Brush with Greatness

What happens when Darth Vader sneezes? Read the story behind this photo.

Nutshell

I'm a Chicagoland actor and musician and web designer and filmmaker. I've been a freelance violinist in and around town since graduating from Northwestern University in 1992. In the midst of a late-twenties crisis, I dove back into acting, something I'd ignored since high school. In the midst of designing a website to promote myself, I stumbled upon a liking for web design. Sorry, I can't remember how film crept in there, except that my best friend had a nice camera and we started shooting. My wife, Mary-Terese Cozzola, is a wonderful writer and director, and we have a dog named Django.

Somehow, this gives me balance.

I grew up in Alaska

It's cold. It's dark. But only half the year. The other half is bright and, well, not so cold. My family moved to Anchorage in 1978 when I was 8. Our previous home had been Denton, Texas, and prior to that several small Kansas towns of which I have (blessedly) no memory. For many years I told my friends I was from Texas, and kept the twang as evidence. By the time Dallas went off the air I'd finally realized we weren't moving back. Besides, it's more cool to be from Alaska. As for the twang, it eventually gave way to an American newscaster non-accent, which has been occasionally described as "mellifluous." I've lived in Chicago now for almost 20 years, but I still consider myself an Alaskan even though the math says I only lived there 10 years. Go figure.