John Mese (born November 4, 1963) is an American actor, producer, director, and writer.[1] He has had roles in numerous films and television shows. Credited appearances on television include: Rizzoli & Isles, Suits, Castle, The Mentalist, Weeds, Monk, Law & Order, Boomtown, Without a Trace, The X Files, and Sex in the City.[1] Mese is also the writer of a children's book series that was featured in the March 2009 issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.[2]
John Mese | |
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![]() John Mese in the one-man show WILD SON |
John Mese | |
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Born | John Mese (1963-11-04) November 4, 1963 (age 58) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1987–present |
Spouse | Dawn Kelsey (m. 2004) |
Children | 1 |
John Mese was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He finished secondary education at Catholic High School[3] and went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Louisiana State University,[1] where he was a member of the Sigma Chi[4] fraternity and performed in a number of LSU Theatre productions. In 1986, he was a finalist in the "Face of the '80s" contest organized by Ford Models and GQ Magazine.[5]
At LSU, he acted in several theater productions, to name a few: The Tooth of Crime in 1986, in which he played Hoss; Sly Fox in 1982, and Death of a Salesman in 1986.[4] He played "Treat" in Lyle Kessler's play Orphans.[6]
He has the title role in an acclaimed[7] one-man show written by Champ Clark, Wild Son: The Testimony of Christian Brando,[8] which premiered at the Santa Monica Playhouse in 2019 and was praised by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley.[9] Wild Son is based on face-to-face interviews between the journalist Champ Clark and Christian Brando before the latter's death in 2008.[10][11] The show was performed at Bistro Byronz, a restaurant chain in Baton Rouge, LA, on June 19th, 2022.[12] The show ran at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from August 15-20, 2022.[13][14]
Mese had the starring role as Richard Broderick in the film Noise in the Middle (2020), also starring Tara Buck as Richard’s deceased wife.[15][16] He played Augie in King of Herrings (2013), an indie film directed by Eddie Jemison and also starring Mese's fellow LSU alumnus Joe Chrest.[17][18] Mese played "Crow" in Derek Sitter's award-winning short, Bugtussle (2022).[19] Bugtussle was recognized by the Accolade Global Film Competition for "Awards of Merit" in August 2022, notably for Leading Actor (Mese), Supporting Actor (Sitter), Film Short, Script/Writer (Sitter), Original Score (Composed by James Hutchens and Johnny Bourbon.)[20].
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2005 | Pizza My Heart | Jean Paul Veber | Dir. Andy Wolk |
Gone But Not Forgotten | Randy Highsmith | Dir. Armand Mastroianni | |
Jane Doe: Vanishing Act | Lloyd McMasters | Dir. James Contner | |
2007 | Perfect Day | Executive Producer/Writer | Dir. John Mese |
2008 | Pillow Talk | Executive Producer/Writer | Dir. John Mese |
2013 | King of Herrings | Augie + Producer | Dir. Eddie Jemison & Sean Richardson |
2020 | Noise in the Middle | Richard Broderick | Dir. Marcus McCollum |
2022 | Bugtussle | Crow | Dir. Derek Sitter |
Mese was featured alongside Mark Harmon and Frederic Lehne in a Lili Fini Zanuck-directed production called "We Have Cleared the Tower," in which Mese played the role of Donn Eisele of the Apollo 7 mission; Harmon played Wally Schirra, and Lehne played Walt Cunningham.[21][22] Mese was a cast member for Episode 1 ("Can We Do This?") and Episode 3 ("We Have Cleared The Tower") of From the Earth to the Moon (1998).[1] His "first big job"[23][3] for television was in 1992 as the love interest of Marlee Matlin on Reasonable Doubts.[3] Prior to that, his TV roles (on shows like The Fanelli Boys, Matlock, and Northern Exposure) were relatively minor.[3]
Mese and his wife, Dawn Kelsey, are the authors of a children's book series called Flippy and Friends, which includes board books, paperback, and hardcover books.[2] In 2017, Mese penned an editorial for the entertainment section of Purple Clover; this was an autobiographical sketch about boyhood fantasy, titled "My First Playboy."[24]
There were moments in Thursday's performance when it seemed Treat got so furious at his predicament that Mese let him go to the point of inchoate hurt. In its way, that stripping away of pretense was far more threatening than all the punk posturing Treat exhibits. Harold's emotional pummeling of Treat -- "tough love," maybe? -- is probably the play's most agonizing moment. McNeal's Harold is relentless. Mese's eyes betray Treat's flickering terror of opening up.
It had its premiere at the Santa Monica Playhouse in 2019. Chicago’s Chaz Ebert called it “stunning,” elaborating by writing, “with a riveting performance by actor John Mese … I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
Beth Henley, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright says, “Champ Clark’s play is a burning jewel. John Mese is mesmerizing. A rare theatre experience where the magic shimmers.”
Mese, in a riveting one-hour solo performance, sits, or moves around the stage effectively while constantly sipping canned beer. He does a sterling job of acting out Christian’s tragic story, his rebellion and fractured relationship with his father....
The one-man play has been selected for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world. It will be performed there in August and Clark will be in Scotland for it.”
For the Festival Fringe this year, Mese performed in Venue 16, Greenside at Riddle’s Court.
John Mese gives a silently penetrative performance as Augie.