William E. Wirth (born June 23, 1962), better known as Billy Wirth, is an American actor, film producer, and artist, perhaps best known for his role as Dwayne in the 1987 film, The Lost Boys.
Life and career[]
Wirth is the son of a lawyer father and an artist mother. His paternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants. His mother, who was born in Iowa, had Native American,[1] English, Scottish and Irish ancestry.
He was a student at Collegiate School, where he was a classmate of musician John Hermann,[2] and attended Brown University, where he was discovered by photographer Karen Michele, while they were both in their teens. Karen Michele went on to have a career in photography and Billy used the first headshots Karen took to begin a modeling career in New York. He moved to California in the 1980s to pursue an acting career, which began with a role in the 1985 feature, Seven Minutes in Heaven. His performance as Dwayne in The Lost Boys followed, and he landed a starring role in the 1988 film War Party.
Wirth continued acting, working in both film and television, appearing for example in Abel Ferrara's 1993 film Body Snatchers as well as Sex and the City and CSI. He took part in the television series American Gladiators, competing during the series' first season in 1989 and advancing to the first-half semifinals before falling.[3] He also starred in Charmed as Matthew Tate. Since 1999, he has been writing, directing, and producing independent films. His work on directing, writing, and producing his 2001 film MacArthur Park has earned him several award nominations. In addition to his work in the film industry, Wirth is a musician and artist.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Seven Minutes in Heaven | "Zoo" Knudsen | |
| 1987 | The Lost Boys | Dwayne | |
| 1988 | War Party | Sonny Crowkiller | Film |
| 1990 | Parker Kane | Jesse | Television film |
| 1992 | Red Shoe Diaries | Thomas K. Butler, the Workman | |
| Who Killed the Baby Jesus | Travis Adams | ||
| Crow's Nest | Tommy Crosetti | ||
| 1993 | Body Snatchers | Tim Young | |
| 1994 | The Fence | Terry Griff | |
| Judicial Consent | Martin | ||
| Final Mission | Tom "Outlaw" Waters | Direct-to-video | |
| 1995 | Venus Rising | Nick | |
| Boys on the Side | |||
| Children of the Dust | Corby / White Wolf | Television miniseries | |
| 1996 | Starlight | Kieran | |
| Space Marines | Zack Delano | ||
| 1997 | Last Lives | Malakai | |
| 1998 | Relax... It's Just Sex | Jared Bartoziak | |
| 1999 | Kismet | Fantasy Guy | Short film; also Director |
| Me and Will | Charlie | ||
| 2001 | American Reunion | Brad | |
| 2002 | Looking for Jimmy | Billy | |
| 2004 | The Talent Given Us | Billy | |
| The Drone Virus | Stephen Roland | ||
| 2006 | Seven Mummies | Travis | |
| Running Out of Time in Hollywood | Billy | ||
| 2009 | Powder Blue | David | |
| Duress | The Detective | ||
| 2012 | Being Flynn | Travis | |
| 2014 | Echoes | Joe | |
| 2015 | Cats Dancing on Jupiter | Oleg | |
| Midlife | Brian | ||
| 2018 | Betrayed | Mike Wolf | |
| 2019 | Hell to Pay | Killian | Short film |
| Eternal Code | Mark Pellegrini |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Equalizer | Ralph | Episode: "Mama's Boy" |
| 1986 | The Ellen Burstyn Show | Johnny | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1987 | Nothing in Common | Joey D. | Main role |
| 1989 | American Gladiators | Contestant / Himself | 3 episodes |
| Wiseguy | Eddie Tempest | ||
| 1991 | Tales from the Crypt | Ted Morgan | Episode: "Split Second" |
| 1998 | Martial Law | Kevin Seidel | Episode: "Extreme Measures" |
| Charmed | Matthew Tate | Episode: "The Witch Is Back" | |
| 2000 | Sex and the City | Dr. Mark Raskin | Episode: "Drama Queens" |
| 2004 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Aaron Westonson | Episode: "Eleven Angry Jurors" |
| 2005 | Summerland | Garrett | Episode: "The Wisdom to Know the Difference" |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Billy Gray | Episode: "To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap" |
| 2014 | Chicago P.D. | Charlie Pugliese | Episode: "My Way" |
| 2015 | Scorpion | Mark Willis | Episode: "Area 51" |
| 2018 | Space Diner Tales | Souldbird | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2019 | Godfather of Harlem | Detective Kramer | Episode: "The Nitty Gritty" |
Awards[]
Sundance Film Festival[]
| Year | Award | Category/Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Grand Jury Prize | Dramatic for MacArthur Park | Nominated |
Taos Talking Picture Festival[]
| Year | Award | Category/Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Taos Land Grant Award | Dramatic for MacArthur Park | Nominated |
Roles[]
References[]
- ↑ "The Fight Over 'War Party'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on May 13, 2021.
- ↑ The Dutchman (the Collegiate School yearbook), 1975 edition, page 33
- ↑ Murray, Noel (June 25, 2015). "American Gladiators gave misfit athletes a second chance to be champions". The A.V. Club.
External links[]
- Billy Wirth at Lost Boys Wiki
Billy Wirth at the Internet Movie Database
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