Bruce Kirkpatrick, a veteran American actor, has had a prolific career spanning over four decades, with numerous projects in film, television, and stage. Born and raised in Parsippany, New Jersey, Bruce grew up with a passion for the performing arts, which led him to pursue higher education in acting.
After graduating from Parsippany Hills High School, Bruce attended Syracuse University, Pittsburgh University, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA),and worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, England. Throughout his academic journey, Bruce was a competitive athlete, participating in rugby, wrestling, boxing, and racquetball, while also performing in plays and completing undergraduate and graduate degrees in acting.
Bruce's professional career began in Pittsburgh, where he took his first film role in the 1983 movie Flashdance. Over the next two decades, he worked on a wide range of projects, including 7 television movies, 4 television series, and 9 films. Notable roles during this period include The Dark Half (1993),Striking Distance (1993),12 Monkeys (1995),Backstreet Justice (1994),and McBain (1991).
One of Bruce's favorite projects during this time was the made-for-television film Against Her Will (1992),which starred Walter Matthau and Harry Morgan. After working on this film, Matthau became a mentor to Bruce, who continued to appear in films such as xXx State of the Union (2005),Little Children (2006),and The Lovely Bones (2009). He also had recurring roles on TV series such as The Sopranos, Royal Pains, and The Wire.
Between 1991 and 2010, Bruce played 11 different characters across the three primary shows of the Law & Order franchise: Law and Order, Law and Order: SVU, and Law and Order: CI. His most notable roles during this period include serial rapist Richard White in "Stalked," Season 1 of SVU, and Tom Harrigan in the episode "Wannabe," in Law and Order (1993).
In addition to his work in television and film, Bruce has also had a successful career in the world of daytime soap operas, with recurring roles on shows such as All My Children. He has also appeared in numerous prime-time soap operas, including the popular series The Young and the Restless.
Bruce has a special place in his heart for the Independent Film genre, and his portrayal of Senior in Silent Sea Production's 2013 film Blue Collar Boys earned him the Best Supporting Actor award from the London International Film-Maker Festival in 2016. More recently, Bruce has been seen as James Brannigan in the TV series Unforgettable (2014),American Fright Fest (2018),and the television series Hunters (2020) with Al Pacino.
On stage, Bruce has had a successful career, with notable credits including the Trevor Nunn-directed Broadway play Not About Nightingales, frequent regional theatre performances, and numerous commercials. He has also worked prolifically as a stuntman and fight choreographer, with his fight choreography for the Pittsburgh Public Theatre production of The Hairy Ape preserved in the New York Library of Performing Arts Theatre on Film and Tape Archive.
