Zachary Quinto is one of the few Hollywood actors that I feel is a true actor. There are many actors, but very few that are as noticeable and as poignant in their quality of each performance as Quinto is. He delivers a power and intensity to his roles that few others have. He also just happens to be a gay man, which is the reason we’ve decided to honor him now, during Pride Month. Without further ado, let’s go over the life and career of Zachary Quinto.
Early Life and Career
Quinto was raised in an irish-italian catholic family in Pittsburgh. His father died when he was seven which fueled his desire to become an actor. He began acting at age 11. Quinto attended Catholic school, where he prodigically earned a Gene Kelly Award for high school acting. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1999 and only a year later made his transition into television, the medium he’s most known in today, with a lesser known series called The Others.
Heroes
Quinto’s first big success was in the hit series Heroes which ran from 2006 to 2010 which is now most known as the series that faltered after it’s first season. Nevertheless, Quinto was a welcome addition and he contributed immense talent to the cast. Quinto is an excellent villain. His villains are oftentimes intense and unnerving, creating a character you would not want to see in a darkened alley.
Star Trek
Quinto’s next major and largest success was in the revival of Star Trek, where he played Spock. Spock is arguably one of the hardest Star Trek characters to portray as a result of his status as an alien, and an alien with several steps removed from humanity. Quinto fit the role perfectly. His performance of Spock is often highly praised by critics. As such, he’s appeared in a lot of the media relating to Star Trek ever since.
American Horror Story
Any actor in American Horror Story is inherently talented just because of the variety of roles they have to play from season to season. There are exceptions, but for the most part if you’re in AHS you’re probably pretty good at your job. While Quinto only acted in the first two seasons, he delivered in both. He played a minor but still important role in the first season, and was one of the best characters in American Horror Story history in the second season.
Theatre
Quinto didn’t end his theatre career after he landed his first TV gig. He’s been acting in major productions since then, including that of classics such as Endgame and Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia and doesn’t plan to stop in the future.
Production
Quinto has also worked as a producer and started a production company with several Carnegie Mellon alums, where he primarily has done smaller productions including the Starz documentary series The Chair, which has since garnered popularity for its inclusion of a controversial public figure. The studio also published several graphic novels with Archaia Comics.
Conclusion
Quinto is an actor with talent. He’s able to consistently deliver excellent performances throughout his career and hopefully will continue to do so in the future. All that for an actor with a mild mannered personality, who appears reserved in interviews. You can never judge a book by its cover. In conclusion, I’ll quote myself talking about his performance in NOS4A2: “[Quinto’s] performance during American Horror Stories first two seasons was excellent, so I was ecstatic when in the second season he was more of a main character. His performance here is no different. He entrances the audience. Even under all the makeup he’s in at first, there’s a certain way that he conveys each of his lines that feels absolutely perfect.”
