Plays
- The Cup Of Fury
Director: Stanley Brechner.
Role: Soviet Procurator.
Location: American Jewish Theatre
- Peril At End House
Director: Jude Schanzer.
Role: Terry Ord.
Location: Impossible Ragtime Theatre
- Ready For Teddy
Director: William McComb.
Role: Senator Edward Kennedy.
Location: Quaigh Theatre
- The Man Who Never Died
Director: Robert Mayberry.
Role: Martin Henderson.
Location: Jan Hus Playhouse
- Ethan Frome
Director: Alan Coleridge.
Role: The Traveller.
Location: Theatre at St. Clements
- Caligula
Director: Alan Gabor.
Role: The First Patrician.
Location: Fourth Street Theatre
- Romeo And Juliet
Director: Lawrence Philips.
Role: Lord Capulet.
Location: Bond Street Theatre
- Sleepwalkers
Director: Charlotte Durham.
Role: The Rapist.
Location: Waverly Showcase Theatre
- Carousel
Director: Jerome Mayer.
Role: Enoch Snow, Jr.
Location: Equity Library Theatre
- Johnny On The Spot
Director: Alvin Ross.
Role: Joe.
Location: East Side Settlement House
The Early Years
- Big Show Tonite
Location: East Side Settlement House - Variety Review.
- High Time
Location: East Side Settlement House - Variety Review.
- Looking Up
Location: East Side Settlement House - Variety Review.
Source: www.kitculkin.com
Writings
Over the last year Kit has released a collection of 3 writings:
"Lost Boy" is a story about Michael Jackson, based on Kit's own experiences being a guest at Jackson's Neverland Ranch. "I Don't Think So" tells the story of the Culkin family's rise to stardom and his analysis of the problems that ultimately broke the family apart. "Early Stages" is about his own acting career on Broadway in the early 1960s, with Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Richard Burton and many another thespian fellow. All of these are available for free.
Kit Culkin now lives in Oregon with his with his long time friend and partner, Jeanette Krylowski.