Chris Sarandon was born and raised in Beckley, West Virginia, the son of Greek-American restaurateurs Chris and Cliffie (née Cardullias) Sarandon.[2][1] His father, whose surname was originally "Sarondonethes", was born to Greekparents in Istanbul, Turkey.[3]
After graduation, he toured with numerous improvisational companies and became much involved with regional theatre, making his professional debut in the play The Rose Tattoo during 1965.[1] In the summer of 1968 he and his then-wife, Susan Sarandon, worked as actors at the Wayside Theatre in Middletown, Virginia.[4][5] Later that year Sarandon moved to New York City, where he obtained his first television role as Dr. Tom Halverson for the series The Guiding Light (1973–1974). He appeared in the primetime television movies The Satan Murders (1974) and Thursday's Game before obtaining the role in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), a performance which earned him nominations for Best New Male Star of the Year at the Golden Globes and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
To avoid being typecast in villainous roles, Sarandon accepted various roles of other types during the years to come, portraying the title role of Christ in the made-for-television movie The Day Christ Died (1980). He received accolades for his portrayal of Sydney Carton in a TV-movie version of A Tale of Two Cities (1980), co-starred with Dennis Hopper in the 1983 movie The Osterman Weekend, which was based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name, and co-starred with Goldie Hawn in the movie Protocol (1984). These were followed by another mainstream success as the vampire-next-door in the horror movie Fright Night (1985). He starred in the 1986 TV movie Liberty, which addressed the making of New York City's Statue of Liberty.
Sarandon has been married three times: he married actress Susan Sarandon in 1967.[1] The two met while attending Catholic University of America together in Washington, D.C. The marriage lasted for twelve years; the pair divorced in 1979.[1][6][7] After his divorce from Susan, he married his second wife, fashion model Lisa Ann Cooper, in 1980.[1] The couple had two daughters and one son: Stephanie (born 1982), Alexis (born 1984), and Michael (born 1988).[1] After nine years, the marriage ended in divorce in 1989.[1]
In 1994, he married his third wife, actress and singer Joanna Gleason.[1][8] The couple met while performing in Broadway's short-lived 1991 musical Nick & Nora; they returned to the stage together in 1998's Thorn and Bloom.[8] They also collaborated in several films together, such as Road Ends, Edie & Pen, Let the Devil Wear Black, and American Perfekt.
^Eller, Charlotte J. (June 14, 1968). "'The Private Ear and The Public Eye' - An Evening of Superb Theater At Wayside". The Northern Virginia Daily. p. 8.
.jpg)
