Stephen Michael Kunken (born April 30, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for the roles of Ari Spyros on Showtime's Billions and Commander Putnam on Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale. His film work includes work with Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Paul Greengrass, Ang Lee, Barry Levinson, Ron Howard, and others. Graduating with top honors from The Juilliard School, Kunken has an extensive and celebrated theater career appearing on Broadway in seven different productions and countless off-Broadway and regional productions. He is most readily known for playing Andy Fastow in the Broadway play Enron, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Play. Other Broadway credits include Frost/Nixon and Rock 'n' Roll.
Early life and education
Kunken was raised on Long Island in Upper Brookville, New York. His father is a dentist and his mother is a former grade school teacher.[1] Kunken received a B.A. degree from Tufts University in 1993.[2] He is a graduate of the Juilliard School's Graduate Acting program, where as a member of the Drama Division's Group 26 (1993–1997) he was awarded both The John Houseman Prize and the Pearl and Rolands Grant. His classmates included David Denman and Alan Tudyk.[3] He is Jewish.[4]
Off-Broadway, he played Tim Andrews in the award-winning Richard Nelson cycle of Apple Plays, which includes That Hopey Changey Thing, Sweet and Sad, and Regular Singing in 2013 at The Public.[12][13]
He played the title role as Nikolai Nabakov in Lincoln Center Theater's production of Richard Nelson's Nikolai and the Others in 2013.[14] He has appeared as Dr. Phil in the critically acclaimed production of Kate Fodor's romantic comedy RX (2012, Primary Stages production);[15] as the Stage Manager in the 2009 David Cromer-directed revival of Thornton Wilder's Our Town (replacement as of January 5, 2010, Barrow Street Theatre);[16]Theresa Rebeck's Our House (2009, Playwrights Horizons);[17]Fabulation at Playwrights Horizons (2004);[18]A Very Common Procedure by Courtney Baron at Manhattan Class Company (2007)[19] (for which he received a Drama League Award nomination); Journals of Mihail Sebastian by David Auburn with the Keen Company in 2004[20] and Misalliance at the Roundabout Theatre Company (1997).[21][22]
Kunken and stage director Jenn Thompson were married in 2005[41][42][43] The couple reside in Brooklyn, New York with their daughter, Naomi,[1] whom they adopted from Ethiopia.[44]
