ER

Background:

“It's funny, some days I don't even notice it. Most of the time people are complimentary and I'm an actor who loves compliments, so I find it very gratifying. And then there are days when you just don't wanna be the guy on the TV show. You just want to hide.” Noah Wyle (on his fame)

Emmy Award nominated and Screen Actors Guild Award winning actor Noah Wyle became a TV favorite while playing Dr. John Carter on the hit NBC medical drama series "ER" from 1994 to 2006. He has also appeared in such films as "Crooked Hearts" (1991), "A Few Good Men" (1992), "Swing Kids" (1993), "There Goes My Baby" (1994), "The Myth of Fingerprints" (1997), "Can't Stop Dancing" (1999), "Scenes of the Crime" (2001), "Donnie Darko" (2001), "White Oleander" (2002), "Enough" (2002) and "The Californians" (2005). He will next be seen in the upcoming films "Nothing But the Truth," "W.," and "Boy of Pigs." He will make his directional debut with a romantic comedy film called "Prince Test."

Besides "ER," TV viewers could catch Wyle starring in the TV movies "Blind Faith" (1990), "Guinevere" (1994), "Pirates of Silicon Valley" (1999), as well as the TV movie series "The Librarian: Quest for the Spear" (2004), "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines" (2006), and "The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice" (2008). He also guest starred in "Friends," "Sesame Street," "Saturday Night Live" and "Beggars and Choosers."

On a more personal note, the 6' 2" boyishly handsome actor had been linked to a string of women during “ER’s” first seasons, including Samantha Mathis, “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston, and “ER” costar Sherry Stringfield. He has been married to make-up artist Tracy Warbin since 2000 and has two children with her.

Noah Strausser

Childhood and Family:

“We've got goats, chickens, horses, dogs, cats, two emus and five pot-bellied pigs. We just keep collecting these animals. I think when you are named Noah, you are destined for a certain way of life.” Noah Wyle

In Hollywood, California, Noah Strausser Speer Wyle (last name is pronounced "why-lee") was born on June 4, 1971, to Stephen Wyle, an electrical engineer, and Marjorie Speer, a registered orthopedic head nurse. The middle child of three, Wyle has one younger brother named Aaron Wyle and one older sister named Alex Wyle. When he was six, Wyle's parents divorced and his mother later married James C. Katz, a film restorer who had three children of his own from a previous marriage. His father would also remarry a woman named Deborah.

Wyle's paternal grandparents, Edith and Frank Wyle, founded the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum. He is the godson of actress Kathryn Grody.

Wyle attended a boarding school in the Ojai Valley of California. After graduation, he continued his education at Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois, where he participated in the theater arts program. Wyle also studied under Larry Moss while living in a small apartment on Hollywood Boulevard.

Wyle met make-up artist Tracy Warbin while filming “The Myth of Fingerprints” in 1996. He proposed to her on Valentine's Day 1999 and they married on May 6, 2000. They have two children together, a son named Owen Strausser Wyle (born on November 9, 2002) and a daughter named Auden Wyle (born on October 15, 2005).

When he is not busy on the set, Wyle devotes time to the international non-profit organization Doctors of the World and the Human Rights Watch Council. He also serves as the voluntary artistic producer of the Blank Theatre Company in Hollywood.

Wyle, who is vegan and collects baseball cards, antiques and any bric-a-brac pertaining to the Biblical Noah's Ark, also enjoys basketball, traveling, photography and going to the movies.

The Librarian

Career:

Gaining early support for his acting ambitions from his stepfather, film restorer James C. Katz, Noah Wyle had bit parts in high school productions and won an award for a play he wrote. He first appeared on the big screen at age 14 in director Paul Bartel's film "Lust in the Dust" (1985; starring Divine, Tab Hunter, Cesar Romero, and Lainie Kazan). That same year, he also appeared in a TV commercial for Folgers Coffee.

Wyle participated in a Northwestern University theater program and made his first appearance on television at age 19 in the two-part thriller TV movie based on Joe McGinniss' bestseller, "Blind Faith" (1990; starring Robert Urich), in which he had one line as a boy named Eric. The following year, he made his film debut in a featured role in Michael Bortman's film adaptation of Robert Boswell's dark novel, "Crooked Hearts" (1991), opposite Peter Berg and Vincent D'Onofrio.

In 1992, Wyle was cast in Rob Reiner's film version of Aaron Sorkin's play, "A Few Good Men," alongside Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Jack Nicholson. He followed it up with a supporting role in "Swing Kids" (1993), a musical drama by Thomas Carter starring Robert Sean Leonard and Christian Bale, and a co-starring role as class poet Michael Finnegan in "There Goes My Baby" (1994), a 1965-set drama/comedy by Stephen Fisher and Floyd Mutrux in which he teamed up with Dermot Mulroney, Rick Schroder, and Kelli Williams. He also portrayed Sir Lancelot in the novel-based TV movie "Guinevere" (1994), alongside Sheryl Lee and Sean Patrick Flanery.

