Childhood & Early Life
Jason Beghe was born on March 12, 1960, in New York City, to Renato William Beghe and Bina House. Jason grew up with three siblings in an influential household. His great-grandfather, Charles S Deneen, was a former governor of Illinois and a former US senator. Jason’s father worked as a ‘US Tax Court’ judge.
Jason enrolled at ‘Collegiate School,’ a private preparatory school located in New York City. During his school years, he became friends with John F Kennedy Jr. and actor David Duchovny. Erik Rush, a popular conservative author, was also among the influential people Jason was friends with while growing up.
Ever since he was a teenager, Jason had an interest in art and culture. He often spent time at the ‘Metropolitan Museum of Art’ and ‘Central Park.’ As he mostly spent time with Kennedy, they were always monitored by security agencies.
While in school, both Kennedy and Jason enrolled into the school’s theater program. David Duchovny was later pursued by them to join theater classes.
Before he started working as an actor, Jason modeled for a while in Europe. In the early 1980s, he moved to Los Angeles and started auditioning for film and TV roles.
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Career
Jason made his film debut in 1985, with the film ‘Compromising Positions.’ The film was received favorably by critics, but it did not manage to achieve success at the box office. Nevertheless, it was regarded as a successful debut for Jason.
The next year, Jason made his TV debut as ‘Hank Beaumont,’ a two-episode long role, in the TV miniseries titled ‘Dress Gray.’ He then appeared in a recurring role in the series ‘1st & Ten.’ Over the next few years, Jason appeared in small and guest roles in series such as ‘Alien Nation’ and ‘Christine Cromwell.’
In 1987, Jason appeared as ‘Bret,’ a supporting character, in the comedy/fantasy film titled ‘Maid to Order.’ The film was a decent commercial and critical success.
The next year, Jason got the first breakthrough role of his career. He appeared in a leading role in the horror film ‘Monkey Shines.’ His character in the film, ‘Allan Mann,’ is an athlete who becomes paralyzed due to an accident and befriends a monkey. The film was an average box-office success, but Jason received universal praise for his performance.
In the early 1990s, he appeared in the road movie ‘Thelma & Louise’ and played the role of a state trooper in the film. The film received universal acclaim and was praised by both critics and fans. Over time, it was recognized as a cult classic. These successes, however, did not translate into further success for Jason. Thus, he continued to focus on his TV career throughout the 1990s.
In the 1990s, he appeared in key roles in TV films such as ‘Johnny Ryan’ and ‘Full Eclipse.’ He also appeared in small/guest roles in series such as ‘Jake and the Fatman,’ ‘Picket Fences,’ and ‘Melrose Place.’
In 1994, he played a detective in the comedy film titled ‘Jimmy Hollywood,’ alongside Joe Pesci and Christian Slater. It was a significant role, but the film turned out to be a huge failure in both the critical and the commercial spheres.
He began the 2000s with small roles in series such as ‘Resurrection Blvd.,’ ‘The Beast,’ and ‘Judging Amy.’ He also appeared in key roles in TV films such as ‘Home Alone 4’ and ‘Three Blind Mice.’
In 2004, he appeared in the meaty role of ‘Gunnery Sergeant Finch’ in the series ‘American Dreams’ and played the character in 11 episodes. The same year, he appeared in the series titled ‘Everwood’ and played ‘John Hayes’ in six episodes. In the second half of the 2000s, he appeared in supporting roles in series such as ‘Cane,’ ‘Californication,’ and ‘Castle.’
In the late 2000s, he became active in films yet again and made key appearances in movies such as ‘One Missed Call’ and ‘The Next Three Days.’ He then appeared in major roles in big films such as ‘X-Men: First Class’ and ‘Atlas Shrugged: Part II.’
More recently, he has appeared in films such as ‘Phantom’ and ‘Safelight.’ He also revived his TV career recently. Apart from playing the lead role in the series ‘Chicago P.D.,’ he played supporting and recurring roles in series such as ‘Chicago Med’ and ‘Chicago Justice.’
He lent his voice to the character of a terrorist in the 2013 animated direct-to-video film ‘Superman: Unbound.’
He produced the 2018 short ‘Pale City.’
Controversy over the Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology has been a controversial cult, and Jason is one of those actors who have been associated with it in the past. However, in a 2008 interview, Jason claimed that it was an extremely dangerous cult. He has spoken on several public platforms, sharing his bad experiences during his time with the group.
