Kirk Harris
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With strong, yet vulnerable good-looks, award winning actor Kirk Harris often plays driven, defeated men who are on implacable odysseys. Harris just returned home from Mexico City where he starred in boxing film "Chamaco" with multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Winner Martin Sheen (The West Wing, The Departed), Alex Perea (Zurdo), Mexican Ariel winner Danny Perea (Duck Season), Michael Madsen (Kill Bill 1 & 2, Donnie Brasco), Mexican Ariel Nominee Sofia Espinosa (La Nina el la piedra), Mexican Ariel Winner Gustavo Sanchez Parra (Amores Perros, Man on Fire) and Mexican Ariel Nominee Raul Mendez (The Legend of Zorro, Kilometro 31). The film was directed by celebrated Mexican producer/filmmaker Miguel Necoechea whose fims have won at the Sundance, Berlin and Venice Film Festivals. Additonally, his films have won the Academy Award in the resprective countries of Mexico and Spain. He recently produce "Innocent Voices" for director Luis Mandoki which was Mexico's selection for the US Academy Award. The film was written by Award Winning Canadian filmmaker Carl Bessai, Harris and Necoechea.
Harris also recently starred in the terrifying thriller "The Violent Kind" for Sundance alumni filmmaker Geoffrey Pepos. The film features an international cast that included John Savage (Carnivale, Thin Red Line), Irina Bjorklund (Ambush, Honey Baby), and Sandra Vidal (Telemuno's Angeles, El Mundo Contra Mi), among others. He starred in Mark David's theatrical released film "Intoxicating". The film ran theatrically in eight US cities via such major theatre chains as Regal, AMC and Loews, among others. The film premiered to DVD through Image Entertainment. CNN called Harris' performance "riveting". Film Threat magazine wrote "a haunted driven character Harris was seemingly born to play". The film was based on a true story of a young brilliant surgeon addicted to booze, drugs and one night stands. The cast included Golden Globe Nominee John Savage (The Deer Hunter, Message in a Bottle) and Academy Award Nominee Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, Star 80). The soundtrack includes Coolio, Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, MC Eiht and Mopreme Shakur. Harris starred in the lead role of Lucky O'Donnell in the indie feature "Hard Luck" for director Jack Rubio. Critic Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the film "the third of actor-writer Harris' impressively implacable odysseys of driven, defeated men". Boxoffice Magazine wrote "Harris seems to take a page from Jack Nicholson's full turn in Five Easy Pieces". The film had a six city theatrical release before premiering to DVD. The film was awarded the Best Low Budget Feature at The Method Fest Film Festival and Harris was awarded the Festival Director's Award for Special Achievement in Acting. The cast included Sundance Special Jury Award Winner Renee Humphrey (Fun, Devil in a Blue Dress) and Academy Award Nominee Karen Black (Five Easy Pieces, Nashville). A cult hit on DVD, Harris starred in the award winning psychological thriller "My Sweet Killer", which ran theatrically in Los Angeles is currently enjoying its second home entertainment release after becoming the most successful Hollywood Video premiere to date with over 80,000 rentals in the first six months. During its festival campaign Harris was awarded The Method Fest Film Festival Breakthrough Performance Award. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote "Harris is again impressive". He played the lead role of Charlie Cavenaugh, a former mental patient fighting his demons as he struggles to rejoin society. The film co-starred Clifton Collins Jr. (Capote, Babel). Harris made his directorial debut with "loser". Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the film "an impressive no budget Rebel Without A Cause". "loser" premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival and was picked up for a fifty city theatrical release. The film's cinematographer was Kent Wakeford, acclaimed director of photography of Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Harris played the lead role of James Dean Ray, a small town drug dealer bent on self destruction. Peta Wilson (La Femme Nikita) played Jimmy’ girlfriend. Devoted to both novels and sports as a youngster, Harris became active in amateur boxing, developing into a former Golden Gloves Boxing Champion. He also began exploring acting, and subsequent to graduating college with a degree in English, he studied acting extensively, first at the Lee Strasberg and with various Actors’ Studio luminaries. Though he was soon offered roles in daytime soap operas, Harris decided to write his own material, believing it the best means to gain "roles of substance," and therein became a filmmaking hybrid. To date, Harris has written 14 screenplays. A daring entrepreneur, Harris is the founder of Rogue Arts (formerly FilmKitchen) which has produced six feature films and handled the North American distribution of more than thirty titles to date. Films that Rogue Arts has handled for distribution include several Academy Award Winners and Nominees in there casts. Kirk Harris may be contacted at KHarris@RogueArts.com. |