“Boy, oh, boy, people get jaded fast. I got nominated for an Emmy.” Noah Wyle

In 1994, Wyle landed the prominent role of Dr. John Carter on the hit NBC medical drama series "ER." His character was the only main character to have stayed with the show from the beginning of the series up to the 2004/2005 season, for a total of eleven consecutive seasons. He earned five Emmy nominations (in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and three Golden Globe nominations (in 1997, 1998, and 1999) for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV. He also won two Prism Awards (in 2003 and 2004), one TV Guide Award (in 2001) for Best Supporting Actor of the Year in a Drama Series, and three Screen Actors Guild (SAG; in 1997, 1998, and 1999) Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Comparing himself to his “ER” character John Carter, Wyle said, “Carter has a strong moral backbone and is sweet, romantic, funny and self-effacing. I'm sure a lot of people think, 'What an ideal guy. Love to find a guy like that.' Noah Wyle ain't him. He's trying, but he's just a different guy. At the end of the day, John Carter is going to be in the television archives and Noah Wyle is still going to be walking around the earth. And I hope when that day comes, I'm ready to be me.”

At the conclusion of season 11, Wyle decided to leave the show as a regular character to make room for the upcoming generation and to focus on his budding family. His character was written out of the show by moving to Africa and marrying his love interest in the episode aptly titled "The Show Must Go On." He later had a four episode arc in Seasons 12 and 13, the latter of which was pushed back a year to season 14. "ER" has been renewed for a 15th and final season and Wyle will return for some appearances.

During his lengthy "ER" tenure, Wyle also appeared in a L.A. stage production of "The 24th Day" (1995; with Peter Berg), writer/director Bart Freundlich "The Myth of Fingerprints" (1997), and writer/directors Stephen David and Ben Zook's comedy "Can't Stop Dancing" (1999; starring Ben Zook). He also guest-starred in an episode of NBC’s popular sitcom "Friends" and the educational children's television series "Sesame Street," as well as starred as Apple computer founder Steve Job in the semi-humorous documentary TV movie "Pirates of Silicon Valley" (1999).

Entering the new millennium, Wyle appeared in the films "Donnie Darko" (2001; starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, and Maggie Gyllenhaal), a cult classic psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly, "Scenes of the Crime" (2001), Dominique Forma's drama/thriller starring Jeff Bridges, Jon Abrahams, and Morris Chestnut, and "Enough" (2002), Michael Apted's dramatic thriller starring Jennifer Lopez and Bill Campbell. He was also seen in Peter Kosminsky's film adaptation of Janet Fitch's 1999 best-seller, "White Oleander" (2002; starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Renée Zellweger, Robin Wright Penn, and Alison Lohman), Michael Hoffman's short "Fall of Knipple" (2003), and an independent drama film from Hart Sharp Films, "The Californians" (2005), in which he was the leading man opposite Illeana Douglas and Kate Mara.

On the small screen, Wyle starred in the made-for-television movies "Fail Safe" (2000; with Walter Cronkite and Richard Dreyfuss) and "The Librarian: Quest for the Spear" (2004), in which he received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actor on Television for his performance. He would later reprise the role of librarian-turned-adventurer in the sequels "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines" (2006; earned him a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actor in a Television Program) and "The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice" (2008), both of which he also produced. He was also spotted as a guest in an episode of NBC’s long-running sketch comedy/variety show "Saturday Night Live" and Showtime’s television series "Beggars and Choosers." He then appeared in a TV commercial (voice) for Mitsubishi Galant, a print ad for America's Dairy Farmers and Milk Processors (milk mustache), and a public service announcement for The ONE Campaign.

Next, Wyle will support Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Alan Alda, and Vera Farmiga in writer/director Rod Lurie's true story-inspired dramatic film "Nothing But the Truth.” He will then portray Donald Evans in Oliver Stone's biographical film based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush, "W.," starring Josh Brolin as George W. Bush.

Wyle is currently filming "Boy of Pigs," director William Olsson's period drama set in 1963. In the film, he will co-star with Gretchen Mol, James Rebhorn, Cameron Bright, Perrey Reeves, and Mark Pellegrino. He is also branching out into directing and will make his directional debut in a romantic comedy film called "Prince Test."

“I'm a guy who never wanted to hold a steady job because I was worried about the monotony.” Noah Wyle

Awards:

• Prism: TV Drama Continuing Storyline, "ER," 2004

• Prism: Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline, "ER," 2003

• TV Guide: Supporting Actor of the Year in a Drama Series, "ER," 2001

• Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, "ER," 1999

• Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, "ER," 1998

• Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, "ER," 1997