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Eric Close (born May 24, 1967, Staten Island, New York) is an American film and television actor. His father is an orthopedic surgeon, and Close is the eldest of three brothers. His family moved to Indiana, then to Michigan, and finally settled in San Diego when Close was seven years old. Close graduated with a B.A. in Communications at the University of Southern California in 1989, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Close was interested in acting from an early age and had some stage experience in school, but did not decide to pursue an acting career until after college.... MORE

Eric Close (born May 24, 1967, Staten Island, New York) is an American film and television actor. His father is an orthopedic surgeon, and Close is the eldest of three brothers. His family moved to Indiana, then to Michigan, and finally settled in San Diego when Close was seven years old. Close graduated with a B.A. in Communications at the University of Southern California in 1989, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Close was interested in acting from an early age and had some stage experience in school, but did not decide to pursue an acting career until after college. His first role was in a theater production Rat Songs in L.A., after which he was offered a part in the film American Me (1992) and Safe House directed by Elena Mannus. He had a brief stint in daytime television when he played Sawyer Walker on NBC's daytime drama Santa Barbara. He returned to the stage with Thanksgiving Cries. He has had many guest appearances on television, and landed leading roles on such shows as McKenna (one season, 1994–1995), Dark Skies (one season, 1996–1997), The Magnificent Seven (two seasons, 1998–1999), Now and Again (one season, 1999–2000), and the Steven Spielberg LESS