Becoming an actor wasn’t always part of Evan Jonigkeit’s plan for himself. In fact, when he was younger, he probably never imagined that he would be a professional actor who is known to people all over the world. However, anyone who has ever seen him perform would agree that acting is what he was meant to do. His love for great stories combined with his ability to play a variety of characters has allowed him to achieve lots of success over the course of his career. Any time you see Evan’s name attached to a project, you can trust that it’s going to be something good. Still, however, many would agree that he hasn’t gotten nearly as much credit as he deserves. Hopefully, that won’t be the case for much longer, though. He has a significant role in a new series on Netflix called Archive 81, and it’s given him a great opportunity to share his talent with a wide audience.
The series centers around Daniel Turner (Mamoudou Athie), an archivist who is hired for a mysterious project that requires him to restore old videos that have been damaged in a wife. Evan’s character, Samuel Spare, plays an important supporting role. At this point, it seems like only a matter of time before Evan becomes a household name. Keep reading to learn 10 things you didn’t know about Evan Jonigkeit.
1. He’s Been On Broadway
In addition to having an impressive on-screen resume, Evan has also done lots of great work in the theater world. He made his Broadway debut in 2011 when he was cast in High. His role in the play led to another Broadway opportunity when he was cast in The Snow Geese which starred Mary-Louise Parker. The fact that Evan can move effortlessly between the stage and the screen has also served him very well throughout his career. His most recent theater role was in 2019 in a play called Witch. Now that his on-screen career has started to gain more traction, it’ll be interesting to see if he continues to take on theater roles.
2. He Has Behind-The-Scenes Experience
To say that Evan is well-rounded would be a bit of an understatement. Most people are familiar with Evan for the work he’s done in front of the camera. What many don’t know is that he has also been telling stories from behind the scenes as well. Evan has produced several projects and he also has experience writing and directing. His ability to do multiple things has come in very handy for him and it makes him especially valuable to every project he’s a part of. It seems very likely that we’ll see him step behind the camera even more in the years to come.
3. He’s Happily Married
Not only have things gone well for Evan in his career, but he has also struck gold in his personal life. Evan has been happily married to actress Zosia Mamet since 2016. From what we can tell, the couple doesn’t have any children together. Zosia has been acting professionally for more than 25 years. She is best known for playing Shoshanna Shapiro in the HBO series Girls. Evan also had a role in this show. Ironically, however, they actually didn’t meet on the set of Girls. In an interview with Vogue, Zosia said, “We met doing a play. Our characters were engaged”. Hopefully, the couple will get the chance to work together more in the future.
4. He Enjoys Spending Time Outdoors
Evan’s career takes up a good portion of his time, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t make time for other things. When he gets a break from work, you can usually find Evan outdoors enjoying the beauty of nature. Whether he’s going for a hike or hanging out at the beach, Evan is always looking forward to getting some fresh air. Being outdoors is a great way for Evan to clear his head and disconnect from all of the commotion that comes with being a part of the entertainment industry.
5. He Was A Talented Baseball Player
As mentioned earlier, acting wasn’t always part of the plan for Evan. Instead, he spent his younger years heavily focused on sports. He was a talented athlete who earned a baseball scholarship to Temple University in Philadelphia. However, he decided to turn down the opportunity because of injuries he sustained over the years. While in college, he took a few acting classes which ultimately ended up changing the course of his life. He fell in love with acting and decided that it was something he wanted to pursue on a serious level. His time at Temple proved to be instrumental in laying the foundation for his career.
During an interview with Elle, Evan said, “Temple University and the theater sort of pipelined me into Philadelphia’s theater community, and I worked in [there] for a good amount of years. In the midst of that, an agent from New York came down and saw something I was in in Philadelphia, and asked me if I would be interested in being represented by them. It was great, but because I was fortunate enough to work so often in Philadelphia, I really didn’t have an opportunity to audition often in New York.” Eventually, however, Evan got a break between shows in Philadelphia and that gave him time to travel up to New York and audition. After a series of auditions, he ended up getting the part in High.
6. His Parents Were The First People He Called After Being Cast In X-Men: Days of Future Past
No matter how talented an actor is, nothing in the entertainment industry is ever guaranteed. As a result, being cast in something is always an exciting feeling. Needless to say, when Evan earned a role in something as big as X-Men, it was one of the biggest highlights of his career. Of course, he wanted to share the news with some of the people who mean the most to him. He told Philly Magazine, “I called my parents first. They were so excited. The one thought that really popped into my head was the fact that Brian Singer picked me to be part of something so huge. I really appreciate the fact that X-Men is such a big part of people’s lives.”
7. He Enjoys Taking Pictures
Acting might be Evan’s main focus, but the truth is that he is a creative person through and through. While he might not consider himself to be a photographer, that’s exactly what he is. Based on his Instagram profile, it’s clear that Evan loves taking pictures. On top of that, he is natural when it comes to capturing beautiful moments. His interest in taking pictures goes well with his love for being outdoors. Although it’s true that acting and photography are quite different, they both involve a love for storytelling and highlighting some of life’s most special moments.
8. He’s A Dog Person
Evan and his wife may not have any children, but they have been getting lots of practice in thanks to their adorable fur baby. It’s clear that Evan and Zosia’s dog is a major part of their family. Even though the dog doesn’t have its own Instagram profile, he is definitely one of Evan’s favorite things to take pictures of. It goes without saying that Evan’s followers really love it whenever he posts a picture of his dog.
9. He Prefers the Stage Over the Screen
Evan has spent a good portion of time on stage and in front of the camera, and he’s made it clear that the stage will always have his heart. He told Elle, “My whole career at this point has been essentially stage up until the last year. Obviously that’s where I feel the most at home, in the rehearsal room, feeling things out with the writer and director in the room. But the new challenges that are presenting themselves with TV and film are something that really excite me, something that I don’t have as much experience with. I’m really kind of diving in head-first and challenging myself in new ways. While I feel most at home in theater, I’m most excited by the TV and film work, specifically films, because I’m fascinated with what the process of making a film is, from financing to production to editing to distribution.”
10. He Studied Communications
One of the most interesting things about actors is that many of them chose not to study acting in college. Evan is among them. He actually majored in communications during his time in college. On the surface, there isn’t much of a connection between acting and communications but there are quite a few skills that overlap. Ultimately, though, his decision to not play baseball and study communications allowed him the freedom to take some acting classes in college.Philadelphia
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