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Craig Sheffer is an American-born actor, who’s possibly best known for starring in the films “Nightbreed,” “A River Runs Through It” and “The Program”, and the TV series “One Tree Hill.”
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Craig Eric Sheffer is a native of York, Pennsylvania, who was born under the Taurus zodiac sign on 23 April 1960, which makes him 63 years old as of 2023. He was born to Anna Sheffer who was an employee of a nursing home, and her husband, Rodney Sheffer, who was a screenwriter and prison guard. Craig is of Swiss-German and French roots. His elder brother is the late screenwriter Hogan Sheffer (born Mark Wayne Sheffer), who passed on in York in 2019 – Hogan is remembered for his immense contribution to the CBS Daytime TV drama “As the World Turns,” which won various Daytime Emmy Awards during his writing regime.
Sheffer attended York Suburban High School, where he began participating in state and regional drama competitions when he was 15 years old. He matriculated to East Stroudsburg State University, situated in Pennsylvania. Craig became an athlete and an avid showman after joining college – he dropped out in his first year to pursue an acting career.
Facts and Hobbies
Craig is responsible for nicknaming his late brother ‘Hogan.’ He gave him the name because he thought that he looked like the American composer and pianist, Hoagy Carmichael.
Before he began his acting career, Craig sold newspapers and allegedly spent his nights under the staircases of Grand Central Terminal because was unable to afford a house and other essentials; it’s reported that he lived off Unification Church’s spaghetti dinners.
Craig is a huge fan of music, who enjoys playing the guitar and writing song.
His other hobbies include writing and photography.
What is a weekend in #TreeHill without Uncle Keith? Happy to announce Craig Sheffer, he will be appearing Friday-Sunday! #OneTreeHill #OTH
*Photos & autographs will be up on the site later today. pic.twitter.com/PzCIb0slES— EyeCon (@EyeCon3000) January 20, 2018
Career – TV Roles
Sheffer made his TV debut in a 1982 episode of the ABC soap opera “One Life to Live”, then in the year that followed, he was cast as Brian Chadway in the pilot episode of the ABC prime-time soap opera “The Hamptons.” Sheffer rose to prominence when he was cast to voice Mick in 21 episodes of the animated TV series “Teen Wolf” (1986-1988). Before the century ended, he appeared in the miniseries “A Season in Purgatory” in 1996.
Craig made his career breakthrough when he was cast as Keith Scott in Mark Schwahn’s drama “One Tree Hill,” in which he appeared in 58 episodes from 2003-2012. The series is about the half-brothers, Nathan, and Lucas Scott, and follows their kinship and rivalry as they go through high school and college in the neighborhood of Tree Hill, which is not as peaceful as it appears to be. It starred James Lafferty, Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton. Sheffer’s following appearances were in single episodes of the detective comedy-drama “Psych” and the police procedural crime drama “Criminal Minds”, both in 2010. In 2012, he appeared in two episodes of the procedural forensic drama “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, and three episodes of “American Horror Story: Double Feature” in 2021.
Film Appearances
Craig made his film debut with a starring role in the 1984 movie “Voyage of the Rock Aliens.” He appeared in several other films before the end of the 20th century, including the dark fantasy horror, “Night Breed” in 1990, the drama “A River Runs Through It” in 1992, and “The Program” in 1993.
He went on to appear in at least 20 films in the 2000s. In 2012, he shared the screen with Al Pacino in the black comedy crime movie “Stand Up Guys” and Steven Segal in the 2016 action thriller “Code of Honor.” Craig’s portrayal of Thomas Livingston in the 2019 film “Widow’s Point” saw him win a Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival Award for Best Actor in a Feature Film in 2020. He also scooped a Mariana del Rey Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2023 for his performance in “Velocity Girl.”
Producing, Directing, and Other Works
In the ‘90s, Sheffer served as the producer of the films “Instant Karma” (1990) and “Demolition Man” (1993), which was a critical and commercial success and starred Sandra Bullock, Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes. He later directed the short film “Prodigal Son” in 2004. Sheffer produced and directed the film “American Crude” in 2008, and thereafter served as the associate producer of the film “Code of Honor” in 2016.
Sheffer has appeared in various documentary films including “From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Standoff” (2002). He made a guest appearance in two episodes of the talk show “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” in the mid-90s.
Personal Life
Sheffer has dated the English and American actress, Gabrielle Anwar, who is possibly best
known for her appearances in the TV series “Press Gang” and “The Tudors.” They welcomed a daughter named Willow Anwar in 1993 – their relationship lasted from 1989 to 1996. After their separation, Gabrielle, who is ten years younger than him, married the actor and producer, John Verea (2000), with whom they welcomed two children named Hugo Verea and Paisley Verea, who are Craig’s godchildren. Their marriage culminated in divorce in 2005. Anwar is currently married to the actor, Shareef Malnik.
Sheffer was previously married to the actress, Leigh Taylor-Young, who played his mother in the TV series “The Hamptons.” The Golden Globe Award-nominated actress is 15 years older than Sheffer. Their marriage lasted for a year (2003-2004) and they didn’t welcome any children together. Before exchanging vows with Sheffer, Taylor-Young was married to the American actor Ryan O’Neal (1967-1974) and the late Hollywood producer and agent, Guy McElwaine (1978-1984). She went on to marry John Morton nine years after divorcing Sheffer, who has remained tight-lipped about his romantic life, and is presumably single as of 2023.
About Craig Sheffer’s Health
In the mid-‘80s, Sheffer suffered from a nervous breakdown, which made him ‘lock himself up’ in his home for a few months. He has claimed that he was diagnosed with cancer in 1990, and had to take a break from acting to go for treatment in Europe and India. He returned to the US in 1991, claiming that he’d been cured.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Sheffer is of White ethnicity, and has hazel eyes and curly dark brown hair. He weighs around 185lbs (84kgs) and is 6ft 2ins (1.88m) tall.
Net Worth
From selling newspapers in New York streets to sleeping under staircases, Sheffer has never had it easy. Through hard work and determination, he’s established himself as a successful actor, which has seen him amass a decent fortune. His net worth is approximately $1 million as of 2023.
