Sean Bridgers

Sean Bridgers (born Sean MacKenzie Bridgers, March 15, 1968) is an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer, well known for his role as Johnny Burns on the HBO series Deadwood and on the SundanceTV original series Rectify as Trey Willis. Additional to many roles in television and film since 1991, Bridgers received acclaim and awards for the independent film Paradise Falls, which he wrote and produced. He also received praise for his lead role in Lucky McKee's horror film The Woman and another Moderncine film, Jug Face, as well as notable roles in Sweet Home Alabama and Nell. Personal life Bridgers was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1968 to Ben and Sue Ellen Bridgers. Ben was the tribal attorney for the Cherokee Indian tribe and published a memoir and books of poetry. Sue Ellen is a novelist with 7 published novels. Sean Bridgers graduated from St. Andrew's-Sewanee School and Western Carolina University. In interviews Bridgers has mentioned that as a screenwriter he is influenced by his favorite author Mark Twain and developed an interest in acting after seeing Robert Duvall in Tender Mercies when he was 14 years old. As a result of admiring Duvall's performance, Bridgers started watching everything by Tender Mercies screenwriter Horton Foote, and Duvall and Foote became his biggest creative influences. His son Jackson Bridgers has acted in roles on Justified and Deadwood, as well as his daughter Kate Bridgers, who starred in Bridgers' 2012 short, The Birthday Present. Acting Bridgers and his co-star from The Woman, Angela Bettis are starring in an upcoming horror feature from writer/director Richard S. Robinson titled The Graveyard Feeder based on a 2012 horror-comedy short by the name, which also starred Bridgers. He also co-starred in the upcoming Southern-Horror film, from writer/director Chad Crawford Kinkle's Slamdance award-winning screenplay, Jug Face, released by the studio Moderncine. Bridgers co-stars with Lauren Ashley Carter and an ensemble cast that includes, Larry Fessenden, Sean Young and Graham Patrick Martin. Along with the cast, Bridgers received praise for his performance in Jug Face from FEARnet's Scott Weinberg who wrote, "Sean Bridgers (who was great in The Woman) stands out as a highlight." Brad McHargue, writing for Dread Central also praised Bridgers' performance as stellar: "a complete 180 performance from his role in the Lucky McKee-directed The Woman, a role he's perhaps best known for among horror fans" and "giving to the film an emotional resonance that is felt throughout." Starburst Magazine gave the film a positive review and called Bridgers, "brilliantly understated." The film premiered at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival