Emory Cohen

Emory Cohen
Born
Emory Isaac Cohen

(1990-03-13) March 13, 1990 (age 34)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of the Arts
OccupationActor
Years active2008–present

Emory Isaac Cohen (born March 13, 1990) is an American actor.[1] He made his feature film debut in Afterschool (2008). He is best known for his roles as AJ Cross in Derek Cianfrance's film The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Tony Fiorello in John Crowley's film Brooklyn (2015), and Homer in the Netflix series The OA (2016).

Early life

Cohen was born in Manhattan, New York, New York,[2] the only child of Donna (née Ackerman), a director of a preschool, and Noel Cohen, a music teacher.[3] He is Jewish[4][5][6] and is a fourth generation New Yorker whose ancestors immigrated from Russia.[7][8] Cohen made his stage debut as Mr. Peachum in a school production of The Threepenny Opera at the Robert F. Wagner Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology, under the direction of Alma Whitney and Oskar Sarasky.[9]

He graduated from Elisabeth Irwin High School in 2008 and received a full scholarship to study acting at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[10] He trained at UArts for two years before dropping out to study acting in New York.

Career

Cohen made his feature film debut in Afterschool in 2008, opposite Ezra Miller. The film premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and received positive reviews from critics.[11] His next role was in the 2010 drama film The Hungry Ghosts.[12] In 2012, he co-starred in Derek Cianfrance's crime drama film The Place Beyond the Pines opposite Bradley Cooper and Dane DeHaan. The film received generally positive reviews[13] and was a box office success.[14]

He had a recurring role during the first season of Smash, playing Leo, the son of Debra Messing's character,[15] and starred as Wendell Pierce's lover in the independent film Four.[16][17][18]

In 2014, he appeared in the drama The Gambler playing a tennis player and in the independent film Beneath the Harvest Sky. In 2015, he portrayed Tony, the love interest of Eilis, played by Saoirse Ronan, in Brooklyn. Rex Reed praised his "wonderful, warm and deeply touching performance".[19] In Variety, Kristopher Tapley wrote that Brooklyn offered "another reminder that Emory Cohen is one of the most exciting actors of his generation."[20]

Cohen had a leading role in the 2015 independent film Stealing Cars, opposite Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy. He received positive reviews for his role as Billy Wyatt.[21] In 2016, he starred in the Netflix series The OA.[22]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Afterschool Trevor
New York, I Love You Prom Date Uncredited
Tess and Nana Juiceman Short film
2009 The Hungry Ghosts Matthew
2012 Four June
The Place Beyond the Pines Avery "AJ" Cross Jr.
Nor'easter Danny Strout
2013 All Is Bright Lou
Beneath the Harvest Sky Casper
2014 The Gambler Dexter
2015 Brooklyn Anthony "Tony" Fiorello
Stealing Cars Billy Wyatt
2016 Detour Johnny Ray
Vincent N Roxxy JC
The Duel Isaac Brant
2017 Hot Summer Nights Dex
War Machine Willy Dunne
Shot Caller Howie
2018 Lords of Chaos Kristian "Varg" Vikernes
2019 The Wolf Hour Billy
Sweetheart Lucas Griffin
Killerman Bobby “Skunk” Santos
2020 Flashback Sebastian
2021 The Birthday Cake Leo
Blue Bayou Denny
2022 Big Gold Brick Samuel Liston/Santa (voice)
2023 American Outlaws Dylan Dougherty
The Bikeriders Cockroach
2024 Rebel Ridge Officer Steve Lann
2025 Roofman Post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012–2013 Smash Leo Houston 15 episodes
2016, 2019 The OA Homer Roberts 13 episodes
2019 The Loudest Voice Joe Lindsley 3 episodes
2023 Florida Man Moss Yankov 8 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2012[23] Los Angeles Film Festival Best Ensemble Performance in a Narrative Competition Four Won
2015[24] Hamptons International Film Festival Breakthrough Performer — Won
2015[25] Detroit Film Critics Society Breakthrough Performance Brooklyn Nominated
2015[26] San Diego Film Critics Society Breakthrough Artist Brooklyn Nominated
2015[27] New York Film Critics Online Breakthrough Performer Brooklyn Nominated
2016 International Cinephile Society Best Supporting Actor Brooklyn Nominated

References

  1. ^ Michael Elkin (April 19, 2012). "Stars of David". The Jewish Exponent. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  2. ^ "Emory Cohen profile". Interview. May 22, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  3. ^ "My Son the Actor, Not the Doctor" (PDF). The Scribbler. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  4. ^ Dunlevy, T'Cha (December 11, 2015). "Montreal plays Brooklyn in John Crowley's period drama". 24News.ca. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  5. ^ Fazio, Giovanni (July 6, 2016). "'Brooklyn': Romance is not dead, it's just dull". The Japan Times. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  6. ^ Bauder, Sarah (February 13, 2014). "Breakthrough Jew: Emory Cohen". Shalom Life. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  7. ^ Jordan, Zakarin (November 16, 2015). "Emory Cohen Reps New York and His Family in a Breakout Performance in 'Brooklyn'". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  8. ^ Fernandes, Marriska (November 19, 2015). "Emory Cohen dishes on playing lovable Tony in Brooklyn". Tribute. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  9. ^ Stone, Jay (November 27, 2015). "Emory Cohen finds his inner Tony". Ex-Press Canada.
  10. ^ Braun, Liz (November 22, 2015). "Emory Cohen enchants alongside Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn". Toronto Sun. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  11. ^ "Afterschool". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  12. ^ Scheck, Frank (October 14, 2010). "The Hungry Ghosts: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  13. ^ "The Place Beyond the Pines". Rotten Tomatoes(Flixster). January 21, 2013.
  14. ^ "The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)". Box Office Mojo.
  15. ^ Raup, Jordan (March 26, 2013). "Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen Discuss the Pressures of 'The Place Beyond the Pines'". Filmstage. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  16. ^ Staff. "'The Place Beyond the Pines' Emory Cohen Interview". Hollywood.com. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  17. ^ "LAFF: Emory Cohen talks working with Bradley Cooper in "The Place Beyond The Pines" – IFC". Ifc.com. June 15, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  18. ^ "Dane DeHaan and Emory Cohen Discuss the Pressures of 'The Place Beyond the Pines'". Thefilmstage.com. March 26, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  19. ^ Reed, Rex (November 4, 2015). "'Brooklyn' Is a Nuanced Take on an Immigrant Caught Between Two Countries". Observer. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  20. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (September 14, 2015). "'Brooklyn' and 'Youth': A Tale of Searchlight's Contrasting Contenders". Variety. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  21. ^ Farber, Stephen (June 17, 2015). "'Stealing Cars': LAFF Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  22. ^ Pedersen, Erik (December 12, 2016). "'The OA' Trailer: Netflix Releases First Look & Sets Premiere Date For Drama". Deadline. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  23. ^ "'2012 Award Winners". Los Angeles Film Festival. Archived from the original on March 8, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  24. ^ "Variety and Hamptons International Film Festival Host 10 Actors to Watch Brunch". Variety. October 10, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  25. ^ "The 2015 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards". Detroit Film Critics Society. December 14, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  26. ^ "2015 San Diego Film Critics Society's Award Nominations". San Diego Film Critics Society. December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  27. ^ "NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE AWARDS: SPOTLIGHT VOTED BEST PICTURE OF 2015". Rotten Tomatoes. December 7, 2015. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2016.