W. Earl Brown Biography

Fast Facts

• Nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for dramatic series "Deadwood" in 2007
• Studied theater at Murray State University in his home state of Kentucky
• Attended The Theatre School at DePaul University
• Began his career doing theater in Chicago before relocating to Los Angeles
• Experienced an epiphany when his family took him to a county fair and he saw performers he had only seen on TV
• Performed in "Scenes from American Life" with Gillian Anderson while at DePaul University
• Quote: "(About 'Deadwood'] 'Truth be told, everybody wrote on every episode․ You were always pitching ideas, you were always writing things ․․․ So it was exhilarating․ Which made it all the worse when we got our knees cut off like we did․'"
• Quote: "'I am a music freak․ My tastes run the gamut from Willie Nelson, to Metallica, to Miles Davis․ However, if forced to pick an absolute favorite, I'd have to say anything by my friend and hero, Steve Earle․'"
• Worked as vocal coach on the film "Backdraft․"
• Has been cast as several Western-influenced characters with skewed moral compasses, most notably in "Deadwood" and "Justified․"
• Loves films such as "Animal House," "Halloween," "Star Wars" and the first two parts of "The Godfather" films
• Plays guitar in a bluegrass band called Sacred Cowboy