Hunter Parrish

Hunter Parrish Tharp[1] (born May 13, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing the role of Silas Botwin in the Showtime series Weeds and for his performances in the Broadway productions of Godspell in the role of Jesus and Spring Awakening as Melchior.[2]

Hunter Parrish
Parrish at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2009
Born
Hunter Parrish Tharp

(1987-05-13) May 13, 1987 (age 37)
Alma materTexas Tech University Independent School District
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active2003–present
Spouse
Kathryn Wahl
(m. 2015)
Children1

Early life

Parrish was born in Richmond, Virginia, to Annie Parrish, who works with children with autism, and Bruce Tharp, an engineer. Parrish has an older brother.[3][4] He graduated from Plano Senior High School and Texas Tech University Independent School District.[5]

Career

2003–2005: Early career

After being seen at a showcase in New York, directed by Peter Seidman, Parrish was offered professional representation and went on to guest star in several television shows and appeared in the film Sleepover (2004).[6]

2005–2012: Weeds and Broadway debut

Parrish gained recognition when he began starring in the hit Showtime series Weeds in 2005. The show ran for eight seasons, ending in 2012. Part of the main ensemble cast, Parrish portrayed the role of the older Botwin son, Silas.

Following filming of Weeds fourth season, Parrish joined the cast of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Spring Awakening the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York City.[7] He made his Broadway debut on August 11, 2008, replacement for the lead role of Melchior Gabor for which he received critical acclaim. He remained in the role until the show closed on January 18, 2009. Parrish returned to Broadway two-and-a-half years later, to star in the 2011 Broadway revival of Godspell in which he starred as Jesus. Performances began October 13, 2011. He left the show on April 15, 2012, to film the final season of Weeds.[8][9]

During this period, Parrish had many other roles on screen. He has supporting parts in the films RV (2006), Freedom Writers (2007), and 17 Again (2009), and It's Complicated (2009). In Freedom Writers, Parrish played Ben Samuels, the only white student in a California high school class. The National Review Online wrote that Parrish had played the role with "unassuming humour".[10] He had a handful of guest role on TV and took part in the 2008 short "Cougar 101 with Hunter Parrish" for funnyordie.com.[11] From 2007 to 2009, he hosted a web talk show with his friends Kyle Sherman and Allison Tyler called Two Guys and a Girl.[12]

2012–present: Dramatic roles in television and film

Since 2013, Parrish has had a string of recurring roles on television. In 2013 and 2014, he guest starred on The Good Wife as Jeffrey Grant, a young man accused of murder.[citation needed] In 2015, he also had recurring roles in The Following and Hand of God. Parrish had a main role in the Amazon series Good Girls Revolt, which was released in 2016. In 2017, Parrish was cast in the recurring role of Clay Haas in the second season of ABC's thriller series Quantico.[13]

In March 2019, it was announced that Parrish would have one of the lead roles in the Jane The Virgin spin-off series Jane The Novela.[14] Ultimately, the show was not picked up by The CW.[15]

Earlier, in January 2019, it was announced that Parrish be part of the upcoming Netflix drama series Ratched.[16] Produced by Ryan Murphy, Ratched scored a two-season, straight-to-series order, with the first season filmed from January into July 2019.[17][18] The first season was released on September 18, 2020.[18]

In 2022, Parrish was cast in the Hulu mystery thriller series The Other Black Girl, a television adaptation of the 2021 novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris.[19] The series premiered on September 13, 2023.[20]

Personal life

Parrish has been married to Kathryn Wahl since 2015.[21] The couple have one child, a daughter born in September 2020.[22] Parrish is a Christian.[23][24]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2004SleepoverLance Gregory
2005Steal MeTucker
2005PremonitionCharlieShort film
2005Down in the ValleyKris
2006RVEarl Gornicke
2007Freedom WritersBen Samuels
200917 AgainStan
2009Paper ManBryce
2009It's ComplicatedLuke AdlerNational Board of Review Award for Best Cast
2010The Space BetweenMcDonough
2012GoneTrey
2014Still AliceTom Howland
2015A Rising TideSam Rama
2017All NighterKip

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2003The GuardianHankEpisode: "The Father-Daughter Dance"
2005SummerlandTracy HartEpisode: "The Pleiades"
2005–2012WeedsSilas BotwinMain role; 102 episodes
2005CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationJeremy McBrideEpisode: "Gum Drops"
2006In JusticeKevin RounderEpisode: "Confessions"
2006Close to HomeJay StrattonEpisode: "A House Divided"
2006Campus LadiesStudent health employeeEpisode: "Webcam"
2007Law & Order: Special Victims UnitJordan OwensEpisode: "Responsible"
2010Batman: The Brave and the BoldKid Flash / Geo-Force (voices)Episode: "Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!"
2011Pound PuppiesTundra (voice)Episode: "Snow Problem"
2013–2014The Good WifeJeffrey Grant3 episodes
2015The FollowingKyle Locke5 episodes
2015Hand of GodJosh Miller5 episodes
2015–2016Good Girls RevoltDouglas RhodesMain role; 10 episodes
2017QuanticoClay Haas9 episodes
2018This Is UsAlan2 episodes
2019Jane the NovelaFelixUnaired television series
2020RatchedFather Andrews2 episodes
2023The Other Black GirlOwenMain role; 10 episodes

Stage

YearTitleRoleVenueNotes
2008–2009Spring AwakeningMelchiorEugene O'Neill TheatreBroadway replacement
2011–2012GodspellJesusCircle in the Square TheatreBroadway revival
2018Good GriefJDVineyard TheatreOff-Broadway
2021To Kill a MockingbirdJem FinchShubert TheatreBroadway replacement

Discography

In 2012, Parrish recorded his first EP called Guessing Games, featuring six songs. At first, Guessing Games was only available for sale in the lobby of Godspell’s home at the Circle in the Square Theatre, but with a bigger release to follow. The first single from the EP, "Sitting at Home", was released on iTunes on June 7, 2012.[25] The complete EP was released later that month, on June 26.[26]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2006Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
(among the cast)
WeedsNominated
2008

References